ABSTRACT
In our contemporary world, people interact and communicate at greater distances than ever before, and interaction and communication reinforce and are reinforced by strong global similarities. It is increasingly difficult to find differences in appearance and life at various places; even long-distance air travel can lead us to distant but amazingly similar cities. An increasing number of categories are now being used worldwide. States, firms, and unions, for example, can be found virtually everywhere, and they tend to nurture similar ideas and behave in similar ways. Their very similarity makes it possible to differentiate among them according to status—there are global status orders providing world champions in sports, universities, and cities. Organizations that are geographically separated tend to introduce similar structures and procedures. And an increasing number of organizations depend more on the coordination of their activities with organizations in other parts of the world than with organizations in their local community.
