The three primary values of our species have sustained us for over 200,000 years, approximately. Together, these values provide for an interpretation of human motivation that is species-wide for all people of all races, cultures, ethnic groups, nations, and genders, in simple and complex societies, now and into the far distant future. All of life is defined by the decisions we make based on the innate values system of our species and the interpretations we give to them according to our personal preferences.

The UNsustainability of Organizations. It is important to appreciate that while these values have sustained our species for tens of thousands of years, they are not innate to organizations. The archeological detritus of the social history of humankind provides clear evidence that all empires, dynasties, kingdoms, and nations large and small have all failed to sustain themselves.¹⁰ What will provide organizations with the capability of ongoing social sustainability to avoid their decline and collapse and that of their host societies is making decisions based on the same values that have sustained our species. Doing so will add sustainable value to the present and future circumstances of our personal lives, families, and the organizations of the society and nation we live in.

¹⁰   Diamond, Jared 2005. Collapse – How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
               Viking, Penguin Group, New York