Organizations can be found in a wide and dynamic context, incomprehensible in its entirety, density and amplitude. They are, at the same time, an authorial determinant and idiosyncratic result of the time in which they find themselves, ineradicably associated with the issues raised, challenges overcome and failures experienced during their existence through different social groups.
Particularly interesting is that these are the arguments advocated by US thinkers Freeman Dyson and Stewart Brand for analyzing civilization in layers - some fast-moving, others slow-moving.
While the fast-moving parts learn from, ponder, and absorb external shocks, the slow-moving parts memorize, integrate, and restrict them. While the fast-moving parts receive all the attention from the audience, the slow-moving parts retain all the power. At one end of the spectrum, fashion and commerce are presented, respectively, as the faster-moving parts. At the other extremity, nature and culture remain, respectively, the slower-moving parts. On the intermediate level, infrastructure and government layers of infrastructure divide the plane into fast-moving and slow layers.
The role of fashion - as well as of art itself - consists of being fast-moving, all-embracing, light, and probably frivolous, always self-centered. Young people tend to be obsessed by fashion, while the elderly are bored with it.
Commerce - and, therefore, organizations - except those supported by government and culture, becomes a crime. Even the intention of commerce to influence the more structured and slower-moving layers seems to be excessively myopic for such an enterprise, limited by its necessary privileged search for short-term returns.
Infrastructure, although essential to society, cannot be justified for commercial objectives on account of its long-term returns, demanding governmental intervention via financings and/or concessions. Even education and science can be considered intellectual infrastructures, with high long-term returns. As for government, while at the same time supporting commerce and infrastructure, it is also exposed to public opinion.
Culture moves slowly in the rhythm of language, religion, customs and usages, fruit of the unconscious and uncoordinated action of people throughout generations. Finally, nature retains its vast, inexorable, and implacable power, while apocalyptic forces closely follow our irresponsible actions against environmental equilibrium. Deep and perennial revolutions do not occur at the whim of fashion, rather in the uncommon force of nature and/or culture.
Organizations, in turn, although acting at the most superficial level in their search to fulfil the purpose of the business, must observe and always anticipate movements on the nature, culture and government level.
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Daniel Augusto Motta, PhD, MSc
Founder & CEO BMI Blue Management Institute
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