| We humans are
social mammals. Very intensely social, in fact. That shows in the uses to
which we put new technologies: communicate, organize, trade. It shows in
everything we do. Even the most autocratic boss is a group animal. Social
drives for dominance and being related are essential for us. But the devil
is in the detail. The unwritten rules of our
social groups are what I call culture. Culture is biological. It has
co-evolved with human nature and with human psychology for over a
million years. Competition between groups has honed our collaborative
capacity. Culture transmits itself through the
generations despite huge societal changes. The formal rules of our
institutions cannot work as intended without relations. And relations follow the unwritten rules of culture.
Culture is hard-wired, but group identities are malleable.
Culture (along with a host of other
things) also co-determines much of what happens in
our lives and our jobs, and that is what I can tell you about. Leadership,
trust, transparency, management, humour, rights, religion, you name it; culture plays a
big role. And cultural evolution is happening all around us every day... |
...What is she offering? We are very intensely social... |
