Managing Without Power: Gender relationships in the story of human evolution

By R. Meredith Belbin

Meredith Belbin, best known for his work on teams, now considers the way in which continuing evolution has produced distinct patterns of behaviour for men and women. Examination of the key stages in the history of homo sapiens reveals * how very early human society was regulated not through power but by organic balance, so allowing women to play a vital role in the community * why women lost their hold over men as more populous and structured societies became dominated by aggressive warriors seeking territorial expansion * how natural selection within competing empires favoured the survival of able professionals and compliant slaves, so diversifying the behavioural roles to which humans were genetically disposed * how, in the present era, power has lost its biological utility as human evolution slowed, and technological evolution favoured the emancipation of women with its premium on communication skills *how in this changing scenario, as women have recovered their status and influence, social progress has brought in its wake a new set of cross-gender problems. Penetrating, original and provocative this book offers suggestions on how men and women can come to terms with their genetic heritage, so restoring much needed balance to business organizations and to the community at large.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 075065192X
• ISBN13: 9780750651929
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Controversy to be expected

Meredith Belbin has, in Managing Without Power, given an uncompromising account of the world's history from a gender-based perspective. He is apt at covering the opposition which is to be expected to his theses. I doubt that Managing Without Power will remain undebated. As soon as any redhearted or rat- faced feminist gets his hands on it, it will be dissected with a razor. Why? Belbin tries to explain human charactersitics and behaviour through archetypes acquired by mankind through history's hardships. Even today, archetypical Primaevals, Professionals and Warriors roam offices and factories, distinguished, not as some may have hoped, by their external characteristics, but the way they behave, talk, find mates and probably eat, drink and sleep as well. So no-one can be sure of not being termed cavie. This far, there may only be the very odd PC left reading this review, hence I can attest that Belbin may be right in one respect. He does not manage to explain how archetypical behaviour, i e that of Slaves, is inherited and carried on by mainly the male parts. Of the population, that is, hence the inappropriate plural. This smells somewhat of the kind of Darwinism that is called social but really is inside the DNA of everyone of us. Hansi Elsbacher, journalist