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Organizational communication

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Organizational communication is a subfield of the larger discipline of communication studies.


Organizational communication, as a field, is the consideration, analysis, and criticism of the role of
communication in organizational contexts.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 History of Organizational Communication


• 2 Assumptions underlying early organizational communication
o 2.1 Communications networks
• 3 Direction of communication
• 4 Interpersonal communication
• 5 Communication Approaches in an Organization
• 6 Research in organizational communication
o 6.1 Research methodologies
• 7 Current Research Topics in Organizational Communication
• 8 See also
• 9 Notes
• 10 References

• 11 External links

[edit] History of Organizational Communication


The field traces its lineage through business information, business communication, and early mass
communication studies published in the 1930s through the 1950s. Until then, organizational
communication as a discipline consisted of a few professors within speech departments who had a
particular interest in speaking and writing in business settings. The current field is well established with
its own theories and empirical concerns distinct from other communication subfields and other
approaches to organizations.

Several seminal publications stand out as works broadening the scope and recognizing the importance of
communication in the organizing process, and in using the term "organizational communication". Nobel
Laureate Herbert Simon wrote in 1947 about "organization communications systems", saying
communication is "absolutely essential to organizations".[1]

In the 1950s, organizational communication focused largely on the role of communication in improving
organizational life and organizational output. In the 1980s, the field turned away from a business-oriented
approach to communication and became concerned more with the constitutive role of communication in
organizing. In the 1990s, critical theory influence on the field was felt as organizational communication
scholars focused more on communication's possibilities to oppress and liberate organizational members.

[edit] Assumptions underlying early organizational


communication
Some of the main assumptions underlying much of the early organizational communication research
were:

• Humans act rationally. Sane people behave in rational ways, they generally have access to all of
the information needed to make rational decisions they could articulate, and therefore will make
rational decisions, unless there is some breakdown in the communication process.

• Formal logic and empirically verifiable data ought to be the foundation upon which any theory
should rest. All we really need to understand communication in organizations is (a) observable
and replicable behaviors that can be transformed into variables by some form of measurement,
and (b) formally replicable syllogisms that can extend theory from observed data to other groups
and settings

• Communication is primarily a mechanical process, in which a message is constructed and encoded


by a sender, transmitted through some channel, then received and decoded by a receiver.
Distortion, represented as any differences between the original and the received messages, can and
ought to be identified and reduced or eliminated.

• Organizations are mechanical things, in which the parts (including employees functioning in
defined roles) are interchangeable. What works in one organization will work in another similar
organization. Individual differences can be minimized or even eliminated with careful
management techniques.

• Organizations function as a container within which communication takes place. Any differences
in form or function of communication between that occurring in an organization and in another
setting can be identified and studied as factors affecting the communicative activity.

Herbert Simon introduced the concept of bounded rationality which challenged assumptions about the
perfect rationality of communication participants. He maintained that people making decisions in
organizations seldom had complete information, and that even if more information was available, they
tended to pick the first acceptable option, rather than exploring further to pick the optimal solution.

Through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the field expanded greatly in parallel with several other academic
disciplines, looking at communication as more than an intentional act designed to transfer an idea.
Research expanded beyond the issue of "how to make people understand what I am saying" to tackle
questions such as "how does the act of communicating change, or even define, who I am?", "why do
organizations that seem to be saying similar things achieve very different results?" and "to what extent are
my relationships with others affected by our various organizational contexts?"

In the early 1990s Peter Senge developed a new theories on Organizational Communication. These
theories were learning organization and systems thinking. These have been well received and are now a
mainstay in current beliefs toward organizational communications.

[edit] Communications networks

Networks are another aspect of direction and flow of communication. Bavelas has shown that
communication patterns, or networks, influence groups in several important ways. Communication
networks may affect the group's completion of the assigned task on time, the position of the de facto
leader in the group, or they may affect the group members' satisfaction from occupying certain positions
in the network. Although these findings are based on laboratory experiments, they have important
implications for the dynamics of communication in formal organizations.

There are several patterns of communication:

• "Chain",
• "Wheel",
• "Star",
• "All-Channel" network,
• "Circle".[2]

The Chain can readily be seen to represent the hierarchical pattern that characterizes strictly formal
information flow, "from the top down," in military and some types of business organizations. The Wheel
can be compared with a typical autocratic organization, meaning one-man rule and limited employee
participation. The Star is similar to the basic formal structure of many organizations. The All-Channel
network, which is an elaboration of Bavelas's Circle used by Guetzkow, is analogous to the free-flow of
communication in a group that encourages all of its members to become involved in group decision
processes. The All-Channel network may also be compared to some of the informal communication
networks.

If it's assumed that messages may move in both directions between stations in the networks, it is easy to
see that some individuals occupy key positions with regard to the number of messages they handle and
the degree to which they exercise control over the flow of information. For example, the person
represented by the central dot in the "Star" handles all messages in the group. In contrast, individuals who
occupy stations at the edges of the pattern handle fewer messages and have little or no control over the
flow of information.These "peripheral" individuals can communicate with only one or two other persons
and must depend entirely on others to relay their messages if they wish to extend their range.

