Anthropology of Mid-Sized Startups
This is a great look at startups through the lens of anthropology, and dissecting them as tribes, a human organization as old as humanity itself. All the attributes we think about when imagining a startup make a lot sense in the context of creating tribal rituals. It also supports the common startup truism that it is critical for a startup to have a cohesive, nearly homogenous culture, and to have a set of uncompromising values upon which decisions are based (so called Sacred Things).
Definitely worth the read, along with the footnotes.