Meredith Belbin, best known for his work on teams, now considers the way in which continuing evolution has produced distinct patterns of behaviour for men and women.

Examination of the key stages in the history of homo sapiens reveals

* how very early human society was regulated not through power but by organic balance, so allowing women to play a vital role in the community

* why women lost their hold over men as more populous and structured societies became dominated by aggressive warriors seeking territorial expansion

* how natural selection within competing empires favoured the survival of able professionals and compliant slaves, so diversifying the behavioural roles to which humans were genetically disposed

* how, in the present era, power has lost its biological utility as human evolution slowed, and technological evolution favoured the emancipation of women with its premium on communication skills

*how in this changing scenario, as women have recovered their status and influence, social progress has brought in its wake a new set of cross-gender problems.

Penetrating, original and provocative this book offers suggestions on how men and women can come to terms with their genetic heritage, so restoring much needed balance to business organizations and to the community at large.