In reporting the results of experiments involving the Circle, Wheel, and Star configurations, Bavelas
came to the following tentative conclusions. In patterns with positions located centrally, such as the
Wheel and the Star, an organization quickly develops around the people occupying these central
positions. In such patterns, the organization is more stable and errors in performance are lower than in
patterns having a lower degree of centrality, such as the Circle. However, he also found that the morale of
members in high centrality patterns is relatively low. Bavelas speculated that this lower morale could, in
the long run, lower the accuracy and speed of such networks.

In problem solving requiring the pooling of data and judgments, or "insight," Bavelas suggested that the
ability to evaluate partial results, to look at alternatives, and to restructure problems fell off rapidly when
one person was able to assume a more central (that is, more controlling) position in the information flow.
For example, insight into a problem requiring change would be less in the Wheel and the Star than in the
Circle or the Chain because of the "bottlenecking" effect of data control by central members.

It may be concluded from these laboratory results that the structure of communications within an
organization will have a significant influence on the accuracy of decisions, the speed with which they can
be reached, and the satisfaction of the people involved. Consequently, in networks in which the
responsibility for initiating and passing along messages is shared more evenly among the members, the
better the group's morale in the long run.

[edit] Direction of communication


If it's considered formal communications as they occur in traditional military organizations, messages
have a "one-way" directional characteristic. In the military organization, the formal communication
proceeds from superior to subordinate, and its content is presumably clear because it originates at a higher
level of expertise and experience. Military communications also carry the additional assumption that the
superior is responsible for making his communication clear and understandable to his subordinates. This
type of organization assumes that there is little need for two-way exchanges between organizational levels
except as they are initiated by a higher level. Because messages from superiors are considered to be more
important than those from subordinates, the implicit rule is that communication channels, except for
prescribed information flows, should not be cluttered by messages from subordinates but should remain
open and free for messages moving down the chain of command. "Juniors should be seen and not heard,"
is still an unwritten, if not explicit, law of military protocol.

Vestiges of one-way flows of communication still exist in many formal organizations outside the military,
and for many of the same reasons as described above.Although management recognizes that prescribed
information must flow both downward and upward, managers may not always be convinced that two-
wayness should be encouraged. For example, to what extent is a subordinate free to communicate to his
superior that he understands or does not understand a message? Is it possible for him to question the
superior, ask for clarification, suggest modifications to instructions he has received, or transmit
unsolicited messages to his superior, which are not prescribed by the rules? To what extent does the one-
way rule of direction affect the efficiency of communication in the organization, in addition to the morale
and motivation of subordinates?

These are not merely procedural matters but include questions about the organizational climate, pr
psychological atmosphere in which communication takes place. Harold Leavitt has suggested a simple
experiment that helps answer some of these questions.[3] А group is assigned the task of re-creating on
paper a set of rectangular figures, first as they are described by the leader under one-way conditions, and
second as they are described by the leader under two-way conditions.(A different configuration of
rectangles is used in the second trial.) In the one-way trial, the leader's back is turned to the group. He
describes the rectangles as he sees them. No one in the group is allowed to ask questions and no one may
indicate by any audible or visible sign his understanding or his frustration as he attempts to follow the
leader's directions. In the two-way trial, the leader faces the group. In this case, the group may ask for
clarifications on his description of the rectangles and he can not only see but also can feel and respond to
the emotional reactions of group members as they try to re-create his instructions on paper.

On the basis of a number of experimental trials similar to the one described above, Leavitt formed these
conclusions:

1. One-way communication is faster than two-way communication.


2. Two-way communication is more accurate than one-way communication.
3. Receivers are more sure of themselves and make more correct judgments of how right or wrong
they are in the two-way system.
4. The sender feels psychologically under attack in the two-way system, because his receivers pick
up his mistakes and oversights and point them out to him.
5. The two-way method is relatively noisier and looks more disorderly. The one-way method, on the
other hand, appears neat and efficient to an outside observer.[3]

Thus, if speed is necessary, if a businesslike appearance is important, if a manager does not want his
mistakes recognized, and if he wants to protect his power, then one-way communication seems
preferable. In contrast, if the manager wants to get his message across, or if he is concerned about his
receivers' feeling that they are participating and are making a contribution, the two-way system is better.

[edit] Interpersonal communication


Main article: Interpersonal communication

Another facet of communication in the organization is the process of face-to-face, interpersonal


communication, between individuals. Such communication may take several forms. Messages may be
verbal (that is, expressed in words), or they may not involve words at all but consist of gestures, facial
expressions, and certain postures ("body language"). Nonverbal messages may even stem from silence.[4]

Managers do not need answers to operate a successful business; they need questions. Answers can come
from anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world thanks to the benefits of all the electronic communication
tools at our disposal. This has turned the real job of management into determining what it is the business
needs to know, along with the who/what/where/when and how of learning it. To effectively solve
problems, seize opportunities, and achieve objectives, questions need to be asked by managers—these are
the people responsible for the operation of the enterprise as a whole.[5]

