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“Consider a turkey that is fed every day. Every single feeding will firm up the bird’s belief that it is the general rule of life to be fed every day by friendly members of the human race ‘looking out for its best interests,’ as a politician would say. On the afternoon of the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, something unexpected will happen to the turkey. It will incur a revision of belief.”
— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan
Taleb’s cautionary tale warns us about complacency and false certainty, even in environments that seem stable and predictable. Much like the turkey, we tend to trust patterns that have never let us down, until the moment they do, often with devastating consequences. Taleb’s example encourages us to stay vigilant, as disruption can come from anywhere. Similarly, in philosophy, the notion of resilience is explored in a more profound context, most notably by Friedrich Nietzsche.
The phrase, “What does not kill me makes me stronger” (Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker), is a well-known aphorism from Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols (Götzen-Dämmerung), published in 1888. In this provocative work, Nietzsche critiques the established values, philosophies, and moralities of his time, urging humanity to reevaluate its beliefs in order to break free from dogmas.
This particular aphorism has become one of Nietzsche’s most famous and widely quoted maxims. Its meaning extends beyond personal resilience, touching on Nietzsche’s broader philosophy concerning suffering, strength, and human growth.
Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Growth Through Adversity
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” — C.S. Lewis”
Nietzsche believed that life’s challenges, struggles, and hardships were necessary for personal growth and development. He viewed adversity as a critical means through which individuals could build strength, develop resilience, and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world. This view contrasts with philosophies that see suffering as something inherently negative and to be avoided.
In Nietzsche’s worldview, suffering is not merely an unavoidable part of life — it is essential for becoming stronger, both mentally and spiritually. But this concept isn’t limited to personal growth. Nature offers its own powerful metaphors for resilience, such as in the phenomenon of “stresswood,” which demonstrates how growth through resistance is not just a necessity but a crucial aspect of long-term survival, both in nature and in the business world.
What is Stresswood?
“Times of crisis, of disruption or constructive change, are not only predictable, but desirable. They mean growth. Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky
Stresswood refers to the denser, stronger wood that trees develop in response to external forces like wind or adverse environmental conditions. When a tree encounters resistance, such as harsh winds or unstable soil, it doesn’t merely endure the stress; it grows stronger. The fibers within the tree thicken and realign, creating a natural reinforcement that allows the tree to bend without breaking. This resilience-building process is vital for the tree’s survival, enabling it to withstand future stressors.
This natural mechanism serves as a poignant reminder that stress, far from being purely destructive, can act as a catalyst for growth and resilience. Just as trees develop stresswood, individuals and organisations can build resilience through external challenges. An organisation, shielded from adversity, may appear to thrive in calm conditions but may ultimately collapse under the weight of sudden disruptions, much like the turkey before Thanksgiving.
Biosphere 2: A Lesson in the Dangers of Protection
One of the most illustrative examples of the importance of stresswood comes from an experiment known as Biosphere 2 in Nevada. Scientists designed this artificial, self-contained ecological system to study ecosystems under ideal conditions. It was a utopian experiment meant to foster perfect harmony among plants and animals in a closed environment.
In this controlled setting, trees grew rapidly due to the absence of harsh weather and natural stressors. However, despite the seemingly optimal conditions, the trees within Biosphere 2 eventually toppled over. The reason? They had not developed stresswood. Without external challenges like wind to force them to strengthen their trunks, the trees became weak and vulnerable, unable to support their own growth.
This failed experiment offers a powerful metaphor for what happens when any system — be it a tree, an organisation, or an individual — is shielded from stress. Without challenges that spur adaptation and growth, even the most robust-looking systems can become fragile and prone to collapse when adversity inevitably strikes.
Nokia: Nothing fails like success.
Nokia’s trajectory from its humble beginnings to global dominance and eventual fall from grace is a compelling case study in business resilience — or rather, the lack of it. Its story aligns with Nassim Taleb’s concept of a “turkey,” experiencing a long period of success only to be undone by a single, unexpected event. Drawing from Ringtone: Exploring the Rise and Fall of Nokia in Mobile Phones by future guest Yves Doz, Nokia’s failure to cultivate “stress wood” — a metaphor for the ability to adapt and innovate in response to external challenges — ultimately sealed its fate.
Much like Taleb’s metaphorical turkey, Nokia thrived in the 1990s, becoming a global leader in mobile phones. Factors such as the deregulation of telecom services, the adoption of the GSM standard, and Nokia’s ability to capitalise on the emerging consumer market contributed to its era of prosperity. However, just as the turkey remains unaware of its impending fate before Thanksgiving, Nokia became complacent. The company’s internal focus and resistance to change meant it was slow to adapt to the technological shifts that would soon disrupt the mobile phone industry.
Nokia’s market dominance, much like the trees in the Biosphere 2 experiment — protected from external forces like wind — shielded the company from the competitive pressures necessary for innovation. Its success led to a sense of invulnerability, where continuous adaptation seemed less urgent. Despite its early pioneering in smartphones with the “Communicator” series in 1996, Nokia failed to foresee the seismic shift towards data-centric devices brought by Apple’s iPhone. The once-advanced Symbian operating system became cumbersome compared to iOS and Android. Even as Nokia attempted to reorganize, its deeply entrenched “hardware-first” mindset, coupled with internal fragmentation, prevented it from responding effectively to the changing landscape.
In our upcoming series with Gary Hamel, he reflects on Nokia’s leadership, noting how belief systems and orthodoxies within organisations become entrenched, making it harder to change course. Nokia’s leaders, like many executives, operated under the assumption that their industry dynamics would remain stable. Hamel often hears executives say, “This is how our industry works,” to which he replies, “Until it doesn’t.” Nokia’s leadership fell into this trap by over-relying on its historical hardware success and failing to recognize the transformative power of software ecosystems. This reluctance to accept that their operating model was becoming obsolete contributed significantly to their decline.
Gary also shared the importance of first-person experience with emerging trends.Executives often spend too little time in environments where they can encounter disruptive ideas. Nokia’s leadership, for example, could have benefited from closer engagement with the rapidly growing smartphone and app ecosystem. As Gary told me, “the future is often more predictable than we think,” but companies fail to act on it not because it’s unpredictable, but because it’s unpalatable. This encapsulates Nokia’s hesitation to address the changing dynamics of the mobile phone industry.
In the end, what propels us to the top may also be what brings us crashing down — adapt or crumble.
For a masterclass in cultivating Stresswood , join us at the Reinvention Summit, where we will do exactly what Gary suggests. Senior executives will engage in first-person experience with emerging trends.
https://www.thereinventionsummit.com
The latest episode of the Innovation Show, speaks to the “Gift of Struggle” with Bobby Herrera:
https://medium.com/media/66a69f68911bc1028a1a58ea5391ea65/href
Taleb’s Turkey, the Tree, and the Tech Giant: Lessons in Resilience was originally published in The Thursday Thought on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
The post Taleb’s Turkey, the Tree, and the Tech Giant: Lessons in Resilience appeared first on The Innovation Show.