Transparency or Secrecy, is it an either/or question?
Esoteric organizations face a daunting task in the future due to the changes in society. As societal norms change, individual expectations of organizations and the individuals in the organization change. This means that members, potential members and non-members alike will look at an organization and expect it to operate in a socially known way regardless of the reason for the organization. When it does not, there is a significant amount of friction, conflict and distrust. A recently examples have been seen in the United States: Enron, WorldCom, Anderson Consulting, etc. In reaction the public demands new laws, regulations, reporting and the adoption of greater transparency. These expectations of conduct, including transparency, get carried with them and applied to other parts of their lives, including the non-profit organizations they participate in.
Indeed, the expectation of transparency conflicts with many esoteric organizations principles of secrecy. This conflict is heightened when the organization is considered “occult” which, by definition, means hidden. How do these two seemingly opposing view points get resolved? How does an organization whose modus operandi is based on the concepts of secrecy operate in an environment where its members have common expectations that include transparency? To start answering these questions, we have to first ask a more fundamental question. “Just what is transparency?” asks Ann Florini, writing for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Put simply, transparency is the opposite of secrecy. Secrecy means deliberately hiding your actions; transparency means deliberately revealing them.” These two definitions seem to put the two terms in opposition. However she continues, “[t]ransparency and secrecy are not either/or conditions. As ideals, they represent two ends of a continuum.” Finding a balance point on the continuum is the problem.
This problem is one shared by many organizations, just not esoteric or occult ones. The democratic governments have these issues; profit and not-for-profit corporations have these issues too. The secrets could be as mundane as the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola; it could be a private list of donors, or members, or it could even be a secret of international importance. Regardless of the type of secret, these organizations struggle with what to disclose and what not to disclose. Esoteric or occult organizations should take a cue from these types of organizations to make the determination.
The first disclosures need to be government regulated ones. Esoteric or occult organizations that choose to engage in protections from the United States government by incorporating or seeking IRS recognition, have onetime and recurring disclosure requirements. These can include the creation of Articles of Incorporations, By-Laws, financial reports, and other kinds of documentation. These kinds of disclosure are usually very mundane and are little “threat” to the secrets held by the organization.
The next kind of disclosures are not required by law, but necessary for any successful organization: the disclosure of the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how’ of the organization. What is the purpose or reason of the organization? What is the vision of the organization? What are the goals of the organization? How will the organizations operate? Under what principles does the organization operate under? What kind of values does the organization have? What is the timeline of the organization’s goals? Even how it will obtain funding? These are usually stated in documents like mission statements, by-laws, organizational documentation and literature. If these things are not clearly and repeatedly communicated, the organization will not have a good focus. The ambiguity will cause people to be less committed and have a hard time attracting and retaining dedicated and capable members. This in turn will prevent the organization from growing, however that is defined, or meeting its objectives.
The Center for Nonprofit Leadership Management at Arizona State University addresses many of these points in its “Recommendations for Nonprofit Organizations.”
• As organizational policy, conduct an annual review utilizing a self-assessment tool such as “The Accountable Not-for-Profit”
• Subscribe to and abide by a set of operational standards
• Make your information easily accessible on the web
• Provide an annual report that includes financial statements along with progress reports of programs and important activities
• Include the mission statement on all external communication
• Communicate both in print and through the internet the results of what you do
The third kind of disclosure is operational. When those in charge of the organization operate, there needs to be a high level of communication to the other members of the organization. How this is done varies from organization. However, as the Center for Nonprofit Leadership Management states “[c]ommunication is the key to inspiring confidence so that stakeholders [i.e. the members of the organization and its supporters] believe the organization is effective at achieving its mission.” Not having this level of communication can be disastrous. If organizational leaders do not communicate effectively in a consistent and transparent manner they will find their support base will diminish. In its newsletter, Banff Executive Leadership Inc. points out “[s]ecrecy and competitive behavior will regularly be challenged by new collaborations, and the expectation of openness will continue to demand more access to and information from our senior leadership cadre.”
