CAPITULO IV. LOS ADOLESCENTES: RIESGO Y PROBLEMAS
5.7. Comprobación de los supuestos.
5.8.4. Cuestionario sobre dinámica familiar (APGAR)
Anthropologists are fascinated with lost civilizations. Christians are engrossed in the events
surrounding the year zero AD. Sociologists are trapped in the present in their attempts to
understand the complexities of a world that appears to be continuously on the edge of chaos.
This century alone has witnessed unprecedented growth and development. Despite being
rocked by two world wars and a number of significant economic tremors, we have achieved
much. We have sent men to the moon, developed replacement body parts, designed
commercial airliners that can travel in excess of one thousand kilometres an hour, and
developed computer technologies that allow us to have instantaneous conversations with
friends and associates around the world by Internet. This is progress nonetheless. The view
on progress is however subjective, it depend on individuals‘ own values and assumptions.
There is no doubt the world is changing, and changing rapidly. Some may doubt that the
presence of change is any different to previous times. However, there are few who would
disagree that the pace of change has increased, that the discontinuities caused by change are
more frequent, and that time and speed have become more critical in daily work activities.
We need to identify and understand some of the critical forces at play at the macro level and
be able to articulate how these macro forces influence the business environment and the
nature of work.
The first factor to be discussed herein is demography. Demography is the most vital aspect of
the forces that are currently shaping and reshaping the world (McRae 1994). Demography
relates to the features of societies. These features include the size of different populations, the
distribution of age and gender, and the distribution of wealth. It is also associated with trends
that relate to these characteristics.
Population growth is the most disturbing feature of the world's demography. Between 1950
and 1992, the world's population grew from 2.5 billion to 5.5 billion people. (McRae 1994)
Most of this increase was associated with the developing world, particularly India and China.
With population growth, comes increased demand for products and services, thereby creating
business opportunities. In China, for instance, there has recently been increased entry by
Western firms to explore new markets created by government deregulation and a population
that is increasingly able to afford consumer goods. However, such growth has strained natural
resources and increased the levels of competition for business opportunities. Concern over
the plundering of the world's natural resources has created the Green movement, championed
by Green Watch.
In Western countries, population trends are very different. Many Western countries are
experiencing declining birth rates resulting in an ageing of the population. The baby boomers
are partly, but not solely, responsible for this trend. An ageing population puts pressure on the
retirement age, on female participation in the workforce, on the use of part-time work, and on
the use of voluntary labour (McRae 1994). From the work of Hannan and Freeman (1977) on
population ecology, we can appreciate the contextual significance of demographic factors for
organizations. The population ecology perspective, in particular, explains why certain forms
and species of organizations survive and others die. Organizations are immersed in the macro
environment through membership of certain populations of organizations. Hence, those that
are more likely to survive are those that meet the needs of the market place at the least cost,
that is, those that are more efficient and effective.
While demography can be viewed as an outcome of other forces and factors in the general
environment, it is, nonetheless, a self-perpetuating force in its own right. Growth and decline
in different populations have consequences. The huge growth in population worldwide has
shifted the emphasis on natio nal sustainability to global sustainabili ty. Shifts in the age and
gender balance do have major consequences around the globe in terms of the types of
products and services required. Better-educated populations seek and create more
information. In addition, particular trends in demography have influenced a greater fluency of
transactions across national borders to a point where global trends clearly surpass domestic
trends.
3.1.2 Identity
The second major factor that is having a significant impact on the business environment is
identity. Identity relates to the central bonding attributes of different communities and
cultures, large and small. From an organizational perspective, an organization can be viewed
as a social system with a collective identity (Caplow 1964) which is recognizable by its
enduring, central and unique attributes (Dutton and Penner 1993). The world is a social
environment consisting of diverse and numerous groups of people.
These groups are divided on ethnic and historical values. They are divided on ideological
grounds involving the interpretations of communism a nd capitalism, east and west, and green
and brown. They are also divided on religious affiliations. Identity indicates who we are
individually and collectively and our affiliations can be diverse. For example, Asian
immigrants first came to Australia during the gold rush era of the 1850s. Immigration then
increased again after the demise of the white Australia policy. This has lead to Australia
becoming a multicultural nation, which has increased the diversity of both organizations and
the community.
An organization is an identity within larger ethnic, national, industrial and religious identities.
These cultural influences provide a rich context in which a particular organization establishes
and maintains its own sense of being. For instance, the Russian people embraced communism
in the 1917 revolution. Their leaders attempted to consume the world with a new world order
and a powerful Soviet Republic was constructed. In the latter part of the 20th century, a new
Russian leader emerged to reflect the changing sense of identity among Russians and their
allies. Gorbachev's policies of Glasnost (openness) and Perestroika (restructuring) were
instrumental in a realignment and re-establishment of eastern block identities. Even in
Western Europe, an interesting realignment of identities is taking place. The European Union
(EU) has been formed to gain collective advantages of size and integration, as evidenced by
the introduction of the Eurodollar. Ho wever, the EU also advocates the importance of
retaining and promoting the individual sovereignties of national and ethnic groups. Such
identities, based on varying cultural foundations, set the parameters for organizing. An
interesting facet of identity is that it does not always lead to rational economic decisions.
It may also lead to opposition of rational decisions that have been made by organizations and
governments. In Australia, we voted in a government whose policy was to sell part of Telstra.
While this may make economic sense, a number of people were opposed to this idea as it
could lead to foreign ownership of something that was previously completely Australian.
Similarly, when a company such as Arnott‘s was sold we felt that we lost an Australian icon.
The complex nature of relationships and affiliations between people creates a dynamic
network of identities based on a diverse range of values, beliefs, and transactio ns. These
networks change continuously to accommodate people's preferences, whims and aspirations.
The shiftin g nature of group identities, in particular, is a powerful force because it reflects the
dynamic set of influences at play as relationships and affiliations change through continuous
competition and collaboration. This dynamic is central to the fluency of global relationships
and organizational transformation and transition.