Olivier Hamant, a biologist-philosopher, aims to make organizations robust so they can withstand the turmoil to come. A critic of the performance dogma, the biologist will give a lecture at the University of Lausanne on October 31 as part of the Écotopiales.
The strength of the best concepts lies in their simplicity. But this apparent simplicity could not have emerged without a long process of research, doubt and back-and-forth. In the debate on the climate and energy crisis, a theory is beginning to be talked about by conveying a notion that is, at first glance, quite simple: robustness.
Faced with the multiple disturbances that are increasing and threatening the living conditions we have known so far, robustness represents a kind of "emergency exit", since it advocates "putting in place the conditions to keep the system stable (in the short term) and viable (in the long term), despite fluctuations".
With this definition given by Olivier Hamant in his book "La troisième voie du vivant" (Odile Jacob 2022), robustness proves stimulating for rethinking our relationship to the world, because it offers the pragmatic keys to a future that is not only viable but desirable. Indeed, it is more engaging to respond to the desire to endure (robustness) than to the necessity to reduce (sobriety) or to recover from a crisis (resilience).
It is clear that the dominant system is cracking on all sides. Hence the need to propose another model that makes peace between humans, living beings and the planet.
A biologist, the French researcher is a research director at INRAE, within the Reproduction and Development of Plants laboratory at the École normale supérieure de Lyon. He gradually built this vision by analyzing natural phenomena — and also by exchanging with artists! He is now extending it to the socio-economic side in a new work, "L’entreprise robuste" (Odile Jacob 2025).
His conclusions are both sensible and critical regarding the way our societies are preparing (or not) for what lies ahead. As a good scientist, the researcher can only "take note of the scale of the disruption" caused by humans, showing that we have already tipped from a stable, resource-abundant world to a world of "turbulences never seen in the history of humanity".
Olivier Hamant does not position himself at all as a "collapser" or a "collapse-worshipper"! The researcher is also director of the Michel Serres Institute, which cultivates the legacy of the French philosopher who died in 2019. Michel Serres has always been inclined to construct an inspiring vision for humanity. His disciple sits astride the life sciences and society. He is one of those scientists who step out of the laboratories.
Advances in systems biology, to which the scientist has contributed, have shown that, contrary to what a mistaken interpretation of Darwinism has tried to make us believe, nature does not primarily follow a logic of competition but behaves cooperatively. This leads Olivier Hamant to say that, in living systems, "performance is rather the exception".
To be more nuanced, he explains that in stable, resource-rich environments life can operate in a competitive and high-performing mode. But as soon as fluctuations increase or scarcity looms, organisms shift toward cooperation.
The biologist goes even further by asserting that living systems, from molecules to ecosystems, mainly operate in an inefficient, incoherent, slow, imprecise, redundant, random, heterogeneous manner — and that these under-performances precisely allow organisms to better withstand hazards. For "they help add slack to the gears to increase room for maneuver, the safety nets." They thus ensure robustness. Consequently, the biologist emphasizes that it is physically impossible to be both very robust and very high-performing.
"We are so addicted to performance that even supporters of the energy transition think they are pursuing robustness, but are prisoners of effectiveness, efficiency and optimization."
Where Olivier Hamant's reflection becomes potentially sensitive is when he rails against our obsession with performance, always presented positively while, according to him, it constitutes one of the causes of current problems. To use his terms, the injunction of constant optimization "channels the trajectory into a single lane, to the detriment of others, which could become a major asset when the world changes". Moreover, in this dynamic, we increase negative impacts on the environment and our own vulnerability. The burnout of humans as well as ecosystems is the symptom.
The paradox is that the reaction to the damage caused by humans is still formalized under the same regime, as if one had to respond to the negative consequences of performance with overperformance: "We are so addicted to performance that even supporters of the energy transition think they are pursuing robustness, but are prisoners of effectiveness, efficiency and optimization."
His most striking example is the reductionist view of the ecological crisis, which focuses on a single molecule: CO₂. This flaw favors technical solutions that do indeed reduce CO₂ emissions, but which, as a trade-off — or by rebound effect — worsen biodiversity loss and resource depletion (lithium batteries, plant-based meat, CO₂ capture factories, monoculture reforestations, etc.).
"How to accompany the change from one world to another?" Olivier Hamant thus asks, increasingly solicited by companies wishing to redirect their business models. With his co-authors, he selected seven examples of organizations aiming for robustness: an manufacturer of eco-friendly envelopes, a furniture manufacturer, a fine-dining restaurant that fights waste, a supermarket cooperative, a local jeans maker, a small municipality in the Cévennes and even his own laboratory.
From these experiences emerge factors likely to strengthen companies' adaptability while ensuring their economic sustainability during this delicate phase of transition. This involves respect for natural environments and the social fabric, a local anchoring, a "human" size, participatory governance, diversification beyond core activities and a true implementation of circularity.
That these experiments are still faltering, fragile and marginal does not dampen the researcher's enthusiasm: "As always, renewal comes from the margins by contaminating the core. It is clear that the dominant system is cracking on all sides. Hence the need to propose another model that makes peace between humans, living beings and the planet. We are already in the midst of a tipping point. It is a deep movement, and moreover it is joyful!"
Discover the Écotopiales program: the research-creation festival of the University of Lausanne on ecological imaginaries!
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