Ideally, the meanings sent are the meanings received. This is most often the case when the messages
concern something that can be verified objectively. For example, "This piece of pipe fits the threads on
the coupling." In this case, the receiver of the message can check the sender's words by actual trial, if
necessary. However, when the sender's words describe a feeling or an opinion about something that
cannot be checked objectively, meanings can be very unclear. "This work is too hard" or "Watergate was
politically justified" are examples of opinions or feelings that cannot be verified. Thus they are subject to
interpretation and hence to distorted meanings. The receiver's background of experience and learning may
differ enough from that of the sender to cause significantly different perceptions and evaluations of the
topic under discussion. As we shall see later, such differences form a basic barrier to communication.[4]

Nonverbal content always accompanies the verbal content of messages. This is reasonably clear in the
case of face-to-face communication. As Virginia Satir has pointed out, people cannot help but
communicate symbolically (for example, through their clothing or possessions) or through some form of
body language. In messages that are conveyed by the telephone, a messenger, or a letter, the situation or
context in which the message is sent becomes part of its non-verbal content. For example, if the company
has been losing money, and in a letter to the production division, the front office orders a reorganization
of the shipping and receiving departments, this could be construed to mean that some people were going
to lose their jobs — unless it were made explicitly clear that this would not occur.[6]

A number of variables influence the effectiveness of communication. Some are found in the environment
in which communication takes place, some in the personalities of the sender and the receiver, and some in
the relationship that exists between sender and receiver. These different variables suggest some of the
difficulties of communicating with understanding between two people. The sender wants to formulate an
idea and communicate it to the receiver. This desire to communicate may arise from his thoughts or
feelings or it may have been triggered by something in the environment. The communication may also be
influenced or distorted by the relationship between the sender and the receiver, such as status differences,
a staff-line relationship, or a learner-teacher relationship.[6]

Whatever its origin, information travels through a series of filters, both in the sender and in the receiver,
before the idea can be transmitted and re-created in the receiver's mind. Physical capacities to see, hear,
smell, taste, and touch vary between people, so that the image of reality may be distorted even before the
mind goes to work. In addition to physical or sense filters, cognitive filters, or the way in which an
individual's mind interprets the world around him, will influence his assumptions and feelings. These
filters will determine what the sender of a message says, how he says it, and with what purpose. Filters
are present also in the receiver, creating a double complexity that once led Robert Louis Stevenson to say
that human communication is "doubly relative". It takes one person to say something and another to
decide what he said.[7]

Physical and cognitive, including semantic filters (which decide the meaning of words) combine to form a
part of our memory system that helps us respond to reality. In this sense, March and Simon compare a
person to a data processing system. Behavior results from an interaction between a person's internal state
and environmental stimuli. What we have learned through past experience becomes an inventory, or data
bank, consisting of values or goals, sets of expectations and preconceptions about the consequences of
acting one way or another, and a variety of possible ways of responding to the situation. This memory
system determines what things we will notice and respond to in the environment. At the same time,
stimuli in the environment help to determine what parts of the memory system will be activated. Hence,
the memory and the environment form an interactive system that causes our behavior. As this interactive
system responds to new experiences, new learnings occur which feed back into memory and gradually
change its content. This process is how people adapt to a changing world.[7]
[edit] Communication Approaches in an Organization
Informal and Formal Communication are used in an organization. Informal communication: Informal
communication, generally associated with interpersonal, horizontal communication, was primarily seen as
a potential hindrance to effective organizational performance. This is no longer the case. Informal
communication has become more important to ensuring the effective conduct of work in modern
organizations.

Top-down approach: This is also known as downward communication. This approach is used by the Top
Level Management to communicate to the lower levels. This is used to implement policies, gudelines, etc.
In this type of organizational communication, distortion of the actual information occurs. This could be
made effective by feedbacks.

[edit] Research in organizational communication


[edit] Research methodologies

Historically, organizational communication was driven primarily by quantitative research methodologies.


Included in functional organizational communication research are statistical analyses (such as surveys,
text indexing, network mapping and behavior modeling). In the early 1980s, the interpretive revolution
took place in organizational communication. In Putnam and Pacanowsky's 1983 text Communication and
Organizations: An Interpretive Approach. they argued for opening up methodological space for
qualitative approaches such as narrative analyses, participant-observation, interviewing, rhetoric and
textual approaches readings) and philosophic inquiries.

During the 1980s and 1990s critical organizational scholarship began to gain prominence with a focus on
issues of gender, race, class, and power/knowledge. In its current state, the study of organizational
communication is open methodologically, with research from post-positive, interpretive, critical,
postmodern, and discursive paradigms being published regularly.

Organizational communication scholarship appears in a number of communication journals including but


not limited to Management Communication Quarterly, Journal of Applied Communication Research,
Communication Monographs, Academy of Management Journal, Communication Studies, and Southern
Communication Journal.

[edit] Current Research Topics in Organizational Communication


The field of organizational communication has moved from acceptance of mechanistic models (e.g.,
information moving from a sender to a receiver) to a study of the persistent, hegemonic and taken-for-
granted ways in which we not only use communication to accomplish certain tasks within organizational
settings (e.g., public speaking) but also how the organizations in which we participate affect us.

These approaches include "postmodern", "critical", "participatory", "feminist", "power/political",


"organic", etc. and adds to disciplines as wide-ranging as sociology, philosophy, theology, psychology,
business, business administration, institutional management, medicine (health communication), neurology
(neural nets), semiotics, anthropology, international relations, and music.

