Horticulturalists have known the true value prop of hybridization for years
I talk a lot about hybridity, but what about hybridization? You know, the actual process of hybridizing? (Are you wondering how many versions of the word hybrid I can use in one email? Count them up and let me know.)
Since spring has sprung, it feels apropos to bring up the topic of hybridizing.
Didn't you know, great gardens have a hybridizing bed?
That's right, take a look at this image.
It's an old drawing by a landscape architect, and I adore it.
Hybridizing and hybridization are part of the animal and plant kingdoms, and we forget that. Especially in a work world gone hybrid these days.
We forget things have been hybridizing, well, forever.
What lessons can we use from this in our work lives? That's what I've been asking myself recently.
Why do horticulturists have an entire bed for hybridizing among others dedicated to mints, seedlings, grains, and other "categories" of plant life?
Hmmm, does that make you wonder about business departments or management structures yet?
What is the power and value of hybridization? Is there a business case for it?
Here's what one website had to say about who uses hybridization:
"Growers who want to find tomatoes that last longer on the shelves while still tasting good, manufacturers who want to produce beans that resist common diseases, and even scientists who are looking for grains that contain more nutrition to try to help famine-stricken areas." (From Gardening Know How)
Importantly, hybridization is different from GMO's because they're not genetically modified. Hybrid offspring use natural traits, not ones inserted into their gene code.
Now, imagine if we apply this concept to the workforce? What comes to mind?
Honestly, I'm still mulling this over myself, so please send me your thoughts. It's a question I thought I'd pop to you first.
It makes me wonder about scientific intentionality behind hybridizing.
What if we intentionally hybridized within business decisions, instead of "innovating."
Is hybridization the same as or different from innovation?
Is hybridization in a company like the innovation department, or new product development, or does it represent new teams like BizDevOps? So many possibilities of how hybridization applies to work.
However, if one clear value prop stands out, I think it's this.
A new word for you: Heterosis.
Heterosis (n):
the tendency of a crossbred individual to show qualities superior to those of both parents.
(checkout wikipedia too)
Say what?
That's right. According to science, offspring can have increased or enhanced attributes because of the mixing of the initial parts.
"They found that when species hybridize, some of the variation in gene activity may be canceled out, leading to greater vigor."
Hybrid vigor might be my NEW favorite term. Yes, it's a real scientific term. (Watch out. I'm digging scientific knowledge to inspire my latest ideas on hybrid professional identity and hybrid workers).
Imagine the implications this has for the workforce. Is hybrid talent potentially more talented? Can the blending and combining of professional identities lead to improved performance? Or does a hybrid professional truly possess qualities that the “parent” identities didn’t have on their own?
If this sparked any crazy thoughts for you, please share them with me. I'm curious how this analogy played out in your head, or if it spun you around too many times. Either way, I hope I gave you some new vocabulary to use while you garden or just to win at your next game of scrabble.