Final Report as Dean, SMU School of Business

BA 335 "Organization Theory"

ECN 101
Principles of Economics

ECN 325 "History of Economic Thought"
Syllabus
PowerPoint

Resume

MBA program

Business and economics program

Dean, Business and Economics
Saint Martin's University

Professor of Business and Economics

Saint Martin's College
5300 Pacific Ave. SE
Lacey, WA 98503
Office phone: (360) 438-4329
Fax number:   (360) 459-4522
email: dwallace@stmartin.edu

“Postmodern Management explains the systemic differences in organizational behavior between impersonal bureaucracies and membership organizations such as partnerships......  Bureaucracies tend to elicit more rigid and job defensive behaviors because they use a “buyer-seller” relationship to set the broad terms of employment.  The employee is usually hired to do a specific job at a specific pay rate and therefore the employee’s identity, status, and pay, in addition to role, are all tied to the job.  Where the employee is brought in a member, however, identity attaches more to the organization as a whole and status and pay are usually a function of relevant experience.

 The book uses autopoiesis, a relatively new concept from biology to explain why this difference matters.

This book draws on several new scientific concepts to modify Darwinian evolution in a way that explains the evolution of culture. In so doing it explains many current conflicts and controversies such as terrorism, mounting consumption and pollution, and how to organize the global economy and protect the global environment. The book can also explain such historical puzzles as why the fall of Rome later gave rise to the spurt of Europe's technology and its rapid rise from a backwater civilization to world dominance. The same process of evolution propelled the United States into a high tech superpower in the late 20th century. Then, paradoxically, it led to global anarchy, resurgent tribalism and the growing terrorism that is emerging in the 21st century's global village.

Paleontology's recent concept of punctuated equilibrium forms the basis of this analysis. All life evolves in a step function made up of periods of rapid change followed by longer periods of relative equilibrium or stasis. Whether in culture or biology behavior changes in predictable ways related to the stage of evolution. Frontier theory from ecology explains why serious disruptions to stable eco-systems create new frontiers that change behavior and yet evolve in a way that restores stasis. A new insight from biology called autopoiesis explains: all like aims to preserve not just life itself, but a consistent identity within that life. On the frontier humans exploit opportunity while in stasis the adhere to traditions that inhibit change. Evolution of biology and culture features a continuous alteration of these different behaviors.

The book begins when the first primate came down from the trees six million years ago and became the "risen ape". With an upright stance and opposable thumb these apes could now make tools. Tools then favored the evolution of bigger brains leading to even better tools and a paradox. The increasing sophistication of tools amplified the power of human anatomy so much that anatomy stabilized. Driven by innovations in technology, human evolution now takes place mostly in culture. Brain size remained constant as a culture's techo-structure, and much less in the anatomy of its individuals. Struggles between individuals continue, but the contest between cultures has become paramount. So far at least, high-tech cultures consistently prevail over lower-tech cultures.