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Old 01-27-2012, 10:44 AM   #10
George S. Ledyard
 
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Dojo: Aikido Eastside
Location: Bellevue, WA
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,670
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Re: The "Death" of the Traditional Organization

Quote:
Hiroaki Izumi wrote: View Post
Being an independent of some sorts and a networker, I agree with much of what George and you all said but there is a place for the large pyramid organization. We will probably reorganize into one as well as there is some need for the stability that the traditional organizations provide. Without that stability, there is too much discord outside as everyone heads their own way and ends up developing their own cultures of personality. A good example is in the countries where a strong-man has been deposed recently. The countries fall into a long period of internal conflict from which they may never recover.
Hi Rocky great to hear from you!,
In theory, I see no reason why it couldn't be done well. I look at the kind of organization that a born leader like Christian Tisser has been able to set up and it looks pretty functional to me and he definitely seems to be able to maintain a certain quality level within that structure. I think it's more structured than I would personally enjoy but It seems functional from what I know of it.

The real problem is the disconnect between what it takes to get to the top of a martial art like Aikido technically and being a functional, integrated individual. To get really good at this it takes almost fanatical dedication and a huge will backed by self confidence. So you necessarily find a disproportionate number of narcissists and a lot of folks who don't really play well with others. When you take someone who isn't terribly well integrated as a person and put him at the top of an organization in which he has close to absolute power, it isn't a recipe for a structure that optimizes the benefits for its members.

If an extraordinary individual created an organization, I see no real reason why it couldn't thrive... I know people who are doing this on the medium scale... not huge national organizations but more localized, regional groupings and it's working fine. Could these morph over time in to something larger? Perhaps, but I am not sure anyone wants that... I doubt anyone would make the effort to grow that large. Of course, that's where the money is. You make serious money only by starting an organization, you can't do it off one dojo. So, perhaps someone will do it. The incentive is there. The folks I know who are currently running their own shows are motivated by something else... I doubt if they will. But I do see the start of these small groups networking with each other. That will be wonderful for everyone going forward.

George S. Ledyard
Aikido Eastside
Bellevue, WA
Aikido Eastside
AikidoDvds.Com
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