Until recently, doctors—and grade-schoolers alike—considered the appendix, a small organ attached to the large intestine, to be: “Useless. A worthless evolutionary artifact. Good for nothing except a potentially lethal infection.”

Yet new research suggests the appendix may play a critical role in our health.

According to the “safe house” theory, the appendix protects (and reserves) a collection of beneficial gut bacteria in case a disease wipes out the current population from the gastrointestinal tract. Once the body is rid of the infection, the bacteria emerge from the appendix and recolonize the gut.

This is important work.

So, why have experts gotten this so wrong—for so long? How could creative leaders use this example to become better strategists?

1) Problem: Scientific thinking focused on components rather than systems.

By focusing on a single function played by a small organ, scientists couldn’t see the point of the appendix. It wasn’t until the “part” was understood in a new context (the gastrointestinal tract) that its purpose became clear.

Lesson: Actively seek to understand the relationships between variables. Each part of a system could and should play an important role. The most sophisticated systems are powerful not because of the parts but because of their interactions.

2) Problem: Darwin told us we didn’t need it.

To Charles Darwin, the appendix looked like something that was once critical for survival but no longer served a purpose and, as a result, is gradually disappearing (hence the organ’s small size).

Lesson: Use common sense. The simplest explanation—sometimes hard to see—is most often the correct one.

3) Problem: Experts underestimated its role.

Due to its size, hard-to-observe function, and a misguided belief that no other mammals had an appendix, scientists were quick to dismiss the importance of this part. Fun fact: we now know that at least 32 different mammals have an appendix.

Lesson: If you don’t know how something functions, assume it is important and look for evidence that you might be right. Much like “innocent until proven guilty.” When we free ourselves from what we think we know, we open up possibilities that we were unable to see before.

Think your appendix is useless? What strategists can learn from scientific “mistakes.”

Until recently, doctors—and grade-schoolers alike—considered the appendix, a small organ a

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