Due to their complex and adaptive nature we can identify 8+1 characteristics of ecosystems which make them so much more powerful than linear causal alternatives (traditional publishing), or even the more complicated closed platforms (Coursera, LinkedIn, etc.).

If anyone is in charge, it's you. And so is everyone else..

• Self-organizing - Your actions shape the space around you. It also comes with a responsibility. You are responsible for how you interact and what content you put out.
• Leaderless - Progress or stagnation does not rely on one person or organisation, nor does its survival. A direction emerges as the sum of the parts.

What we know is deeply connected and continuously evolving

• Adaptive - Nothing is stagnant. As we learn about better ways of doing things our knowledge changes too.
• Feedback rich - Theory and practice are deeply connected in many more ways than we can see. Sometimes they stimulate and sometimes the dampen evolution of what we know

Be open to surprise, an invitation to be inspired

• Emergent - Innovation can come from anywhere, it is not centrally designed.
• Serendipitous - the possibility to be surprised is always around the corner. It might just come at exactly the time you need it, or not. It might inspire, or set you on a wild goose chase. Either way, rich ecosystems are never boring.

Embrace ambiguity, every situation is a unique opportunity

• Non-linear - Small changes can have big impacts, and vice versa. Our actions don't always have predictable results. With the right intentions, sharing just a little bit of your experience has the potential to change whole industries.
• Chaotic behaviour - Behaviour in complex systems exhibits extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, and is largely unpredictable or replicable. Making every moment a unique opportunity.

Purspose

Ecosystems always have a function, they lead to something. They have an emergent purpose if you like. That of a coral reef for example is to sustain life. The goal of an ecosystem is not to win, the point is to continue playing an Infinite Game.

Next we'll explore how to improve the quality when we think in ecosystems, followed by the quantity.

Santa Fe Institute; Donna Meadows (2008)