Symbiosis, co-evolution, and relational identity: A holobiont theory of organizational boundaries

Abstract

Contemporary organizational theory treats boundaries as fixed, jurisdictional, and hierarchically enforced an assumption shared by transaction cost economics, resource dependence theory, and ecosystem frameworks. We argue that this jurisdictional boundary assumption constitutes a fundamental theoretical limitation: it renders boundary permeability theoretically invisible, forecloses a constitutive logic of inter-organizational collaboration, and produces a static conception of organizational identity. To address this gap, we introduce the holobiont a host organism and its symbiotic microbiome functioning as a single co-evolutionary unit as a theoretically generative framework for reconstructing organizational boundaries and collaboration. Drawing on three biological mechanisms constitutive symbiosis, co-evolutionary boundary formation, and emergent identity we develop three formal propositions and identify three boundary conditions under which holobiont logic applies: temporal depth, mutual transformation, and distributed governance. We illustrate the framework's empirical purchase through three paradigmatic cases: the Linux/Apache ecosystem, Toyota's keiretsu supplier network, and biotechnology research consortia. The holobiont framework does not replace existing theories; it identifies the conditions under which they apply and opens new research directions on inter-organizational collaboration, ecosystem governance, and relational organizational identity.