"Culture eats strategy for breakfast"

Biological Parallel

When Robert Sapolsky's baboon troop lost aggressive males to tuberculosis, the remaining prosocial culture persisted for over 20 years—outlasting any individual's tenure and even surviving complete male turnover as new males immigrated and adopted local norms. Culture became self-reinforcing through grooming patterns, reconciliation behaviors, and stress responses, overriding the typical male baboon strategy of aggression. Immigrant males with aggressive strategies either adapted or were expelled. This demonstrates culture's power: it shapes which strategies succeed, not the reverse. Your organization's culture determines which strategies can be executed, making culture the primary constraint.