Bryozoan

Bryozoans are colonial animals where thousands of genetically identical individuals (zooids) combine to form structures resembling moss, lace, or coral. Each zooid is tiny - under a millimeter - but collectively they build encrusting sheets, branching trees, and reef-like formations. The colony coordinates feeding, with individual zooids creating water currents that bring food to the group. Specialized zooids defend the colony or provide structural support, sacrificing individual reproduction for colony function.

The division of labor within bryozoan colonies mirrors organizational structure. Feeding zooids (production), defensive zooids (legal/security), structural zooids (infrastructure), and reproductive zooids (R&D) each serve the collective. No single zooid could survive alone, but the colony thrives through specialization. Colonial coordination allows bryozoans to colonize surfaces faster than solitary competitors and build structures larger than any individual could achieve.

For business, bryozoans demonstrate that modular organizations can achieve ecosystem engineering through coordination rather than central control. Each business unit (zooid) has specialized function. The collective creates structures impossible for individuals. But bryozoan success requires coordination mechanisms - the water currents that share resources across the colony. Conglomerates that fail often lack this current: business units don't share customers, technology, or capability. Successful diversified companies maintain colony coordination that makes the whole exceed the sum of parts.