At first glance, mushrooms and businesses have little in common. However, behind their apparent simplicity, mushrooms reveal a complex and fascinating underground network: the mycelium. This invisible network connects, nourishes and supports the forest ecosystem, demonstrating remarkable resilience and interconnectedness. For business leaders and founders, how mushrooms work offers a unique source of inspiration for designing more adaptive, resilient and strategically interconnected organizations.
Mycelium: a lesson in natural strategy
The mycelium is the vegetative part of the mushroom: a network of microscopic filaments which unfolds underground, invisible but omnipresent. It connects trees, recycles nutrients and ensures the survival of the ecosystem. Three main characteristics make mycelium fascinating for organizations:
- Interdependence: Filaments connect all parts of the ecosystem, enabling a constant flow of information and resources.
- Resilience: The network can repair itself quickly after disruptions and redistribute resources where they are needed most.
- Strategic Invisibility: Although discreet, mycelium has a major impact on the health and growth of the forest, often acting unbeknownst to observers.
Transposed to the company, these characteristics invite us to rethink strategy not as a rigid hierarchical line, but as a flexible and adaptable network, capable of connecting, nourishing and supporting the organization on a continuous basis.
Interdependence: strengthening internal and external connections
In a traditional organization, departments often operate as separate entities, with little exchange of information. Like mycelium, companies can gain efficiency and innovation by developing internal and external networks based on interdependence.
1/ Internal networks
Promoting connections between teams, departments and projects helps streamline information and optimize resources. Ideas flow more freely and unexpected collaborations become possible.
Case in point: At Pixar, workspaces and daily routines are designed to encourage informal interactions between animators, technicians and writers. These cross-functional exchanges stimulate creativity and allow problems or opportunities to be quickly identified.
2/ External networks
Interdependence is not limited to the internal. “Mycelial” organizations cultivate links with partners, suppliers and even competitors to create a strategic ecosystem. These connections allow us to pool resources, share information and build resilience in the face of market disruptions.
Concrete example: the OpenAI consortium showed that open collaboration with academic and industrial partners could accelerate innovation while strengthening technological robustness.
Resilience: learning to absorb and redistribute shocks
Mycelium perfectly illustrates the notion of resilience. Even when part of the network is destroyed, the rest continues to function and support the ecosystem. Organizations can learn clear lessons from this model to improve their ability to overcome crises and adapt to change.
1/ Strategic redundancy
Just as mycelium deploys multiple filaments to ensure continuity of nutrient flows, companies can create intelligent redundancies: alternative processes, multi-skilled teams, and parallel decision circuits. These redundancies are not waste, but insurance against uncertainty.
2/ Redistribution of resources
When an area of the forest lacks nutrients, the mycelium redistributes what is available. Likewise, a resilient organization knows how to quickly allocate its resources to the most critical projects and teams.
Concrete example: during the health crisis, certain technology companies reallocated their teams and budgets to quickly develop digital solutions, showing an almost “mycelial” capacity for adaptation.
Strategic invisibility: working in depth for lasting impact
Another key lesson from mycelium is that impact can be maximized even when remaining discreet. Organizations are often tempted to only value what is visible: sales figures, marketing campaigns, finished products. Yet the most lasting transformations often happen behind the scenes.
1/ Invest in invisible structures
Internal networks, culture, training and information sharing systems are the invisible filaments that support growth. Smart leaders know that deep investments pay off in the long term, even if the results are not immediately visible.
Concrete example: Toyota has long invested in Lean and Kaizen, continuous improvement systems invisible to the customer but essential for quality and innovation.
2/ Develop an adaptive strategy
Invisibility also helps prepare the company for changes without exposing its vulnerabilities. Mycelial organizations anticipate, test and adjust their strategies continuously, making them more resilient to disruption.
Case in point: Amazon continues to experiment behind the scenes with pilots and constant A/B testing, adjusting its offerings and logistics without disrupting the visible customer experience.
Implement a mycelial organization
To transform these natural principles into concrete managerial practices, managers can follow several axes:
1/ Map and strengthen networks
Identifying internal and external information and resource flows is the first step. Where are the friction points? What connections can be strengthened?
Practical action: use organizational mapping tools and collaborative platforms to visualize and improve internal and external connections.
2/ Encourage experimentation and redundancy
Promoting pilot initiatives and parallel projects allows you to accumulate strategic “filaments” that strengthen resilience. Each experiment contributes to a richer and more adaptable network.
Practical action: Create budgets and teams dedicated to innovation and experimentation, with the freedom to pivot quickly.
3/ Promote invisible structures
Invest in culture, skills development and information sharing processes. These elements are often underestimated, but they constitute the foundation on which all resilience and innovation rest.
Practical action: establish internal sharing routines, training sessions and spaces for informal exchange.
4/ Maintain a flexible vision
A mycelial organization does not focus on a single strategy. The vision guides action but the structure remains adaptive, capable of reorganizing itself in the face of disruptions or new opportunities.
Practical action: define a clear but open vision, with guiding principles rather than fixed detailed plans.
The benefits of a mycelial approach
Organizations that draw inspiration from mycelium can benefit from multiple benefits:
- Continuous innovation: cross-functional interactions and experiments promote creativity.
- Increased resilience: Resources and information flows can be redirected quickly in the event of a disruption.
- Strengthened collaboration: Interdependence creates a sense of network and shared responsibility.
- Sustainable impact: invisible structures ensure long-term strategic development.