Currently, some topics of research and theory in the field are:

Constitution, e.g.,

• how communicative behaviors construct or modify organizing processes or products


• how the organizations within which we interact affect our communicative behaviors, and through
these, our own identities
• structures other than organizations which might be constituted through our communicative
activity (e.g., markets, cooperatives, tribes, political parties, social movements)
• when does something "become" an organization? When does an organization become (an)other
thing(s)? Can one organization "house" another? Is the organization still a useful
entity/thing/concept, or has the social/political environment changed so much that what we now
call "organization" is so different from the organization of even a few decades ago that it cannot
be usefully tagged with the same word--"organization"?

Narrative, e.g.,

• how do group members employ narrative to acculturate/initiate/indoctrinate new members?


• do organizational stories act on different levels? Are different narratives purposively invoked to
achieve specific outcomes, or are there specific roles of "organizational storyteller"? If so, are
stories told by the storyteller received differently than those told by others in the organization?
• in what ways does the organization attempt to influence storytelling about the organization? under
what conditions does the organization appear to be more or less effective in obtaining a desired
outcome?
• when these stories conflict with one another or with official rules/policies, how are the conflicts
worked out? in situations in which alternative accounts are available, who or how or why are
some accepted and others rejected?

Identity, e.g.,

• who do we see ourselves to be, in terms of our organizational affiliations?


• do communicative behaviors or occurrences in one or more of the organizations in which we
participate effect changes in us? To what extent do we consist of the organizations to which we
belong?
• is it possible for individuals to successfully resist organizational identity? what would that look
like?
• do people who define themselves by their work-organizational membership communicate
differently within the organizational setting than people who define themselves more by an
avocational (non-vocational) set of relationships?
• for example, researchers have studied how human service workers and firefighters use humor at
their jobs as a way to affirm their identity in the face of various challenges Tracy, S.J.; K. K.
Myers; C. W. Scott (2006). "Cracking Jokes and Crafting Selves: Sensemaking and Identity
Management Among Human Service Workers". Communication Monographs 73: 283–308.
doi:10.1080/03637750600889500.. Others have examined the identities of police organizations,
prison guards, and professional women workers.

Interrelatedness of organizational experiences, e.g.,

• how do our communicative interactions in one organizational setting affect our communicative
actions in other organizational settings?
• how do the phenomenological experiences of participants in a particular organizational setting
effect changes in other areas of their lives?
• when the organizational status of a member is significantly changed (e.g., by promotion or
expulsion) how are their other organizational memberships affected?
• what kind of future relationship between business and society does organizational communication
seem to predict?

Power e.g.,
• how does the use of particular communicative practices within an organizational setting reinforce
or alter the various interrelated power relationships within the setting? Are the potential responses
of those within or around these organizational settings constrained by factors or processes either
within or outside of the organization--(assuming there is an "outside"?
• do taken-for-granted organizational practices work to fortify the dominant hegemonic narrative?
Do individuals resist/confront these practices, through what actions/agencies, and to what effects?
• do status changes in an organization (e.g., promotions, demotions, restructuring, financial/social
strata changes) change communicative behavior? Are there criteria employed by organizational
members to differentiate between "legitimate" (i.e., endorsed by the formal organizational
structure) and "illegitimate" (i.e., opposed by or unknown to the formal power structure)? Are
behaviors? When are they successful, and what do we even there "pretenders" or "usurpers" who
employ these communicativemean by "successful?"

[edit] See also


• Communication studies
• International Communication Association
• National Communication Association
• Academy of Management
• Association for Business Communication
• Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (UK)
• International Association of Business Communicators
• Anticipatory socialization

[edit] Notes
1. ^ Herbert Simon, Administrative Behavior, 4th ed., p 208.
2. ^ Summarized from concepts developed by Alex Bavelas, "Communication Patterns in Task-Oriented
Groups," pp. 503-11; Harold Guetzkow, "Differentiation of Roles in Task-Oriented Groups," pp. 512-26, in
Cartwright and Zander, Group Dynamics; H.J. Leavitt, "Some Effects of Certain Communication Patterns
on Group Performance," Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology vol. 46, (January 1951), pp. 38-50.
3. ^ a b Harold Leavitt, Managerial Psychology (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958), pp. 118-28.
4. ^ a b Richard Arvid Johnson (1976). Management, systems, and society : an introduction. Pacific Palisades,
Calif.: Goodyear Pub. Co.. pp. 148–142. ISBN 0876205406 9780876205402. OCLC 2299496.
5. ^ Terry, J. F. (2008). The Art of Asking: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers. FT Press.
6. ^ a b Virginia Satir (1967). Conjoint family therapy; a guide to theory and technique. Palo Alto, Calif.:
Science and Behavior Books. pp. 76–81. OCLC 187068.
7. ^ a b James G March; Herbert A Simon (1958). Organizations. New York: Wiley. pp. 9–11.
ISBN 0471567930 9780471567936. OCLC 1329335.

