Introducing an epigenetic approach for the study of internet industry groups

Abstract

The aim of this first chapter is to study how organizations adapt to extremely fast qualitatively significant changes in the environment. As opposed to the prevalent Darwinian approach in which the logic of the phenotype is seen as a slow and moderate adaptation of social organizations to changes, our view focuses on rapid adaptation to quickly changing environments. The analytical framework we put forth in this chapter, through the concept of Epigenetic Economic Dynamics (EED), comes from different fields of knowledge. This concept finds its roots in: (i) new discoveries in molecular biology; (ii) the complexity theory, which is a theoretical framework stemming from very diverse sciences; (iii) current approaches in terms of organizational routines in management; (iv) economic theory on competition and profits; and (v) innovation studies from a Schumpeterian approach.