Mind map illustrating the convergence of scientific theories into business strategy.

Theory Tightening: How to Borrow Big Ideas for Business Breakthroughs

Jordan Keane in Business & Economy August 2025 • 3 min read.

"Unlock innovation by mastering the art of 'tight mapping' – a transformative approach to adapting radical theories for practical business solutions."

In today's fast-paced business world, fresh perspectives are the lifeblood of innovation. But where do these new ideas come from? Often, the most transformative strategies arise from looking outside the traditional business box, borrowing concepts from seemingly unrelated fields like biology, psychology, or even physics. This process of 'theory borrowing' can unlock unprecedented insights, but it's not without its challenges.

Many groundbreaking ideas remain abstract, making it difficult to translate them into actionable business strategies. Imagine trying to apply the principles of quantum physics to marketing – the potential is there, but the translation requires a careful and rigorous approach. This is where the concept of 'tight mapping' comes in.

Tight mapping is a concrete procedure for adapting abstract, general theories – often called 'radical traveling theories' – and transforming them into practical, coherent strategies for organization and management. It’s about creatively reducing the abstraction of these theories, ensuring they provide accurate and relevant solutions for the unique challenges your business faces.

What Exactly Are 'Radical Traveling Theories,' and Why Should You Care?

Mind map illustrating the convergence of scientific theories into business strategy.

Radical traveling theories are abstract, general frameworks that have revolutionized their original fields. Think of concepts like evolution, chaos theory, or even psychoanalysis. What makes them 'radical' is their potential to dramatically reshape our understanding of organizations and management.

The beauty of these theories lies in their broad applicability. However, their very abstractness presents a hurdle. To effectively use them, you need a method to bridge the gap between the theoretical concept and the practical realities of your business.

Evolutionary principles: Can inform strategies around adaptation and market responsiveness.
Chaos theory: Provides insights into managing unpredictable environments and fostering resilience.
Psychoanalytic theory: Helps understand organizational culture, employee motivation, and leadership dynamics.

The goal is to refine these broad concepts into more specific, relevant ideas. Tight mapping can do this by reducing the 'abstraction' of these theories so they can be applied to organizations with greater coherence.

The Future of Business Innovation: Embracing Theory Borrowing

In an era defined by rapid change and increasing complexity, the ability to adapt and innovate is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. By mastering the art of tight mapping, you can unlock the transformative potential of radical traveling theories, turning abstract ideas into concrete solutions that drive growth, resilience, and competitive advantage.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1111/emre.12335, Alternate LINK

Title: Tight Mapping: A Concrete Procedure For Borrowing From Radical Traveling Theories

Subject: Strategy and Management

Journal: European Management Review

Publisher: Wiley

Authors: Philippe Accard

Published: 2018-11-22

Everything You Need To Know

What is 'tight mapping' and how does it help businesses?

'Tight mapping' is a specific method for adapting general theories, referred to as 'radical traveling theories,' into practical and coherent strategies for organizations. It reduces the abstraction of these theories to ensure they provide relevant solutions to unique business challenges. Without tight mapping, radical traveling theories are difficult to apply.

What are 'radical traveling theories' and why should businesses consider using them?

'Radical traveling theories' are abstract, general frameworks from diverse fields that can reshape our understanding of organizations. Examples include evolution, chaos theory, and psychoanalytic theory. Businesses should consider them because these theories have the potential to unlock new insights and drive innovation, but their abstractness requires a method like tight mapping to translate them into practical business strategies.

Can you give examples of how 'evolutionary principles,' 'chaos theory,' and 'psychoanalytic theory' can be applied in a business context?

Yes, 'evolutionary principles' can inform strategies around adaptation and market responsiveness. 'Chaos theory' provides insights into managing unpredictable environments and fostering resilience. 'Psychoanalytic theory' helps understand organizational culture, employee motivation, and leadership dynamics. Tight mapping must be applied to make this transition practically.

Why is 'theory borrowing' important for business innovation?

'Theory borrowing' is important because fresh perspectives are the lifeblood of innovation in today's fast-paced business world. The most transformative strategies often come from looking outside traditional business approaches and adapting concepts from seemingly unrelated fields. However, effectively utilizing these borrowed theories requires the application of tight mapping to translate abstract ideas into actionable solutions. Without tight mapping the theory would remain abstract.

How can mastering 'tight mapping' provide a competitive advantage for a business?

Mastering 'tight mapping' enables businesses to unlock the transformative potential of 'radical traveling theories,' turning abstract ideas into concrete solutions. This leads to increased adaptability, innovation, growth, and resilience, providing a significant competitive advantage in a rapidly changing and complex business environment. Tight mapping must be mastered in order to realize the benefits of theory borrowing.