Digital darwinism and levelized communication
– a match made in heaven?
I have earlier written about how the business world increasingly is experiencing “Digital Darwinism”, however many companies might not be aware of it yet. This can, and will be, a rude awakening for many at some point.
I first came across the expression in a research report by Brian Solis called “The rise of Digital Darwinism and the fall of business as usual”. He has described Digital Darwinism as when “technology and society are evolving faster than businesses can naturally adapt. This sets the stage for a new era of leadership; new generations of business models, charging behind a mantra of adapt or die.”

New technology, be it social media, mobile, wearables, internet of things, are all changing the way people communicate, connect, and discover new things. A trend that is just picking up speed. This “new” connected world offers both opportunities and threats. However, companies need to adapt. A modern organization must be based on a vision and values that address this new environment in order to handle and enhance the customer experience, a vital feature for any company. One way of achieving this is through levelized communications.
I recently wrote about how vertical communication must be replaced with levelized. Some would argue that a horizontal approach is good enough, but I don’t think so. What’s the difference you might ask? I would say that the term horizontal indicates a one way communication whereas levelized indicates that all parties are included and equally important. And I believe that to be truly successful in the era of Digital Darwinism. You must accept that even though your company is a larger entity than the individuals that make up your customer base as a combined community they can, and to a greater extent, will make or break your company.
What is unique?
When you look at how most companies describe their products or services the word unique is not unique. But if you look at the products and services that you are surrounded by how many are of a character that they can’t be replaced by something else?
Of course we all have different preferences in a lot of areas, both in our private life as well as in our professional. Some people just can’t live without their Apple products, but if you would remove the iPhone from the market would these people rather live without a smartphone than buy another brand?
The potential damage that the digital transformation, i.e. shift from business as usual to Digital Darwinism, can inflict on an organization can to some extent be counteracted by a shift from vertical to levelized communication.
As a large part of the digital transformation is driven by technological evolution it is necessary to address and adapt to, not all but the right, technological leaps. In order to build an adaptive organization, the way it communicates with its surrounding will be extremely important to be able to identify and address the relevant changes.
I am convinced that Digital Darwinism is here, and the question is how you will cope with it. In order to understand how you will be affected, you must open up and have a constant dialogue with your “community” (customers etc). In other words use the force of levelized communication. Levelized communication and Digital Darwinism can be a match made in heaven, or at least in cyberspace. What do you think?
/Mikael Zillén, @mikaelzillen
Senior Advisor & Digital Specialist
+46 762 13 00 40 | mikael.zillen (@) boxcomm.se
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