This research describes the frontier of bio-inspired management innovation and how it may lead to a paradigm shift in how we structure and lead organizations. As an exploratory foray into a subculture of bio-inspired experts, it asks how we might apply evolutionary principles to creating more resilient and adaptive organizations. The experts hail from both science-based and organizational management backgrounds, showcasing a distinct divergence in how biomimicry is applied in their work. A review of contributions from these pioneering practitioners discovers the impetus and resulting benefits of their application. This is contrasted with the barriers that currently limit further development of biomimicry for organizational change. Ultimately there remains a common understanding among these practitioners that involves the intention to learn from nature. The research therefore analyzes the study of nature for informed and intentional change, and provides examples of edge corporations leading the way.

As we are frantically racing to reverse the consequences of our actions on the planet’s finite resources, the potential for a new paradigm that might consciously change how we model our organizations will have a direct impact on our resilience as a species.