Page 503 - Cultures and Organizations

468 IMPLICATIONS

the level of societies is itself complex, featuring all kinds of subgroups. In
individualistic societies it is common for individuals to operate in various
disconnected groups, while in collectivistic ones there is less freedom of
choice but more cohesion. In the course of time, both individuals and insti-
tutions learn, and selection operates on both. However, at both levels there
are homeostatic (“sameness-preserving”) forces at work. While people can
learn to adopt new behaviors, one’s personality remains stable during life,
unless catastrophic accidents or diseases cause disruption. The same tends
to hold for societies. They can learn new practices, but they have a hard
time changing their basic values.
This book has jumped from one level to the other throughout. It had
to, because social life occurs through the interaction of individuals and
institutions.

Evolution at Work Today

So, what good can it do politicians, leaders, researchers, and citizens to
view human affairs as taking place in the framework of evolution? A lot. A
brief eclectic tour of contemporary issues will provide confi rmation.

Business
Companies are replicators, and good companies also function as moral
circles, albeit not necessarily at the level of values, as shown in this book.
They are continually being created, bought, and sold, and they go bank-
rupt. On a time scale of years, new businesses are being created. These
entities are not necessarily better than their predecessors, but they are
mutations, some of which may be better adapted to current evolutionary
pressures. The selective mechanism is based on many factors, including

the ability to make friends in high places, to remain within the law, to use
new communication technologies, to create an acceptable public image, to
limit cost, to produce quality, and to innovate. The time scale is months
or years. The whole landscape of business evolution is being governed by
nations and international organizations—at least, these bodies attempt to
administer favorable selective pressure that enhances good practice and
curbs practices deemed detrimental to society.

Sprouting or cutting off subsidiaries (Chapter 11) is a subfield of orga-
nizational evolution. This process is an effective means of causing muta-
tions. A new company, initiated by new leaders or by leaders who try a new
formula, can be the start of a new type of company. A multinational startup