The only place I’ve been sailing is in Colorado. It hardly makes sense to imagine sailing in Colorado. The natural bodies of water are mostly streams and rivers.
But, build a dam. Create a reservoir. And, the possibilities begin to emerge. Sailing is possible in Colorado.
I first heard the phrase “culture follows structure” coined by William G. Ouchi in his book Making Schools Work.
The idea is that changes in infrastructure, technologies and policy change people’s behaviors. Behavioral changes, in turn, change people’s – and eventually society’s – attitudes, opinions, norms and values. When new technology, for instance, becomes ubiquitous in our lives, we must decide which new behaviors are acceptable and which are not.
Conversation at Drive-Thru
For instance, is it okay to text and drive?
The Amish have long understood that culture follows structure. I ignorantly believed that the Amish were merely luddites. That’s far from true. Amish communities have an elaborate process to evaluate whether new technologies will reinforce or undermine their culture.
Telephones are not allowed in Amish homes. A ringing telephone, as we all know too well, interrupts family time – a central element of Amish life. It is okay to have a telephone in the bard, however, in certain Amish communities. The telephone is the best way to summon help if a family member is injured. And the phone helps facilitate Amish business transactions just as it does for you and me.
Howard Rheingold details the Amish approach to adopting – or not – new technologies in his decade old Wired Magazine article, “Look Who’s Talking.”
It’s good to be aware that changes in policies, infrastructure and technology will change our culture. Open enrollment laws in Colorado, for instance, are effectively the beginning of the end of neighborhood schools. If we pay attention to this axiom, “culture follows structure,” we can be better prepared to preserve the cultural norms and values we find most precious. And, we can let go of those norms and values that only exist because of outdated technologies, infrastructure and policies.
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John Creighton writes on community life and public leadership at johncr8on.com. He can be found on Twitter @johncr8on and on Facebook.
Picture Credits: Dillon Reservoir by Flickr user rjones0856 at Flickr; Conversation at Drive-Thru by Flickr User Chris Inside.
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