[edit] References
• Gergen, Kenneth and Tojo Joseph. 1996. "Psychological Science in a Postmodern Context."
American Psychologist. October 2001. Vol. 56. Issue 10. p803-813

• Redding, W. Charles. 1985. "Stumbling Toward Identity: The Emergence of Organizational


Communication as a Field of Study" in McPhee and Tompkins, Organizational Communication:
Traditional Themes and New Directions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• May, Steve and Mumby, Dennis K. 2005. "Engaging Organizational Communication Theory and
Research." Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

• Cheney, G., Christensen, L.T., Zorn, T.E., and Ganesh, S. 2004. Organizational Communication
in an Age of Globalization: Issues, Reflections, Practices." Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
• Terry, J. F. (2008). The Art of Asking: Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers. FT Press. PP.
2.

[edit] External links


• European Public Relations Education and Research Association
• International Communication Association
• National Communication Association
• Association for Business Communication
• International Association of Business Communicators
• Basics in Internal Organizational Communications by Carter McNamara
• Multi-Axial Modular Organizational Survey (open source)
• Association of Teachers of Technical Writing
• Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication
• IEEE Professional Communication Society
• Technical Communicators Association of New Zealand
• Tekom (pages available in English) Professional organization for technical communication,
Germany
• Elephant (pages available in English) Professional organization for Technical Writers, Israel
• FTI (in Swedish) Professional organization for Technical Writers, Sweden

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_communication"


Categories: Communication | Social sciences | Humanities | Organizational theory | Organizational studies
and human resource management

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The Nature of our organization


• Posted by Juan Guillermo Vieira on October 17, 2008 at 10:46am in Organizational Discussion
• View Discussions

Hi, all.
I have read many mails about this "controversy" on the bylaws changes, but i have not seen any
disccusion on the nature of the T. S. What kind of organization are we? Are we like a country? Are we
like The Royal Society? Do we want to be like them? Why do some members want to transform T. S. in a
"normal" organization?
Instead of that paramount discussion I have seen many mails on members attacking one another, specially
on theos talk, and others theatening to leave if the Society does not work like they think.
All the important characteristics of our Society emerges of his nature. For example when we speak of
Trust we implicitly accept a special feature of our Society. When we speak among theosophists we
normally trust one another. I really do. I do trust on all the leaders of our Society. I do trust on the
majority of members.
In a supposed democratic country to get to be elected costs too much money. If we are observant will note
that all the money spent on that election does not come from the "pocket" of one person, neither the wage
of the elected President covers the money inverted on the campaign, on the contrary many, specially
economical, interests are represented, all those interests have to be paid when elected. This is no an
example of confidence or trust. The T. S. must no work like that.
We have been relying on our leaders by 133 years. The Presidents and Vice presidents always have tried
to do their best, that´s why we still have a Theosophical Society. Few the organizations like T. S. that
have kept its "spirit" for such a time so long, and "pure". In 133 years only one big "split" (Crosbie was
not a split of Adyar). We have to trust one another, like members of a "spiritual" organization.
Please brothers be cautious. Think, think and rethink your motivations. Don´t be in a hurry with the
eagerness (hurry) of the times. The T. S. for me, is not a normal organization. Think in its uniqueness. It
is not just for discussion, it is not just for publication, it is not just for erudition, it is not just for historical
subjetcs, it is not for minds only. If we believe Mrs Burnier is for Human Regeneration, regeneration of
the mind, ie to clean the mind. If we believe One of "our Masters" who said that the human consciuosness
has not changed significantly by one million of years, why our hurry?

NOTE: my native language is not english.

Best regards

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Replies to This Discussion


Permalink Reply by Janet Kerschner on November 4, 2008 at 4:03pm
Juan,

Thank you so much for writing. Your English is perfectly sufficient to give us much food for
thought, and I found your comments very moving.

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Katinka Hesselink on November 6, 2008 at 7:39am


Actually Aryel Sanat has addressed the issue of 'what kind of organization is this'. So have a few
others. It has been used as an argument mostly on the question of how many years a person should
be president. The seven year stretch isn't just tradition - the founders felt it had to do with the
nature of the TS.

I agree that motivation is an important point. Unfortunately, however, it takes clairvoyance to


know what another's motivation is.

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Juan Guillermo Vieira on November 6, 2008 at 9:33am


Hi, Katinka
I think Mr Sanat´s statements on his mail ILEGAL CHANGES are offensive of Mr Algeo. I have
to say I don´t know any of them. To be analitical it must not be a sin. Neither to be an
academician. Implicitly, it seems to me, Mr Sanat accuse Mr Algeo not to have a pure heart.
Analysis and synthesis are integral parts of the process of knowledge, they are both united, that´s
why we humans have some trends to generalize our conclusions. Paraphrasing the statement that
MAN IS THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS, I think Theosophical Society can´t be the measure
of what each one of us want it be.
Thanks "God" in The Theosophical Society (Adyar) we can be analitical, synthetical, emotional,
intelectual, besides we can be blavatskyan, leadbeterian, Besantian, Burnerian etc; read and speak
only of Hogson, Roso de Luna, Taimni, etc; we can be crhistian, budhist, shinto, mormon etc; we
can be positivist, idealist, neostructuralist, humanist etc Even we can be nothing, just stay. We are
united for a intrinsic brotherhood that we are trying to actualize, we are united for a trascendental
quest of "true", and we do that with respect each other and tolerance, and accepting our relativity
and limitation like and imperfect beings on evolution. I think we must bear this in mind, take into
account this to try to understand what kind of organization must be the T. S. The reforms must be
considered in this light.
I think the main problem of the T S now is the lack of mystics, spiritualized members, maybe to
be all day in front of a computer or reading does not help in that line.

