Alternative Stable States
Different strategic choices can lead organizations to different stable configurations.
If you want your organization in a particular state, understand what maintains that state. Understand what threshold effects could flip it to alternative states.
Alternative stable states represent modern ecology's recognition that succession doesn't always converge on a single climax but can progress toward different endpoints depending on contingencies. Kelp forests versus urchin barrens on rocky coasts illustrate this: both states are stable and self-reinforcing. Predators maintain kelp forests by controlling urchins; dense urchin populations prevent kelp reestablishment once cleared. Shifting between states requires overcoming thresholds - dramatic interventions that push systems across tipping points.
Business Application of Alternative Stable States
Different strategic choices can lead organizations to different stable configurations. Mitsubishi's diversified keiretsu represents one stable state; focused specialist companies represent another. Both can persist in the same environment. Once achieved, stable states require active maintenance or they degrade.