This presentation is on the ERP framework on survivability and how it can support sustainable and innovative systems design. The ERP model is based on the premise that all entities need to manage influence, resources, forces, and observers. The effective management of these resources is what allows it to survive in hostile environments.

1. UNLOCKING NATURE’S
DESIGN FOR INNOVATION
ECOSYSTEMS: THE ERP
FRAMEWORK
Tojin T. Eapen, PhD.
Principal Consultant – Innomantra
& Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre,
The Conference Board
📧 Eapen@Innomantra.com
🌐 linkedin.com/in/tteapen/

2. TOJIN T. EAPEN, PHD
• Principal Consultant at Innomantra & Head –
Global Innovation Centre (GIC)
• Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre, The
Conference Board
• Previously taught at the University of Missouri-
Columbia & UNC Kenan-Flagler
• 17 years of global professional, consulting, and
research experience in innovation management
• Consulted and trained at over 30 companies.
• Ph.D. from UNC Chapel Hill
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3. BIOINSPIRED STRATEGIC
DESIGN (2024)
• Published by Routledge/Taylor & Francis LLC.
• Co-author: Daniel J. Finkenstadt
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4. UNLOCKING NATURE’S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Discussion
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5. UNLOCKING NATURE’S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Discussion
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6. BIOINSPIRATION FOR
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
• Why is bioinspiration significant for study
sustainable innovation?
• Solutions that are novel, functional, and
sustainable.
• Provides insights into the survivability of
organizations.
• Design of Innovation Ecosystems.
• Need for simple analytical frameworks.
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7. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Discussion
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8. THE ERP MODEL
• The ERP Model
• Three Survival Concerns – Resources, Forces,
Observers
• E - Efficiency: Management of Resources
• R - Resilience: Management of Forces
• P - Prominence: Management of Observers
• The Efficiency-Resilience Tradeoff
• High and Low Prominence
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9. THE ERP MODEL
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P
E R
S

10. EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
• Management of Resources.
• Cheetahs invest their energy wisely and don't waste
it on prolonged chases.
• Efficiency Strategies: Resting, Reduction, Refining,
Regularization
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11. EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
• Hibernation, Torpor, Brumation, Diapause
(Resting)
• During economic downturns or slow periods, it's
crucial to cut unnecessary expenses, reduce waste,
and optimize resource allocation.
• Verdon, J. (2023, September 27). Toy Makers Are Counting On The
Holiday Season To Save A Down Year. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanverdon/2023/09/27/toy-
makers-are-counting-on-the-holiday-season-to-save-a-down-
year/?sh=50d4b368a13f
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12. RESILIENCE STRATEGIES
• Management of Forces
• Beavers continuously maintain and repair their
dams to adapt to changing environmental
conditions.
• Resilience Strategies: Reinforcement, Reservoir,
Replacement, Repair, and Regularization
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13. RESILIENCE STRATEGIES
• Cash reserves (Reservoir)
• Apple maintains significant cash reserves that serve
as a financial reservoir.
• These reserves allow the company to weather
economic downturns, invest in research and
development, and seize opportunities without
being overly dependent on external financing.
• Krantz, M. (2023, September 19). 13 Firms Hoard $1 Trillion In
Cash (We’re Looking At You Big Tech). Investor’s Business Daily.
https://www.investors.com/etfs-and-funds/sectors/sp500-
companies-stockpile-1-trillion-cash-investors-want-it
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14. PROMINENCE STRATEGIES
• Management of Observers.
• Observers may be friendly or antagonistic.
• Managing the need for high and low prominence.
• Butterflies employ prominence strategies for both
attraction and concealment.
• Prominence Strategies include Camouflage,
Nocturnality, Line-of-sight modification,
Thanatosis, Startle displays, Aposematism, Protean
behavior, Distraction, Schooling and Refuging.
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15. PROMINENCE MANAGEMENT
• How to balance high prominence towards mates
with low prominence towards predators?
• Seasonal Strategy of the Mandarin Duck
• Bilateral Signaling by Octopuses
• Blocking strategies at water holes
• Intraspecific alarm signals
• Lessons for organizations
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16. STARTUP STRATEGIES
• Nature of growth: Lessons from nature.
• Balancing between Efficiency, Resilience, and
Prominence
• Example: How to manage prominence in startups?
• High prominence: Customers, Investors,
Employees
• Low prominence: Competitors, Regulators
• Source: Finkenstadt & Eapen (2024)
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17. KEY THESIS
• “The effect of any action on survivability cannot be
understood by merely looking at its impact on one
of the three ERP factors, efficiency, resilience or
prominence that it seeks to modify, but requires
looking at indirect effects mediated by the other
two factors.”
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18. THE SQUIRREL’S TRILEMMA
• Balance Efficiency, Resilience, and Prominence.
• Efficiency: Resources (Nuts, Energy)
• Resilience: Forces (Weather, Wind)
• Prominence: Observers (Predators, Rivals, Mate)
• It must gather as many nuts as possible to survive
the cold months. It must balance this need with the
risks posed by predators and competitors.
• Source: Finkenstadt and Eapen (2024)
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19. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Discussion
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20. SURVIVABILITY DESIGN
• The Science of Survivability Design
• Survivability and Sustainable Innovation
• Eapen, T., & Finkenstadt, D. J. (2023). Survivability Design in
Hostile Environments: Lessons from Squids, Ships, Startups,
and Supply Chains. Strategic Design Research Journal, 15(03), 307-
317. https://doi.org/10.4013/sdrj.2022.153.07
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21. MILITARY CRAFTS
• Military aircraft and naval vessels operate in hostile
environments and are required to balance ERP
factors.
• Efficiency of fuel and personnel.
• Resilience against extreme weather conditions.
• Prominence relative to friendly and enemy
observers.
• Robert E. Ball on Survivability Design
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22. SUPPLY CHAINS
• Strategic supply chains have to balance Efficiency,
Resilience, and Prominence in the face of
survivability threats.
• Strategic supply chains aim to maximize efficiency
by carefully allocating resources and minimizing
waste.
• Resilience is also achieved by building redundancy
into the supply chain.
• The Nature of Supply Chain Survivability
(Research study in progress)
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23. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Discussion
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24. ERP SCENARIOS
• Scenario Planning using ERP Model
• Identify Key Resources, Forces, Observers
• Resources: Human, Financial, Knowledge etc.
• Forces: PESTLE Factors
• Observers: Competitors, Rivals, Customers,
Partners
• Scenario Planning using ERP framework (Research
study in progress)
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25. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Discussion
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26. RESPONSIVE DESIGN
• Responsive behaviors in nature encompass a wide
range of adaptations, including thermoregulation,
self-assembly, self-cleaning, and more.
• Study of responsive behaviors in living organisms
can lead to innovative, functional, and sustainable
products.
• Help balance internal and external responsibilities
in product development.
• Structured Product Ideation for Responsive Design
(Research study in progress)
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27. BIOINSPIRED EFFICIENCY
DESIGN
• Eiji Nakatsu, a Japan Railways Group engineer, worked
on reducing noise in the development of the Shinkansen
bullet train taking inspiration from the Kingfisher's beak.
• This project illustrates bioinspired efficiency design
• E-Inspiration: Algae, Arctic Fox, Arctic Tern, African
Wild Dog, Bighorn Sheep, Capybara, Cactus, Cheetah,
Chimpanzee, Dolphin, Echidna, Fungi, Giant Anteater,
Gray Wolf, Honeybee, Humpback Whale,
Hummingbird, Kangaroo, Kangaroo Rat, Koala, Lichen,
Mule Deer, Ostrich, Peregrine Falcon
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28. BIOINSPIRED RESILIENCE
DESIGN
• Hippos produce "red sweat" from skin glands, serving as
a moisturizer, water repellent, and antibiotic.
• This bioinspiration has influenced the creation of
sunscreens, highlighting resilience design in innovation.
• R-Inspiration: Acacia Tree, African Elephant, Axolotl,
Baobab Tree, Bison, Camels, Camphor Tree, Coral,
Crocodile, Eucalyptus Tree, Gila Monster, Giant Clam,
Honey Badger, Humpback Whale, Komodo Dragon,
Mangrove Tree, Narwhal, Octopus, Pine Tree, Polar
Bear, Saguaro Cactus, Sagebrush
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29. BIOINSPIRED PROMINENCE
DESIGN
• Cephalopod-inspired color-changing systems mimic the
color-changing abilities of creatures like octopuses and
cuttlefish.
• It exemplifies prominence design, where bioinspired
concepts drive the development of novel designs that
engage the attention of customers.
• P-Inspiration: Anglerfish, Blue Jay, Butterflies,
Cephalopods, Chameleons, Cuttlefish, Electric Eel,
Fireflies, Flamingos, Giraffe, Golden Pheasant, Gorilla,
Jellyfish, Lion, Mandarin Duck, Mandarin Fish,
Monarch Butterfly, Peacocks, Poison Dart Frogs,
Rainbow Lorikeet, Regal Tang
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30. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Discussion
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31. HOW GENERATIVE AI CAN AUGMENT
HUMAN CREATIVITY
• by Tojin T. Eapen, Daniel J. Finkenstadt,
Josh Folk, and Lokesh Venkataswamy
• HBR Magazine July/August 2023.
• Estimated 10+ Million views.
• Published in HBR global editions in
Korea, Japan, Italy, Turkey, China, and
Germany.
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33. UNLOCKING NATURE'S
DESIGN 🐝
• Bioinspired Sustainable Innovation
• Bioinspiration: The ERP Model
• ERP Strategic Survivability Design
• ERP Scenarios for Strategic Planning
• ERP Sustainable Product Design
• Harnessing Generative AI
• Discussion
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34. UNLOCKING DESIGN
IN NATURE: THE NEXT
FRONTIER
Tojin T. Eapen, PhD.
Principal Consultant – Innomantra
& Senior Fellow – Europe ESF Centre,
The Conference Board
📧 Eapen@Innomantra.com
🌐 linkedin.com/in/tteapen/