Epigenetic Silencing
Organizations accumulate 'epigenetic' changes through repeated experiences that eventually enable new capabilities.
Each cold week adds a mark, like tally marks on a prison wall. After 4-8 weeks of cold, enough tags have accumulated to lift the block.
Epigenetic silencing involves chemical tags that silence genes without changing DNA sequence. In vernalization, cold triggers epigenetic changes that silence flowering repressor genes. These tags accumulate week by week during winter - like tally marks on a prison wall. After 4-8 weeks of cold, enough tags have accumulated to lift the block on flowering. The key gene affected is FLOWERING LOCUS C, which represses flowering until epigenetically silenced by prolonged cold exposure.
Business Application of Epigenetic Silencing
Organizations accumulate 'epigenetic' changes through repeated experiences that eventually enable new capabilities. Consistent market signals over time can 'silence' organizational resistance to change, enabling transitions that would have been blocked earlier.