Nature never sits still

Natural ecosystems are basically flows of energy and matter, forever evolving and transforming, cycling and recycling. They are constantly adapting and responding to change, creatively using it to nurture their thriving.

A human cell will adapt its activity according to the nutrients, water and oxygen available in its environment. Our cardio-vascular system responds to changes in our pace when we walk/run, by pumping blood around our body faster or slower.

In growing forests, oaks and longer living trees will make use of the death of pioneer trees to feed on the compost they produce and the light that suddenly becomes available. They connect to a network of underground mycelium which enables a collective water-management system, whereby excess water in the ground can be sucked up by the mycelium and stored in trees, who will slowly release it when water starts becoming scarce.

Interestingly, it is more at the level of the ecosystem, than at the level of individual elements that we see creative evolution in the face of change. For example, rising temperatures will push out, or extinct, a particular species. If you look at it from the perspective of that species, it is not really a creative response to change – but if you look at it from the perspective of the whole ecosystem, where new species come in and thrive with those new conditions, and with the space left by the element that was pushed out, then you could see it as creative response to change.

Another interesting feature of natural, dynamic response to change, is that it is seldom predictable. In her wonderful book, Wilding: The return of Nature to a British farm, Isabella Tree describes how the reintroduction of semi-wild cattle, pig and deer species on their farm led to the return of plants, insects, birds etc. that they had never thought of – but who found in that changing ecosystem a breeding ground they could prosper on, thus enabling the prosperity of other elements who depended on them for food, pollination, etc.

Permaculture relies on agility in response to evolving conditions

At the heart of permaculture design lies the tension between creating a stable system, and the inherent dynamics of change that will flow through that system. Rather than pestering against changes that threaten their initial design, permaculture designers try to “think on their feet” to adapt their initial design to the evolutions in the environment.

If a row of apple trees grows too big and provides too much shade for its surroundings, designers will prune them more heavily and shred the wood for mulching, or use it as firewood.

When a hedgehog decides to settle down in one part of the garden, it is worth adapting our original plans in order to preserve that wonderful natural slug killer, rather than ask him to kindly leave because he’s stepping on beds we had designed for corn, beans and marrows. Instead, we can move our pile of old leaves and branches to where the hedgehog chose to live, and use that freed-up space for something else.

Still on the slug theme… People who have had to struggle with slugs (without using toxic pellets of course) will know that there is no need to try to fight against them – they are much more clever, persevering or nocturnal than us! Rather, what we can do is to allocate some of what we grow specifically for slugs, perhaps in a particular part of the garden so that they concentrate there. And then bring in a family of ducks to clear the population of slugs every so often, and keep it in check.

In other words, permaculture designers relate to change in terms of energy efficiency. It takes so much energy to resist changes in the ecosystem, with sometimes little certainty that the solutions we try to impose with so much energy will work, that it is much more efficient to imagine solutions that work with those dynamics of change – that creatively use them, ride them, rather than push against them.

Using change rather than imposing change in organisations

You’re at work, it’s 2pm, you woke up early and the morning was intense. You just ate lunch and it’s time to get back to work. As you sit down in front of your computer, concentration feels difficult, because, let’s face it, what you really want to do is to go to sleep!

What do you do? You get up and go make yourself a strong cup of coffee. This is a clear example of investing a lot of energy to resist change, rather than creatively using it. Yet, according to a study by NASA, a micro-nap (between 10 and 25 minutes) could help you increase your productivity by 35%, lower your blood pressure, improve your mood whilst reducing your anxiety.

So here is a first simple application of Permaculture Principle #12: turn your company into a happy napping organisation!

In his seminal book “Reinventing Organisations”, Frédéric Laloux shares stories of companies who have let go of 3-year planning, objective setting and other forms of attempts at shaping forces that often are beyond our control. Rather, these organisations ensure they attend to helping everyone being clear about the organisation’s purpose right from the start; after that, what is encouraged is to adopt a “Sense & Respond” disposition: being attuned to changes in the context, with the opportunities and threats that they bring, and responding to them according to the organisation’s purpose. Coupled with a self-management culture, this approach typically means that instead of spending energy trying to control an ever-changing reality, staff are encouraged to use that energy in the context and ride it like a surfer, who’s surfing board is built out of the organisation’s purpose.

At the time of writing, France is in the grips of a(nother) societal crisis, this time with farmers demonstrating against their living conditions, the government decisions, and Europe regulations. In an attempt to appease them, the government has just agreed to suspend several initiatives aimed at encouraging/enabling a more environmentally friendly agriculture. So here’s another typical refusal to engage with change: whilst everybody knows (including the farmers taking the street) that the current model is obsolete, measures are being taken to, effectively, prolong it a bit longer.

What could have been done instead? Well, respond to the change creatively, by attending to the true needs of the farmers (being able to earn a living from their work; not being overwhelmed by bureaucracy; etc.) in the context of a more environmentally friendly agriculture. That could mean increasing incentives for products coming from a more environmentally friendly agriculture, through boosting consumers’ capacities for buying them – whilst at the same time creating penalties for those who profit from imposing low prices on farming products (the main buying mega powers such as Lactalys for milk, or Les Moulins de Paris for wheat).