The trend towards transparency, away from secrecy, will only increase over time. Esoteric and occult organizations will need to start addressing these issues within their organizations if they desire to continue to operate effectively. Failing to do so will put the organization in opposition with the progress of society and its expectations resulting in negative consequences.
In the next post regarding transparency I will detail the difference between secrecy and privacy and also discuss transparency’s effects on accountability.
Indeed, the expectation of transparency conflicts with many esoteric organizations principles of secrecy. This conflict is heightened when the organization is considered “occult” which, by definition, means hidden. How do these two seemingly opposing view points get resolved? How does an organization whose modus operandi is based on the concepts of secrecy operate in an environment where its members have common expectations that include transparency? To start answering these questions, we have to first ask a more fundamental question. “Just what is transparency?” asks Ann Florini, writing for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Put simply, transparency is the opposite of secrecy. Secrecy means deliberately hiding your actions; transparency means deliberately revealing them.” These two definitions seem to put the two terms in opposition. However she continues, “[t]ransparency and secrecy are not either/or conditions. As ideals, they represent two ends of a continuum.” Finding a balance point on the continuum is the problem.
This problem is one shared by many organizations, just not esoteric or occult ones. The democratic governments have these issues; profit and not-for-profit corporations have these issues too. The secrets could be as mundane as the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola; it could be a private list of donors, or members, or it could even be a secret of international importance. Regardless of the type of secret, these organizations struggle with what to disclose and what not to disclose. Esoteric or occult organizations should take a cue from these types of organizations to make the determination.
The first disclosures need to be government regulated ones. Esoteric or occult organizations that choose to engage in protections from the United States government by incorporating or seeking IRS recognition, have onetime and recurring disclosure requirements. These can include the creation of Articles of Incorporations, By-Laws, financial reports, and other kinds of documentation. These kinds of disclosure are usually very mundane and are little “threat” to the secrets held by the organization.
The next kind of disclosures are not required by law, but necessary for any successful organization: the disclosure of the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how’ of the organization. What is the purpose or reason of the organization? What is the vision of the organization? What are the goals of the organization? How will the organizations operate? Under what principles does the organization operate under? What kind of values does the organization have? What is the timeline of the organization’s goals? Even how it will obtain funding? These are usually stated in documents like mission statements, by-laws, organizational documentation and literature. If these things are not clearly and repeatedly communicated, the organization will not have a good focus. The ambiguity will cause people to be less committed and have a hard time attracting and retaining dedicated and capable members. This in turn will prevent the organization from growing, however that is defined, or meeting its objectives.
The Center for Nonprofit Leadership Management at Arizona State University addresses many of these points in its “Recommendations for Nonprofit Organizations.”
• As organizational policy, conduct an annual review utilizing a self-assessment tool such as “The Accountable Not-for-Profit”
• Subscribe to and abide by a set of operational standards
• Make your information easily accessible on the web
• Provide an annual report that includes financial statements along with progress reports of programs and important activities
• Include the mission statement on all external communication
• Communicate both in print and through the internet the results of what you do
The third kind of disclosure is operational. When those in charge of the organization operate, there needs to be a high level of communication to the other members of the organization. How this is done varies from organization. However, as the Center for Nonprofit Leadership Management states “[c]ommunication is the key to inspiring confidence so that stakeholders [i.e. the members of the organization and its supporters] believe the organization is effective at achieving its mission.” Not having this level of communication can be disastrous. If organizational leaders do not communicate effectively in a consistent and transparent manner they will find their support base will diminish. In its newsletter, Banff Executive Leadership Inc. points out “[s]ecrecy and competitive behavior will regularly be challenged by new collaborations, and the expectation of openness will continue to demand more access to and information from our senior leadership cadre.”
The trend towards transparency, away from secrecy, will only increase over time. Esoteric and occult organizations will need to start addressing these issues within their organizations if they desire to continue to operate effectively. Failing to do so will put the organization in opposition with the progress of society and its expectations resulting in negative consequences.
In the next post regarding transparency I will detail the difference between secrecy and privacy and also discuss transparency’s effects on accountability.