Coppicing
Organizations can regenerate after crisis (layoffs, bankruptcy, market collapse) if their root system survives - core capabilities, brand equity, customer relationships.
The question isn't whether crisis happened - it's whether the root system survived and whether stored energy exists to fund regrowth.
Coppicing is traditional woodland management where trees are cut to ground level every 7-20 years. The trees don't die - they regrow from the stump. The root system survives, containing stored energy and dormant buds. When the trunk is cut, hormonal signals change, dormant buds activate, and the tree regrows. After 300-500 years of repeated coppicing, a single oak stump might be 2 meters wide, surrounded by 20+ trunks, all genetically identical, sprouting from the same ancient root system. Coppiced woodlands in England contain oak stools dated to 1,000+ years old.
Business Application of Coppicing
Organizations can regenerate after crisis (layoffs, bankruptcy, market collapse) if their root system survives - core capabilities, brand equity, customer relationships. Like coppiced trees, companies can regrow from surviving foundations multiple times, but regeneration requires energy reserves and has finite capacity.