Rigidity and Flexibility in Social Systems

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Johns Hopkins University Project Abstract The defining question of this research proposal is: within a social system such as a corporation, government, or even society at large, what determines the behavioral pattern of its members regarding how they respond to change? Are certain features of the external environment conducive to agents being rigid in their behavior? Are certain features of the internal structure of the social system conducive to promoting rigidity or promoting agent's to respond to internal rather than external conditions? The theoretical approach developed to address these questions is predicated upon three observations. First, people differ in how they respond to change. Heterogeneity along a rigidity-flexibility dimension has long been noted and documented in the psychology literature. Based on this observation, it is assumed that agents are heterogeneous in how they respond to change-some are relatively rigid and some are relatively flexible. Second most social systems are hierarchical. While this is clearly true for corporations and governments, it is applicable to many informal systems for which status is an operative force. A second element of the theoretical formulation is a model of the process by which agents move up through a hierarchical system. A key factor behind behavioral patterns within a social system is conjectured to be the selection process which determines whether rigid or flexible agents survive and occupy a system's higher levels. Third, part of people's behavior is learned by imitating others. Imitation as a form of social learning is well-documented for many species. While how a person responds to change may be partly endowed (that is, due to factors external to the social system under consideration), it is also influenced by the level of rigidity exhibited by others, and especially those with high rank (that is, high social status). The third element of the theoretical formulation is a model of social learning with imitation being the mechanism. Imitation is modeled as a two-step procedure: i) identification of a set of role models worth emulating; and ii) drawing inferences from a role model's behavior and integrating what one learns into one's own behavioral rule. Selection and social learning are then intertwined processes in that selection influences who survives and advances within the social system and thus determines the set of role models. Social learning affects the characteristics of those at the bottom of the hierarchy and thus influences the population upon which selection operates. With this model, new and substantive insight is to be provided into how features of the meta-environment influence the way in which people respond to change. By under- standing the determinants of individual behavior, new insight into organizational behavior will be possible. Why do some established firms fail to adequately respond to significant changes in market conditions (notable recent examples include IBM, Sears Roebuck, and Kmart)? In response to a drastic change in economic or social conditions, why are some governments unresponsive and ultimately collapse? This research should contribute to answering such questions.