Structural Selection Pressure and Cultural Degeneration in Organizations: An Evolutionary-Memetic Framework for the Suppression of Competence

This paper introduces the concept of structural selection pressure to explain the paradoxical phenomenon in which competent individuals are marginalized or eliminated within organizational systems. Drawing on evolutionary biology and memetic theory (Dawkins, 1976; Boyd & Richerson, 1985; Henrich, 2015), the study conceptualizes organizations as meme-based ecosystems where behaviors, values, and ideas undergo selection and replication. However, in many modern organizations, selection pressure has become distorted: anger, dominance, and procedural rigidity serve as negative filters that suppress memetic diversity and innovation. The analysis identifies three dominant types of suppressive forces—rage-dominant leaders, charismatic silencers, and empathy-deficient operators—each contributing to what we term "memetic desertification": a cultural environment in which novelty is punished and conformity is rewarded. These dynamics lead to cultural senescence, loss of adaptability, and increased turnover. To counteract this degenerative trend, the paper proposes structural interventions, including lateral promotion systems, anonymous feedback channels, and training for non-dominant leadership. Furthermore, it suggests the incorporation of AI-based evaluation systems to depersonalize feedback and detect systemic biases in meme selection and suppression. By reframing competence suppression as an evolutionary dysfunction of organizational structure, this paper provides a theoretical foundation for designing organizations capable of sustained innovation and cultural renewal.