According to the biologist
Gregory Bateson, there is no maximization in biology, there is
only optimization. It is alien to life itself tomaximize
values. It is the nature of life to optimize values.
What that means is that with
living things such as people and organizations, you can only
gain by increasing a value up to a certain point and then you
lose by further increases. Like many foods, a small
amount is good, a greater amount may be wonderful, but too
miuch is poisonous to the system.
This is the biological basis
for the Tit for Tat pattern. Never try to maximize your
winning. Only try to tie others. Be sure you get
what you need in the long run but don't worry about short-term
'losses'. The best way to be sure you are not maximizing
values (since we have been trained to thoroughly to always try
to do that) is to pay close attention to what others are
trying to get out of a situation and TO HELP THEM GET IT.
