Progress takes the fast track

beginner3 min readhistory · sociology · economics · psychology · business · biology

Cooperation between complementary technologies can let each develop faster. Railroads gave telegraph companies routes and infrastructure, while telegraph communication helped railroads coordinate trains and shipments.

THE IDEA

Progress takes the fast track

In some cases the cooperation can be so valuable to the organisms involved that they evolve to become part of each other permanently. The source uses mitochondria as an example of this biological interdependence. When you can depend on the cooperation and the needs it addresses, you can devote resources to other work.

A human example of this is the development of the railroad and the telegraph. As inventions they were completely separate, but the cooperative relationship that developed between the two helped both expand. As Alfred D. Chandler writes: “The railroad and the telegraph marched across the continent in unison.”5 The telegraph provided train companies with a mechanism for communicating the progress of trains on the line—if they were late or early—so people could be ready to unload perishable goods and otherwise adjust their schedules. This extreme efficiency was key to the railroads being profitable. In return, the rail lines provided telegraph companies with an infrastructure on which to construct their system—from the poles and wires linking cities to the stations that often housed telegraph offices.

The cooperation was so successful that very quickly neither industry could conceive of doing business without the other. Their businesses became linked due to the mutual benefit each provided, and the benefits that further accrued from their symbiotic relationship. The interactions between the two technologies “intensified the speed and volume of the flow of goods, passengers, and messages.”6 They helped each other to be better, and similar to cooperation among biological organisms, “what matters is that partnerships develop according to how effectively tasks are accomplished.”7 The attachment between the railroad and telegraph was reliable enough to support shared planning, allowing each industry to free up resources that would otherwise be spent on duplicating the other’s technology and infrastructure.

The lesson here is, how often do you look for opportunities for collaboration? We often talk of the competition—what they are doing, what direction they are headed—so we can keep up where we need to and not get blindsided or lose too much market share. But how many of us devote resources to looking for “the cooperation”—companies or industries with whom we can partner for mutual benefit?

When to use it

A restaurant partners with a delivery service to expand its reach without investing in its own delivery fleet, while the delivery service gains another vendor, enhancing its offerings to customers.
A smart home device company integrates with a voice assistant platform, gaining access to a broader user base, while the platform enhances its ecosystem with more compatible devices.

FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE

In practice

Railroad and Telegraph Cooperation

In the 19th century, railroads and telegraph companies formed a symbiotic relationship. Railroads provided telegraph companies with infrastructure like poles and offices, while telegraphs enabled efficient train scheduling and communication, reducing delays and perishable goods spoilage. This mutual dependence accelerated growth for both industries.

Modern Tech Partnership

A startup developing a mobile app partners with a cloud computing provider. The startup gains scalable infrastructure without heavy investment, while the cloud provider gains a customer and potential integration into a growing ecosystem. Their cooperation frees resources for innovation.

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A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Put it to work.

How much time and resources do you currently allocate to seeking partnerships versus monitoring competition?
Can you identify a potential symbiotic partnership that could free up resources for innovation in your work or business?
Think of an industry or technology that could complement your own—how might a cooperative relationship accelerate progress for both?