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the content of the technology and the opportunities it creates may
change but the system-level solutions are typically built on predicting
how the context will be changed and understanding the financial
sourcing, power adjustments, and human behaviors that are required
to permit adaptation. The principles underlying these factors are quite
stable.
Adaptation is a Two-way Street: Co-Evolution
So far we have focused on the system embedded in a context having to
adapt to changes in the context. However, adaptation is a two-way
street. The embedded system is itself, an actor in the context. Its
actions change the context; example, Apple invents the iPod and the
music industry is forever changed forcing adaptation by others and
imposing a requirement on Apple into continuous functionality
improvement to counter competitive responses. This reality of
interaction between the actor and context redefining the context and
forcing adaptation from other agents is permanent and self-generative;
it means that the context is never still. Each act by any actor creates a
change in the context and influences the subsequent actions of all
other actors. This is called co-evolution.
Monitoring Context
From a business perspective, this constant adaptation of
context explains the need for continuous monitoring of the context
and attempts by players to modify the context deliberately (called
strategy). Monitoring the context, and predicting the complex effects
of one's own actions and the actions of others is both difficult to pull
off and expensive in time, attention, and funding. Also, there is a
natural tendency to focus on one's own activities and underplay the
actions of others, particularly those that are part of your enacted
context where it is easy to assume one is fully briefed. Hence,
Research in Motion/Blackberry with a B2B mindset could be
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