During a product alignment meeting, I witnessed the upgraded UI of the system we are building. I was stunned by the delicate and detailed texture of the outcome - and how we made progress with such a complex system in such a short period of time. It left me wondering if there was biomimicry at work here or if I was just in love with the developers' deep research and output, and fascinated by Dana's precision, Erez's factorization, and Assaf's packaging.
Don't be shy
Canopy Disengagement, also known as “Crown Shyness” is an incredible phenomenon where tree canopies are too polite. They don't touch each other, leaving gaps between them, creating an unusual, beautiful network (or spiderweb?) of gaps in the canopy. The stunning outcome pattern is created by trees growing together but not interfering with each other's growth, and interestingly there are three hypotheses behind this phenomenon that can be applied to early-stage startups where each person's growth is crucial for the company’s success, and they all relate to human behavior in zero-to-one movements as I see it, and could provide an explanation for how we galloped toward the output I encountered:
Hypothesis One: Wind movement and branch breaking
Wind leads to branches snapping creating gaps between trees. This damage to the tree’s branches limits the growth of future branches, resulting in a small gap between the trees’ crowns. But when the trees are artificially immobilized so that they don't hit each other, they begin expanding their crowns again. This may help explain why crown shyness is usually seen in mature stands of certain species.
In early-stage companies this can be analogized to each person knowing their place and letting others prosper and grow without being too involved in their work. In order to be mindful, grow in these defined limits and let others thrive - you need to be mature enough, and probably from a certain breed. and just like branches that don't interfere with each other can grow stronger, teammates who respect each other's boundaries can create a stronger team, and by not getting in each other's way, individuals can focus on their strengths and shine in their areas of expertise.
Hypothesis Two: Physiological Response to Shade
This hypothesis proposes that trees respond physiologically to other trees' shade, promoting upward growth instead of outward growth. Leaves contain pigments to absorb light. Chlorophyll is the primary pigment used in photosynthesis, and it absorbs red light. So if branches of nearby trees are causing shade, the light that comes through will have less red light because of shading from the leaves. Instead, that light will include a relatively large amount of far-red wavelengths, the extreme end of visible red light that isn’t absorbed by leaves.
Specific pigments called phytochromes pick up on the ratio of red to far-red wavelengths. If they detect a lot of far-red light, the trees promote upward growth instead of outward growth and try and escape the shade, which leaves that space between them.
You’re a small business that needs to run fast and grow rapidly? If an individual in your team wants to grow, instead of heading "outward", e.g. standing in someone's way - he can focus on his own growth and development, instead of competing with his colleague. By looking up to their colleagues and striving to learn from them, individuals can grow together and create a supportive environment where everyone's skills and expertise are valued.
Hypothesis Three: Alleopathy
Chemical compounds released by "shy" trees inhibit neighboring plants' growth, and this is another example of how trees support each other without physically touching each other's domains.
In early-stage environments, individuals support each other, even if they don't work directly together. By acknowledging the importance of each other's work and encouraging each other's growth, individuals can create a positive and constructive atmosphere where everyone feels respected.
Whatever the cause, this jigsaw puzzle-like formation makes each tree forces its neighbor into a pattern that maximizes resource collection - and minimizes harmful competition. If we're a certain species and mature enough - we can learn how to grow together and support each other in tiny yet radical-growth-minded orgs. And by respecting each other's boundaries, focusing on our own growth and development, and nurturing each other's work, we can create beautiful cultural patterns, and a productive workforce that operates like nature intended.