Katinka, I want to ask you: would it be possible to put a searching tool only for Collected
Writings on your website? Is it too difficult?

Remenber my english is not so good, that´s why some ideas could be ambiguous.
Take that into account.

Best wishes from Colombia

► Reply to This
Permalink Reply by Katinka Hesselink on November 7, 2008 at 4:15am
I agree that being analytical is in itself not a negative trait. But I do think Aryal Sanat has a point
in that we have to assume John Algeo knows he is not addressing the real issue, when he isn't.

As for making a search engine just for the Blavatsky collected writings - I need to be sure the
whole thing has been indexed by google before I go ahead and do that. I would not want to
promise full text search before I actually have it.

This means that more sites need to link to the Blavatsky Collected Writings when they cite it or
just to let people know it exists. In other words: I need help in the form of links to my site on any
lodge site, or theosophical site people here may be able to get links on.

But more people like you asking me to make that search page will surely make me hurry up...

(I will make a separate blog post on this issue to make it stand out more. thanks for reminding
me).

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anton Rozman on November 24, 2008 at 2:19pm


Hi Guillermo and all,

You have opened, in my opinion, the key question which should be addressed in this “critical”
time of the Theosophical Society: what is the nature of our organization? We would probably
have as many answers to this question as there are members in the Society what implies that there
is absent some basic common vision which is crucial for the successful functioning of whatever
organization.

If we would try to collect answers to the above question from the members around the world we
would probably receive very different views depending on prevalently of the kind of activities in
which they are involved in personally and collectively in their lodges. And these activities are
really many and diverse. But is there any common denominator on which we should all meet to
have “normal” but at the same time “spiritual” organization?

Namely, I find that these two aspects do not exclude each other, on the contrary, that they are
complementary. In my view it is not a type of activity, either individual or collective, which
makes it “spiritual” per se but the motive, the way, the spirit in which this activity is actually
performed.

Now, what kind of organization is the Theosophical Society? When we do not have straight
answer to this question, and I think that we do not, then it would be wise to check the source
information, to see what Founders of our Society thought when they establish it. So, maybe words
of H. S. Olcott can help us find the answer:

“The secret of the persistent vigor of the Society is that its platform is so drafted as to exclude all
dogmas, all social contests, all causes of strife and dissension such as are begotten of questions of
sex, color, religion, and fortune, and make altruism, tolerance, peace and brotherliness the
cornerstones upon which it rests. … It is the Constitution and proclaimed ideals of the Society; it
is the elastic tie that binds the parts together; and the platform which gives standing room to all
men of all creeds and races. The simplicity of our aims attracts all good, broad-minded,
philanthropic people alike. …”
As far as I understand these words it is our constitutional frame (Constitution itself along with the
Objects) realized in the spirit of altruism, tolerance, peace and brotherliness which should make
our organization “special”.

It seems to me that with the passage of time we have somehow begin to neglect this neutral and at
the same time all-inclusive constitutional frame and activities related to our Objects and begin to
develop many activities which covered some special interests within the Society, so that now we
have serious problems how to reconcile them with our constitutional platform. And I am afraid
that it is impossible to reconcile two things which in essence exclude each other - neutrality and
bias - and that we will need a lot of wisdom and patience to find adequate solutions if we want
that our Society and “our doctrines to practically react on the so-called moral code, or the ideas of
truthfulness, purity, self-denial, charity,” in the society at large.

Warmest regards,
Anton

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Juan Guillermo Vieira on November 28, 2008 at 11:12am


Dear Anton and all

You are very kind.

Please, bear in mind that I write here with some fear to make big mistakes due to my imperfect
english.

