BUSINESS STRATEGY LESSONS FROM BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY

Arvid C. Johnson
University of St. Francis
Mohamed O. Askar
Syed A. Imam
Dominican University
ABSTRACT
Business strategy is the act of aligning a company with its environment by means of a dynamic process through which competitive advantage is created and sustained. Strategists are constrained in this process by their ability to perceive the market’s requirements at a point in time, by the firm’s ability to deliver an offering that conforms to the perceived requirements, and by the time-dependent, uncertain nature of the market opportunity. Linear, deterministic methods of developing business strategy are, therefore, out of synchronism with today’s business environment. This study provides an overview of a methodology that recognizes the non-linear, chaotic nature of the strategy challenge by drawing its insights from the theory of biological systems.