Auxin Gradient
Resource reallocation in companies works like auxin redistribution - the key isn't total resources but differential allocation.
Auxin is the plant hormone responsible for phototropic bending, discovered by Frits Went in 1926. When phototropins on the lit side of a stem activate, auxin migrates from the lit side to the shaded side. This creates a concentration gradient - a sunflower seedling will have 40% higher auxin on its shaded side. Cells on the high-auxin side elongate faster, creating asymmetric growth that curves the stem toward light.
The gradient is everything: without the differential (equal auxin on all sides), the plant grows straight up. With the differential, it bends. The steeper the gradient, the faster the bend.
Business Application of Auxin Gradient
Resource reallocation in companies works like auxin redistribution - the key isn't total resources but differential allocation. Growing 40% faster in one direction while maintaining baseline in others creates the organizational 'bend' toward opportunity.
Discovery
Frits Went (1926)
Discovered auxin as the 'influence' Darwin described 46 years earlier, identifying the chemical mechanism of phototropic bending.