Evolution

Full Title or Meme

The gradual process of the changing morphology of living entities in a natural ecosystem.

Context

Evolution and Disruption are the ying and yang of the process of change in any ecosystem. In the General Theory of Living Systems the case is made that an identity ecosystem has all of the characteristics of living ecosystems.

All evolutionary change occurs within a living ecosystem. Each change must improve the success of the species in the exiting ecosystem. Disruptions do occur, but even they must succeed in the existing ecosystem, even as they change it.

Amara's law tells us that we tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run. Since in the long run we are all dead (including all of the known enterprises), the short run is where we have the most opportunity to improve our odds of success, as well as the place where errors and spell the quick end of any change.

Unicorns are those special enterprises that are early to provide a solution for long term change, but they will need some means to find a way to survive until the big change comes. Their concerns are not addressed here.

Problems

We all, human and corporate, do need to make our way in the ecosystem that we do have. The most successful are those that detect imbalances developing in the ecosystem and are able to anticipate changes that will thrive given the changes that are already underway. It is clear to most of us that change in the identity ecosystem is afoot. Our problem is to discern the change that will profit from that change.

Solutions

Solutions in identity ecosystems must be advantageous to three types of entity, where all interesting decisions are generated by the first two:

1. Users or Consumers with a large bundle of desires for goods or service and fear of the unknown.
2. Resources of goods or services that are relying on the identity of those users for their survival.
3. Service providers to either users or relying parties who are evolving to meet the needs of both.