  We discuss in a statistical physics framework the idea that ``the whole is
less than the parts'', as sometimes advocated by sociologists in view of the
intrinsic complexity of humans, and try to reconcile this idea with the
statistical physicists wisdom according to which ``the whole is more than the
sum of its parts'' due to collective phenomena. We consider a simple mean-field
model of interacting agents having an intrinsic complexity modeled by a large
number of internal configurations. We show by analytically solving the model
that interactions between agents lead, in some parameter range, to a
`standardization' of agents in the sense that all agents collapse in the same
internal state, thereby drastically suppressing their complexity. Slightly
generalizing the model, we find that agents standardization may lead to a
global order if appropriate interactions are included. Hence, in this simple
model, both agents standardization and collective organization may be viewed as
two sides of the same coin.
