Antifragility: even better than robustness!

Nassim Taleb argues that the opposite of fragility isn’t robustness but “antifragility”. This term, which he had to coin himself, refers to the ability to emerge stronger from an ordeal rather than simply escaping in one piece

It’s a phenomenon that’s all around us in the living world, even though human beings seem to have forgotten it. You are antifragile when you subject your muscles to the stresses of a weight machine to boost their mass.
How can you put this concept into practice in an organization?

Make volatility and uncertainty your best buddies. This is somewhat counter-intuitive for corporate cultures that opt for stability and predictability. And yet, a stable turnover is in reality a sure predictor of future bankruptcy…

Don’t try to avoid mistakes at any cost. Species have a sufficiently varied genetic heritage thanks to mutations in evolution. Similarly, mistakes foster in us the ability to adapt to and tackle unforeseen circumstances.

Embrace – and even go looking for – a reasonable degree of stress. This creates a compensation effect that will work to your advantage.

Taleb is someone who likes to provoke, and here he recommends breaking with our obsession with optimization. In his opinion, an optimized system is fragile. Conversely, organizations with the capacity to take advantage of chaos prosper and thrive.

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