Inner Working of a Cell
http://multimedia.mcb.harvard.edu/media.html
Very amazing video. In a way, a human being is just a compilation of individual automatons, with each automaton has its own biological function. Together, the automatons make up a complex system which we define as one human being.
If you think of a human being as a cell, with its designated functions, we can imagine any organizations to have its own consciousness and spirit, just like a biological being.
Therefore, it does not surprise me that an army, a company, a society, or any form of social organization can have its own self-awareness, memory, personality, desire, intelligence, emotion, aggressiveness & defensiveness, and a spirit.