This subject of organization´s nature must be discussed looking for comprehension of the nature
of the Theosophical Society.
As you say Anton, balancing the "normal" and the "spiritual" aspects is the big question. Of
course I do not deny that we are a material organization, with buildings and material business, that
needs money and specialized people to manage different affairs; but we are no only that, all this
material organization have some, for us, very important aims, all related with that, we call
"spiritual". Maybe related with the questions you have raised, Anton, I would ask What would be
the best way to structure our organization so that we fulfill our important "spiritual" objectives?
But maybe we do not have clarity about those "spiritual" objectives. I understand you when call
attention about the difficulties we have now, being one the lack of clarity about our organization,
normal and spiritual in what sense.
It may be of interest to mention the discussion about the nature of the organizations that Political
Science and Public Administration have been carrying out due of the emergence of the New
Public Management model in public organizations since 80´s. Here the center of the discussion is
the nature of public and private organizations. Some say that these are equal in the main items;
others say that the differences are really meaningful. If we accept that these are the same we
accept that the way to manage them is similar. If we accept that these are different we accept that
the way to manage them must be different too. Remember that we are speaking of public and
private organizations. I quote here Wallace Sayre, one important theorist of Public Administration
who said: “Business and public administration are alike only in all unimportant respects.” This is
known like the Sayre´s aphorism.
Although there are many theories about this, I just want to call attention to this, summarizing: We
can differentiate them by(1) its property, who is or are the owner (s), in public sector who are the
owner? In private sector we are clear about the ownership. (2) We can differentiate them by its
aims. In private sector we are clear that these are: earnings; in public sector we are clear that
earnings are not the main objectives: some say that public organizations are looking for
development, social quality of life. Now we differentiate Gross Domestic Product and
Development, especially since Mr. Amartya Sen´s works. And (3) we can differentiate public and
private organizations by its processes to get its aims, in private sector is “the market”, in public
sector is “the political process”. With this in mind we should be careful about the “privatization”
of public sector. Anyway it is accepted that managing any organization could need to apply some
functions, abstractly equal for all. These functions are summarized in the acronym POSDCORB
of Luther Gulick: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, and
Budgeting.
What about the Theosophical Society? Is it Public or is it private or what? Who are the owners?
What are its aims? What Is the best way to reach them according to his nature? Do we need the
functions described in the POSDCORB?
The T. S. is not property of any state, that´s why we say is not a public organization. Just in that
sense. We could say that is public as is open to “all”.
Who are the owners of The T. S.? Can somebody or a group sell it? Or close it? Are the members
of the General Council the owners? Are we, all the members, owners of it?
What are the aims of the T. S.? What implies to spread Theosophy? What Theosophy are we
spreading? We have been told that the kind of life of members is the best way to transmit
Theosophy. Is it? Can we improve the way the material organization works, towards where? How
to balance the need for a “spiritual”, inner life of members with an active, external life dedicated
for communicate theosophy and trying to affect the culture of the world, using the modern
possibilities? Do we need to chance the way we present theosophy? Again, what theosophy? The
Theosophy of our hearts or the theosophy of our books?
We accept that the T. S. is an NGO ruled by governments and laws. According to human laws can
be classified in that denomination. We have a structure, a President, officials, General Council,
General Secretaries, etc. We have buildings, copyrights, bookstores etc. We have activities on
many dimensions. All this need administrative functions, and this could always be better.
But many of us could accept that the T. S. was established like part of a big project directed by a
Very Special Kind of Beings. Although some say that They are no more part of the T. S. others
say that They continue inspiring in His own ways.
Could us think all this in as a whole?
Just food for thought,
Best wishes

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anton Rozman on November 29, 2008 at 1:03pm


Hi Joe and all,

I would like to call your attention to some constitutional differences between the TS and its
Sections.

>The Theosophical Society is a Private Not-for-Profit Educational Organization. In the American


Section, this is organized under IRS Code, Section 501(c)3.

The Theosophical Society was incorporated under the India’s Societies Registration Act 1860 -
Act for the registration of literary, scientific and charitable societies. And it is not not-for-profit
organization but a society.

The problem is that the Theosophical Society is not registered in its Sections’ countries as
international society and therefore Rules and Regulations of the Theosophical Society are not
implemented in its Sections. Sections have their own by-laws and are incorporated under various
forms of societies or non-for-profit organizations under national laws.
>The owners of the TS are its members.<

This is probably the case with the Theosophical Society in USA but it is not the case with the
Theosophical Society.

The TS is indeed private organization as it was formed (as established by the Act) by private
persons, but these private persons - now members - do not own it as the property of the Society
can not be distributed among them upon possible dissolution (again as established by the Act).

>The TS can be closed by the General Council. In addition, since not-for-profit status is conferred
by various national governmental entities, the disposition of assets is controlled per national
laws.<<

According to the Societies Registration Act: “Any number not less than three-fifths of the
members of any society may determine that it shall be dissolved, and thereupon it shall be
dissolved forthwith, or at the time then agreed upon, …”

>The governance of the TS takes place with the President at the head of the organization, with the
advice of the General Council.<<

According to the TS Rules and Regulations the Governing body of the TS is General Council
while the President is its Executive Officer but directly elected by members and therefore in
possession of corresponding powers.

Warmest regards,
Anton

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Katinka Hesselink on December 1, 2008 at 5:12am


I just want to add that the hard part about the TS organization is that it is an international body -
but each section has to abide by local rules. Some of the international rules for sections go against
the local laws even. For instance the Dutch section is a 'vereniging' - which means it's a
democratic organization in which the members are in control. This also includes (I think) that it's
not for profit.

However: the fact that it is a Vereniging implies in Dutch law that ALL the members have a right
to vote, while internationally I don't think they want members to vote till they have been members
for several years.

Local sections have to find their way negotiating between local law and international guidelines.
In the Dutch case the members of the section felt that all members should be allowed to vote, so
the compromise was made that while everybody could vote, only those who had been members
over 3 years could be elected to the executive committee.

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anton Rozman on December 1, 2008 at 10:02pm


Hi Katinka,

Indeed, one of the major problems is international character of the Society but not legally
implemented, so that local acts on societies or non-for-profit organizations which grew out of
local traditions impose different stipulations.

The solution is quite simple (TS registration as international society in sections’ countries) but it
would bring many side problems which should be solved simultaneously and above all it would
require mutual trust which seems that is now lacking - not without reasons.

