Being Copied: A Generative Organization

Hans Hess, the founder of Elevation Burger, and his wife dreamed of owning a company that paid their dues to their customers and to the earth. They believed that every industry, even the fast food industry, should do its part to steward the planet. This thinking was rare among their competitors, and it seemed like their fanatical obsession with ingredient integrity and waste reduction would put them at a disadvantage. But caring about the environment hasn’t halted Elevation Burger’s success. In fact, it’s given the restaurant a remarkable edge against the competition and is now being copied.¹

Before he founded his restaurant, Hess researched the use of antibiotics in livestock. This usage engendered antibiotic-resistant bacteria that leads to more intense, difficult-to-cure sicknesses in humans. He saw a product that he had loved since childhood — hamburgers — creating waste and making people sick. He knew he had to do something about it.

In an article explaining how Elevation Burger’s commitment to organic chicken is forcing McDonald’s and others to evaluate their food sourcing, USA Today stated that Elevation’s commitment to sourcing quality ingredients is a “watershed moment for the organic food movement in the U.S.” In the same article, Laura Batcha, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, said that she hopes Elevation can serve “as an example of how people can usually find a way to do the right thing if they persist.”²

A generative organization possesses a predisposition toward being copied. It forces those around it to react and to duplicate. In doing so, the organization spawns more organizations like itself or forces others to copy parts of its model.

The same could be said of the concept of beauty. In a previous article we discussed the idea that beauty always points to something beyond itself. The same philosophy of beauty also suggests that when a thing is beautiful, it forces people to want to copy it. This is why you see so many artistic representations of landscapes and fruit bowls and lovers; these things compel us to want to sketch, paint, and write about them.³

Our organizations can possess the same type of beauty, one that compels others to mimic it. Another organization might look at your model and decide they like the way you think or, in the case of Hess, they might look at your product and be forced to respond because the market has spoken. This doesn’t mean their motives will be the same as yours, but it does mean that the good you set out to infuse in the world is being compounded.

Scarcity or Abundance

But what about our competitive edge? This is a good question and certainly one that can’t be taken lightly. If you go out of business because too many people have copied you, then your impact would be limited. Generative organizations have learned how to move from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.

A scarcity mindset believes that every competitor or shift is a threat and that you can never make enough money. As a result, you have to do everything you can right now to make a profit.

An abundance mindset, on the other hand, understands that the world is filled with the ongoing cycles of birth and growth and that new ideas come and go. This mindset isn’t threatened by being copied; instead, it sees the idea of others copying their work as a signal that they are making a positive impact.

Thought Starters

As you consider with the ideas here, ask yourself a few questions.

• What parts of this sound naive? Why?
• What parts sound hopeful? Why?
• Depending on your industry it could be really bad for your business if a competitor copied all your IP, but what aspects of your organization would you gladly have people copy?
• Who have you learned and copied from along the way?
• In what ways can you “force” your industry to copy you? If not now, aspirationally. If they did, what would the cumulative positive-impact be? (Impossible to answer, I know. Just go with it!)

This post follows-up on an article that spurred leaders to focus on building an organization that exemplifies three characteristics: Imaginative, Interconnected, Generative. Those characteristics make up what I call a Culture-Bending organization.

My last two posts covered Imaginative and Interconnected.

This is an excerpt from the book CULTURE BENDING NARRATIVES: Moving Beyond Story to Create Meaningful Brands.

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[1] This Faith and Leadership article discusses Elevation Burger’s marketplace impact and experience: https://www.faithandleadership.com/elevating-fast-food

[2] http://elevationburger.com/tiny-chain-organic-chicken-bigfootusa-today/

[3] On Beauty and Being Just, Elaine Scarry, pp. 3–5.