Copying the master strategist

As was explained in the first book of this trilogy – The Entrepreneurial Web – an auteur, or an entrepreneur, might appear to be acting in an irrational manner, but, underlying the apparent randomness and disorder there is usually some kind of abstract model that forms the basis for a rational strategy. These abstract models are not always easily explainable. They are usually generic, seldom relating to any specific business situation.

The advantage of working with these abstract models is that they can be applied to any situation. This is why entrepreneurs are often successful in many different kinds of businesses. They might see openings and opportunities in unfamiliar fields, which have not been recognised by people who have been working in the fields for a long time.

The abstract models I use are based upon the mechanisms that have been devised to explain biological evolution. This may seem utterly bizarre, but, in terms of strategies that deal with uncertainty and competition , Mother Nature is the master strategist of all time. Her strategies for creating viable products and system solutions have proved consistently successful over billions of years. Why look for something different when such a provenly successful model is readily available?

Mother Nature's evolutionary strategy doesn't have any initial ideas or preconceptions. There are no plans or management structures, no rules or protocols. Connectiveness and associations are through chance and necessity. The main goal is to survive and prosper in the face of intense competition, but, isn't this the fundamental goal of all e-businesses?

The key to Mother Nature's success is her strategy's ability to reverse the second law of thermal dynamics. This is the fundamental law of physics, which states that all systems progress relentlessly towards a state of increased entropy. In simple terms, this law is saying that all ordered systems have a tendency to become progressively less ordered and more disorganised.

Mother Nature's way of reversing this law is to create self regulating systems that employ feedback to ruthlessly eliminate all elements that degrade the system and, at the same time, promote the elements that enhance it. It is a blind approach – relying on chance and opportunity – guided only by feedback from results.

It is just such a strategy that will be employed here. The engine to drive this process will be the virtual cafe.