Biomimicry, Too

In the process, they can learn about themselves, their purpose, and how to work together better. This entails collaboration and mutual support. When it comes to sustainability, the only identifiable success over a long period of time has been nature. FMs can witness how nature is interrelated, with different species supporting others, and apply that to the need for teamwork, alignment with other departments and a focus on the health of the organization. They can attempt to replicate nature’s forms, processes and ecosystems to create a more harmonious and productive workplace.

The philosophy of understanding how life works and creating designs that continuously support and create conditions conducive to business success opens a new realm in FM.

Many of the relationships between organisms in nature are those of dependence. Whether it be humans breathing oxygen generated by plants or an oxpecker bird feeding on parasites on a rhinoceros, every organism depends on another organism in some way.

In the cycle of life, plants consume decayed material from the soil for their nourishment and are consumed by plant-eating animals for their survival. The carnivores then consume the lower animals of the food chain for their sustenance. These components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plants and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass to a form that can be readily used by plants. When living organisms perish, they decompose and form a part of the soil, which can again be consumed by plants, continuing the cycle.

The flora in forests also helps establish protection for animals living within them. Protection is offered both within and outside the ecosystem. Trees and large bushes help protect animals from their predators by providing camouflage. Animals are protected to a certain degree from outside influences like extreme weather and harsh climates. This helps to explain why forests are home to a variety of animals. Natural philosophers and biologists have posited a hypothesis that mutual aid among species came to shape plant communities and drives the diversification of life.

Plants even have mentor/mentee relationships. Palo verde trees shelter baby saguaros, helping them through their early years by providing shade and funneling water down from their branches. This relationship will turn when the saguaro comes of age, at which time it may out-compete the nurse plant that has helped it along. This could be called career advancement. There also exists a reproductive dependence between plants and animals. Animals help in plant reproduction by acting as carriers of seeds. It is important that plants grow over an extended area so as not to deplete the resources needed for survival. Too many plants growing in the same region may suffer from insufficient amounts of water, sunlight and/or nutrients. Animals help spread the plants to a wider range to enable their continued existence.

Bees are the major carriers of pollen, which is transferred between flowers. Pollination helps plants to reproduce. Subsequently, the bees obtain the nectar of flowers as their nourishment, establishing a symbiotic relationship between the two species. They work together; they collaborate. Collaboration in the workplace follows the same pattern. It is when a group of people come together and combine their expertise and energy for the benefit of shared objectives or goals. FMs can manage such unions, as they hold a holistic view of the organization. They can help put the pieces together.

The overall cycle could provide a model for FMs and business as well. Each member or department must understand the importance of doing their job while providing support, ideas and input to others in the business, meanwhile gleaning the same assistance and information from others in the system.

FM teams that collaborate well with other business entities are more likely to contribute more to the bottom line, be more culturally aligned, and have higher satisfaction rates internally and externally. Such alliances benefit everybody involved, both in organizations and facilities. A combination of culture, leadership and incentives needs to come together for effective collaboration and productivity to reign. FMs are well equipped to facilitate such efforts, while being able to better fulfill their responsibilities.

Ecosystems

An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a geographic area where plants, animals, other organisms, weather and landscape interact to form an environment in which to thrive. Every factor in an ecosystem depends on every other factor, either directly or indirectly. A human ecosystem defines the way people interact within their ecosystems.

In a work ecosystem, diverse elements – living, inanimate, environmental – must also interact. The key is to unify these disparate elements into an interdependent system focused on the survival and success of the entire organization. 

This way of looking at a business or workplace is called systems thinking, and it lies at the heart of what nature does. Understanding all the parts and their impact on one another, having a holistic perspective of all the essential needs of both equipment and the workplace, enables an FM to detect why certain problems arise, or why certain seemingly small issues can turn into major crises. It enables them to be proactive in creating order, avoiding chaos.

In a team-based environment, the workplace is structured to support teamwork and reward the success of team players. Key benefits of working in this setting can include sharing responsibilities with a group of people, developing strong professional bonds with coworkers and developing teamwork skills. In mature ecosystems, cooperation is just as prevalent as competition. This peaceful coexistence is inherently cooperative .

Mutualism

The term mutualism refers to relationships in biology or sociology that are mutually beneficial to two living things or societies. It is the doctrine or practice of dependence as the mutual condition of individual and social welfare, relationships that work together.

Aphids are a minute bug that feeds by sucking sap from plants. They secrete a sugary liquid called honeydew that is the waste product of their diet. Ants are known to engage in a mutualistic relationship with aphids by “milking” them with their antennae and feeding on the honeydew. In return, the ants will protect the aphids from predators and parasites. Some will move aphid eggs and nymphs underground to their nest, which provides shelter and makes harvesting their honeydew more efficient, operating as an ant dairy farm. This directly parallels the activities FMs engage in for the care, feeding and shelter of employees, rewarded by appreciation and mutual satisfaction in jobs well done.

Working together in an organization, each person performing their different roles, can do the same.

Working together

The giant redwood trees of the western U.S. have a shallow root system. Among the tallest trees in the world, their enormous weight is supported, in part, by the interlocking of a tree’s roots with those of the other trees around it. Their roots serve as a multitude of people interlocking their arms to support each other. They provide each other with strength and support via their intertwining roots. These roots are not deep, but wide, living in an embrace of others. The merged roots also meet their needs for nurture. The entire system relies on their rooted connections.

After hurricanes, tree roots have been found interlocked to provide mutual support to survive the force of the storm. This is a type of collective intelligence: knowing what is needed and working together for enhanced, exponential support.

There is solidarity in unity, focused on the well-being of all involved. This is a good lesson for FMs. They have an impact on every aspect of a business, which provides them with the means and opportunity to weld all the units together.

Together forever?

All of nature’s interdependences point to the prevalence of collective intelligence, which is the body of knowledge that develops within a group. When groups of people work together, they create intelligent support that cannot exist on an individual level. Collective intelligence is a shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration, combined efforts and competition of many individuals and appears in decision making. Collective intelligence has been attributed to all living organisms.

It is all about relationships – how people and departments physically and psychically relate to each other. In business and nature, everything works through flows of relationships. Trust is the fertile earth which allows healthy, vibrant relationships to take root. Relationships struggle to survive without trust. Trust requires mutual respect and understanding, an empathic reaching out beyond any one entity that allows for and promotes reciprocation.

Just as new FMs must learn from more experienced professionals, everyone can learn from the natural world. Nature has learned its lessons well. Successes thrive while failures become fossils. There is not a question that nature cannot answer if one knows where and how to look. Over time, it may even come naturally.