K-Selection
In business, K-selection means: invest in infrastructure, move slowly, protect existing customers, bet that quality and relationships compound.
In stable environments, quality beats quantity.
K-selection (slow and few): Produce few offspring, invest heavily in each, rely on quality and protection. Elephants, whales, humans. Slow growth, long lifespan, low offspring mortality, bet on competitive advantage of each offspring.
K-selection dominates in stable, competitive environments where the future resembles the past and quality beats quantity.
During the Cenozoic era (last 66 million years), mammals radiated into niches left empty after dinosaurs died. But this time, environments were stable. Competition was fierce. K-selection. Elephants evolved 22-month pregnancies producing one calf every four years. Lions evolved cooperative hunting and cub protection. Whales evolved complex social structures and decades-long parental care.
Business Application of K-Selection
In business, K-selection means: invest in infrastructure, move slowly, protect existing customers, bet that quality and relationships compound. Samsung's $14B annual marketing, massive retail distribution, and long development cycles exemplify K-selection. When the environment is stable, K-selection wins: enterprises with economies of scale, brand equity, and customer lock-in dominate.
K-Selection Appears in 2 Chapters
Contrasts K-selection (heavy investment, few offspring) with r-selection (fast iteration, many offspring), showing how Cenozoic mammals exemplified K-selection's quality-over-quantity approach in stable environments.
See K-selection shape mammalian evolution →Examines how enterprises use K-selection strategy - investing in infrastructure, moving slowly, building competitive moats - to dominate stable markets with high margins.
Explore K-selection in enterprise strategy →