We are excited to announce that Organizational ReWilding® is now officially registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Three years ago, when The ReWild Group was formed, we knew that we had an exceptional methodology with the potential to transform small and midsize businesses around the world. We also knew that what we had was unique, which is why we applied for a Registered Service Mark.
To qualify for a service mark, there must be something distinctive about the service – something that no other company or organization can claim. Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s a lot of red tape that goes along with applying for and receiving official recognition. But we believed the effort was worthwhile, because the concept and practice of Organizational ReWilding is worth protecting.
What Makes Organizational ReWilding Unique?
Organizational ReWilding differs from other business services on the market. Whereas other approaches to business leadership development tend to view a business like a complicated machine with intricate, separate parts, Organizational ReWilding is based on the model of a healthy ecological system.
Yellowstone National Park provides a perfect example of what rewilding looks like in nature. In 1995, Yellowstone was an ecosystem on the verge of collapse. Streams were drying up, animal species were disappearing, and vegetation throughout the park was reduced to almost nothing.
Scientists identified an overabundance of elk as the primary cause of the ecological trauma. Safe from any predators, herds of elk had overrun Yellowstone. Heavy grazing in the meadows and valleys brought about severe erosion of the streams and rivers.
The answer to the multiple surface symptoms facing Yellowstone was the introduction of just one species: grey wolves.
Grey wolves were a part of the original ecosystem of the area but had been absent for over 70 years. Scientists reintroduced grey wolves into the ecosystem to restore its natural balance.
And it worked. In only a few years, the park showed significant improvements. The wolves set off a ripple effect that not only reduced the number of elk but also changed their behavior. The elk started avoiding places where they could be trapped, which in turn allowed those places to regenerate. Trees grew taller, valleys became forests, beavers created dams (creating habitat for waterfowl and amphibians), and so on. The healthy, thriving ecosystem of Yellowstone that we know today became possible thanks to the process of rewilding.
Infusing Elements vs. Fixing Parts
The story of the rewilding of Yellowstone shows us that infusing a missing element into an ecosystem can have a monumental impact – one that reverberates throughout and touches every part of a system, affecting it for years and decades to come.
The Elements of an Exceptional Business
Organizational ReWilding works in a similar way, in that it infuses elements into a business or organization (each an ecosystem in its own right). As practitioners of Organizational ReWilding, we do not approach businesses as machines that need to be fixed, but rather as dynamic, living systems filled with interrelated elements.
One way to understand our philosophy is to consider the job of a beekeeper versus a watchmaker. The beekeeper’s primary role is to foster an environment that supports the bees to produce honey. To do that, he must respect the hive as an intelligent, self-organizing, adaptive organism. A watchmaker, on the other hand, works in a world of precision and control. When something breaks, a watch is incapable of self-repair; an outside force is required to fix it.
The more mechanistic approach to business solutions is always a siloed approach; the problem is isolated and then “fixed,” but without accounting for the dynamic nature of the organization as a whole. Businesses are made up of people, which makes them primarily relational entities – living, interactive, and constantly changing.
That’s why the best approach to creating a healthy, sustainable business is to treat it like an ecosystem, not a machine. We don’t fix businesses. We ReWild them.
Join the Movement
Our registered service mark reflects our unique approach and is just the beginning of where we are headed. Our mission is to multiply the number of exceptional businesses globally. Whether you are a business leader, or you provide advising services to small and midsize businesses, we invite you to join us.