What is exaptation strategy?

exaptation strategy (noun)

The practice of recombining undervalued assets to create and capture value in transformative ways.

In evolutionary biology, “exaptation” refers to an organism’s ability to take resources that no longer increase its adaptation to its environment and apply them to new environmental conditions.

In business, exaptation is the redeployment of previously independent organizational assets for new, synergistic purposes.

Exaptation underlies corporate strategy, organizational transformation, and platform strategy, said Ezra Zuckerman Sivan, a professor of entrepreneurship and strategy who teaches a class on exaptation strategy at MIT Sloan. Exaptation also is at the heart of any global approach to sustainable development, which requires the adoption of previously unimagined strategies for reusing existing resources.

“In my experience, learning to identify opportunities for exaptation is truly eye-opening,” Sivan said. “It promises to give managers a set of new tools for unlocking the potential of their ventures and organizations.”

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