Exaptive innovation

Exaptive innovation

Name and history

Exaptation

Exaptation, a term proposed by evolutionary biologists Stephen Gould and Elizabeth Vrba, allows biologists to discuss what features are and are not adaptations.

Adaptation: a feature produced by natural selection for its current function (such as echolocation in bats).

Exaptation: a feature that performs a function but that was not produced by natural selection for its current use. Perhaps the feature was produced by natural selection for a function other than the one it currently performs and was then co-opted for its current function. For example, feathers might have originally arisen in the context of selection for insulation, and only later were they co-opted for flight. In this case, the general form of feathers is an adaptation for insulation and an exaptation for flight.

Exaptation is about bringing together needs and capabilities at a fine level of granularity, creating links through a higher level of abstraction to suggest novel reuse of existing capability at scale.

Exaptation can also be referred to as radical repurposing – a process of finding things we already have and repurposing them to solve novel problems or needs. This involves mapping existing capabilities, objects or assets (Knowledge mapping; identifying new or unarticulated organisational problems or needs (Unarticulated user needs); and matching these, often indirectly, to trigger the discovery of new and innovative connections or ideas (Exaptive triggers). The process can be run in a structured workshop or through the use of SenseMaker®. This is part of a series of methods that form part of a Complex systems approach to design.

Innovation

No one truly agrees what innovation actually means or looks like in practice, but the top three most popular innovation theories are instructive when it comes to understand how this method reframes innovation through the lens of exaptation.

Disruptive Innovations Theory

Disruptive innovations create new markets by providing simpler, more affordable products that appeal to a different segment than the incumbents' offerings. Over time, the disruptors improve their products to eventually displace the incumbents. This theory explains why large companies struggle with disruptive threats - they focus on sustaining innovations for their most profitable customers rather than pursuing disruptive opportunities.

Open Innovation Theory

Open innovation proposes that firms can and should leverage both internal and external sources of ideas to advance their innovation capabilities. Rather than relying solely on internal R&D, companies should purposively manage inflows and outflows of knowledge across organizational boundaries to accelerate innovation.

Lean Startup Theory

The lean startup methodology advocates developing products iteratively and using validated learning from real customers to steer product development. It emphasizes rapid prototyping, continuous testing with customers, and pivoting based on insights gained rather than relying on upfront planning and predictions.