4) So much energy is spent on fighting external enemies and leaders with each other that the Fracture Phase begins.
«Usually in history this phase is accompanied by such internal rivalry and slaughter that the course of ethnogenesis is temporarily hampered.»
Civil wars, conflicts at work, conspiracies begin. The passionary charge of the population is reduced: harmonious personalities become the leaders in the system, in which both activity and caution do not have excessive deviations. The imperative of this stage is: «We are tired of the Great Ones!» Away with the heroes! This period of the systems life ends with the victory of one of the competing leaders.
5) The system enters the Inertial Phase. She is the Blooming Phase. The winner is proclaimed the slogan «Be like me!» That is, a pattern of behavior is offered, an example to follow, sometimes from the heroes of a past heroic era. Extreme regulation of life and work, "Ordnung!», the establishment of a clear hierarchical organizational structure of the community. Differentiation of objects of activity, areas of responsibility, spheres of influence. living standards. Ordering everything and everyone: Laws and Rules. The accumulation of material culture, the creation and preservation of a huge number of cultural, scientific, technical and other monuments. In a word, the Inertial Phase is a flourishing, Civilization. It was the ethnic groups of this period of life that created everything that today we call Ancient Egypt, Hellas, Ancient Rome, the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, the Renaissance. It turns out, however, that the era of enlightenment and civilization is in fact not the heyday, the «spring», but the decline, the «autumn» of the system. All the numerous fruits of the Inertial Phase are only the gradual dissipation of the former passionary charge. Indeed, «golden mediocrity» is the social ideal of this era. The creations of artists, scientists, technicians, although numerous, are inferior in quality to the achievements of the restless era of «Sturm und Drang». Imitation prevails. Not creators, but artisans, not Artists, but Manufacturers. The social ideal is material gain. If the phases of rise, development and breakdown can be called the Age of Chivalry, then all subsequent stages are the Age of Trading: everything is just for money, altruism and heroism are ridiculous, personal income is the measure of everything. There is an erasure of features, outstanding personalities are persecuted, driven into the framework of the standard. (However, after their death, they are willingly canonized!) Zealots of traditions and law, conservatives these are the favorites of the system at this stage.
6) When the last remnants of passionarity disappear, the Convolution Phase begins (according to Gumilev «obscuration»). People with a complete lack of a progressive beginning strive to destroy not only passionaries, but also simple burghers hardworking harmonious people. Sluggish and selfish people, guided by consumer psychology, dominate everywhere. «Though a day, yes mine! After us even a flood! Pleasure is here and now!» these are the slogans of this era. Corruption, compilation, mistrust and betrayal, ignorance and parasitism reign. An intelligent person who tries to maintain at least some order is perceived by the system as worse than an enemy. It is at this stage that a small detachment of barbarians is able to take possession of a huge city, mired in debauchery and indifference.
Table 2. Imperatives of behavior at different stages of the life cycle according to Gumilev
7) After they have eaten and drunk everything valuable that has been preserved from heroic times, the last stage begins the Memorial Phase, when the system retains only the memory of its historical tradition. Then the memory also disappears, the time of balance with the environment comes, when people prefer philistine peace and measured existence to great plans. The despotism of Tradition, the authority of the Elders (age is the measure of everything, not talent or heroism), and an unchanging caste structure are established. Passionarity is only enough to maintain the economy established by the ancestors. Peace reigns until an external enemy destroys the system that has outlived itself, or a new community is born inside it, whose members will proclaim «We are different! The old course of life must be broken,» and the old system no longer has the strength to destroy the new formation.
Company life cycle
Dont you think that all this applies to companies as well? And the organizations where we, fortunately or unfortunately, have to get into, and the organizations in which we ourselves are the founders, just as accurately go through the same stages of their lives. And the rules adopted in them and the emerging relationships are very similarly transformed.
Dr. Ichak Kalderon Adizes is one of the unsurpassed business consultants in the world, a brilliant specialist in the field of effective business process management, he studied in detail the stages of the life cycle (LC) of the company. It is easy to see direct parallels between his description for companies with the characteristics of social systems by Gumilev.
Adizes about the life cycle of the company:
«The stages of Growth are the stages of sacrifice. Blossoming is a stage of existence. The stages of Aging are the stages of acquisition.»
Adizes characteristic of companies in the early stages of the Recession he called it the" Aristocratic Stage»:
«The closer a company approaches the Aristocratic stage, the less desirable change becomes. The decrease in flexibility, which began even at the heyday stage, makes itself felt. In an effort to minimize all kinds of risks, the organization uses only those opportunities that give a tangible result in the short term. Yes, she does not master new technologies, does not show interest in the implementation of innovative projects, does not conquer new markets. In other words, she is losing the entrepreneurial spirit that propelled her to the pinnacle of success not too long ago.
Atmosphere of stagnation
What about people? They become passive. They try their best to avoid conflicts and disagreements. So, while the worker is quieter than water, lower than grass and does not actively try to raise existing issues that others prefer to turn a blind eye to, he has a chance not only to earn respect, but also to move up the career ladder. In turn, those who speak openly about the difficulties that have arisen receive a massive rebuff. He becomes an outcast in the team. And his most insignificant oversight becomes the reason for dismissal.
Rituals
In an aristocratic company, people attach great importance to rituals. They dont care about the end result. Generally accepted standards and values come to the fore. Form beats function.
No more jeans and sweatshirts. There are strict requirements for the dress code, which even the most courageous democrat does not dare to violate. All managers wear one-piece corporate-colored business suits and look as if they were going to a funeral ceremony.
The main feature of aristocratic companies is a commitment not only to expensive uniformity
in clothes, but also to expensive surroundings. An office in the most prestigious area, elite massive furniture, chic carpets, paintings depicting the founder and expensive designer «tricks». Thus, by demonstrating their status, they identify their belonging to the elite.
Paralysis of the center of power
The top management of the company, who have fallen into the stage of Aristocracy, as a rule, becomes a victim of the former triumph that turned their heads. Instead of living in the present and looking to the future, leaders are still thrilled by old accomplishments. They imagine themselves to be omnipotent, although in fact their powers are limited. They are unable to quickly accept and implement any decision, since each of them needs to be coordinated with several centers of power.»