Exaptation: look for how a tool or skill in one context could serve a different one
Ask of any existing skill, tool, or process you already use: "What else could this do that it was not designed for?"
Key takeaways
- What it is: Ask of any existing skill, tool, or process you already use: "What else could this do that it was not designed for?"
- Why it works: Exaptation, borrowed from evolutionary biology, refers to the repurposing of a structure or feature for a function it was not originally selected for — feathers evolved for thermoregulation before they enabled flight. Johnson argues that many innovations are exaptive: a solution in one domain gets repurposed for a different adjacent problem. Deliberately scanning existing assets for exaptive potential widens the adjacent possible without requiring new resources.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: Looking for skills to exapt that are impressive or special, rather than mundane ones — the most useful exaptations are often from the most ordinary capabilities, precisely because they are highly practiced.
Why it works
Exaptation, borrowed from evolutionary biology, refers to the repurposing of a structure or feature for a function it was not originally selected for — feathers evolved for thermoregulation before they enabled flight. Johnson argues that many innovations are exaptive: a solution in one domain gets repurposed for a different adjacent problem. Deliberately scanning existing assets for exaptive potential widens the adjacent possible without requiring new resources.
How to do it
- 1List five skills, tools, or processes you use regularly in their "home" context.
- 2For each, ask: "Where else could this exact capability be applied? What adjacent problem does it almost solve?"
- 3Try one exaptive application per month: use a familiar tool in a genuinely new context.
- 4Document whether the repurposing works, partially works, or reveals a new need.
What the evidence says
MechanisticThe concept of exaptation in technological and cultural innovation is well documented in science and technology studies, with Gutenberg’s printing press (adapted from wine press technology) as a canonical example. Whether deliberately cultivating exaptive thinking improves individual creative output has not been experimentally isolated.
Honest caveat: Exaptation as a historical pattern in innovation is well supported; the individual practice of deliberately scanning for exaptive uses is a principled extension without direct trial evidence.
Common mistake
Looking for skills to exapt that are impressive or special, rather than mundane ones — the most useful exaptations are often from the most ordinary capabilities, precisely because they are highly practiced.
IX Coach inventories your underutilized skills and asks where they could be exapted to your current challenge — often finding adjacent solutions that are far more accessible than the "new skill" approach.
Practice this with IX Coach →