The population-ecology approach has also been criticized for offering a rather one-sided
view of the evolutionary process. In particular, the emphasis on resource scarcity and
competition, which he at the basis of selection, underplays the fact that resources can be
abundant and self-renewing and that organisms can collaborate as well as compete.
Organizations that focus on value creation may be able to create resource niches that never
existed before. For example, many aspects of development in the information technology
industry, bioengineering, and the electronic media business are fueled by this kind of process.
Social and economic resources, especially in a knowledge economy, are inherently
sell-generating. When these neglected aspects of population-ecology are brought into
consideration, a more optimistic view of the ecology of organizations begins to emerge.