In the case you mention it is the same here in Slovenia; when a person joins whatever society s/he
has to have full rights, so voting and being elected rights can not be limited. To somehow apply to
international rules the TS in Slovenia is now using preparation period of two years for candidates
during which they go through definite preparation course. The problem is that this course is not
intended to inform candidates about the structure and functioning of the Society but it represents
definite indoctrination in the theosophy as interpreted by those who are leading courses.

Warmest regards,
Anton

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by William Gorman on March 19, 2009 at 5:30am


Try writing your posts with word so that it will spell check and then cut it and past it to your post
and every one will think you are an expert speller.

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anton Rozman on December 2, 2008 at 3:24am


Hi Guillermo and all,

I hope that you don’t mind if I will continue to present my views on problems in regard to the
nature of our organization under the topic “Have we a problem?” Here I would like to continue to
share with you and all some thoughts on important questions you raised:

>What implies to spread Theosophy? What Theosophy are we spreading? We have been told that
the kind of life of members is the best way to transmit Theosophy. Is it? How to balance the need
for a “spiritual”, inner life of members with an active, external life dedicated for communicate
theosophy and trying to affect the culture of the world, using the modern possibilities? Do we
need to chance the way we present theosophy? Again, what theosophy? The Theosophy of our
hearts or the theosophy of our books?<

Great questions, but hard to answer? But maybe not necessarily so!

You said: “We have been told that the kind of life of members is the best way to transmit
Theosophy. Is it?”

That is what all is about! Until we individually and collectively, do not embody the philosophy we
are preaching no one will take as seriously. Until we, as a society or even as a theosophical
movement at large, will not display spirit of altruism, tolerance, peace and brotherliness reflecting
in our everyday life, no one will believe that our philosophy is working, maybe neither we
ourselves. We do not need to be perfect. That goal is long ahead. But we have to show genuine
desire and intent expressed in everyday life that we are prepared to improve and that we are
indeed improving, moving towards perfection. That is enough to convince people and ourselves
that we are serious on what we are talking about.

“How to balance the need for a “spiritual”, inner life of members with an active, external life
dedicated for communicate theosophy and trying to affect the culture of the world, using the
modern possibilities? Do we need to chance the way we present theosophy?”

Let’s say that we decide that we would like to present theosophy to the teenagers in a definite
country. We will begin to prepare material studying and comparing that country’s religious
traditions and culture, how they affect young people’s everyday life, then we will continue to
examine the conditions in which teenagers live there, what are the consequences of modern life
they face, how they react, to what they are susceptible to, and so on, and so on. Finally, we will
choose methods and media which will help us to directly deliver our message to them. In doing
so, we will engage ourselves in a creative process motivated by care for others. And if our work
will have some impact, there is no, in my view, higher spiritual experience one can reach - it will
reflects in the eyes of those young people.

“Again, what theosophy? The Theosophy of our hearts or the theosophy of our books?”

Again, if we will choose to engage ourselves in a similar as above mentioned creative process we
will discover that we are conditioned by our theosophical tradition, by our acquired knowledge,
maybe by our less fortunate characteristics as for instance prejudices, etc. and that this is
necessarily our equipment we are starting with. In studying and collecting material we will
possibly learn that to address the issue properly we have to acquire new information, what our
founders have had to say, what members of other theosophical traditions have contributed, that we
have to broaden our perspective and understanding. And when we will start to ponder how we will
properly present all those valuable views to modern people we will discover that we must use our
creative imagination to make them vital in modern circumstances, adapted to that place and time.
In that way theosophy from our books will pour outward through our hearts.

At the end I would like to draw your attention to an inspiring lecture KEEPING LINK
UNBROKEN delivered by our theosophical friend Erica Letzerich Georgiades at her mother
lodge Hypatia in Greece and to one of my favorite speeches given by John Quincy Adams
(Anthony Hopkins) before the Supreme Court of the United States of America as represented in
the movie AMISTAD directed by Steven Spielberg.

Warmest regards,
Anton

► Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Anton Rozman on December 2, 2008 at 3:17pm


Dear Dan,

You wrote: “The TS seems to me to be extremely steeped in tradition, which many longtime
members simply take for granted, but which many newcomers may be totally unaware of. That
sense of tradition is great for developing fraternity among existing members, but at times can
make newer members feel alienated.”

In my view, the TS should make much more effort to fully embrace newcomers. I imagine that
they feel as they would step in a huge house and left alone in the lobby, abandoned to themselves
to discover room by room what can be find there. This is quite frightening situation and many
leave before they make serious attempt to explore the TS house.
Now, what I am actually trying to do is to present my “guide” through the TS house based on my
own experience and my point of view as acquired during my exploration.

On the other hand I found out that there are plenty of empty rooms in this house waiting to be
filled with content and that in principle all have freedom to bring new ideas and express their
creativity.

You, Dan, have already found your way of involvement and it is bringing great results. But what
can be made to encourage others to come forward? Exploring members pages of this Community I
was impressed by all the potential present. I don’t know, maybe you can create an open team of
people who will collect members’ ideas and try to help them to start some projects.

I hope that these few thoughts can be helpful,


Anton

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