Social Innovation Guided by Nature’s Genius

Biomimicry for Social Innovation, Biomimicry 3.8, and Canopy are launching a pilot project to apply nature’s ways of managing complex systems to organizational development.

To date biomimicry has been used most often in the fields of architecture, engineering and sustainable product development. In the past few years, interest has been growing in bio-inspired solutions to optimize adaptation, build resilience, amplify network effectiveness, and foster symbiotic collaboration in human social systems.

Canopy is an organization with a broad coalition of partners in the corporate and organizational worlds that are working to transform unsustainable supply chains and conserve forest ecosystems. It will work with Biomimicy for Social Innovation and Biomimicry 3.8 to transform its own structure and practices, and serve as a model for other organizations in its network.

The three organizations will spread the lessons from their year long pilot project with Canopy through their diverse networks, which include the Ashoka Fellows Network, Rockwood Leadership Network, Arizona State University, non-governmental organizations, corporate partners in the publishing, print and fashion industries, and government partners. They will disseminate what they learn through webinars, conference presentations, public courses, and publication in professional journals. They will also embed the lessons in the design of their own work.

Blackstone Ranch Institute has provided an early grant to support the pilot effort. The Hidden Leaf Foundation provided an earlier grant.