CONTROL or CHAOS?
Remember the TV show GET SMART?
Maxwell Smart was Agent 86 working for CONTROL. (Did you know that Agent 86 meant "Agent OUT OF IT!"?)
The enemy organization was CHAOS.
Max was married to Agent 99 and worked for the CHIEF.
There are some similarities in how many issues in Jews for Jesus were/are done because it seemed like a good idea to CONTROL or there might be CHAOS.
But....CHAOS is sometimes a better thing than CONTROL!
Maybe we should have done all of "the work" under the CONE OF SILENCE!?
(Remember that device? It was the silliest thing where nothing was
discussed or accomplished!)
This is what Jews for Jesus was and still is: the JFJ organization is similar to the CONTROL organization that we watched on TV in the 1960s. There is so much control that nothing is accomplished and nothing changes. Discussing issues regarding abuse with JFJ is like discussing under the CONE OF SILENCE. Also, it doesn't seem like Jews for Jesus is accomplishing all that much in the field of evangelism.
http://exjewsforjesus.org/
http://exjewsforjesus.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
JFJ still has a quota system of work intended to give goals to missionaries. The problem is that any new, untested endeavor will take away time needed to meet the quotas. Besides, there isn't any space on the weekly reports for innovation. So things remain the same as they have for more than 30 years, broadsiding, visits, telephone conversations. Oh yes, and e mails now. Post cards, deputation, etc., in a unending cycle. So where is the time for the untested and risky? There is no time.
It is a shame. I heard that some Jews for Jesus people learned about control in studying the work of Douglas MacGregor who wrote about what he Theory X and Theory Y management. Theory X management treats employees with suspicion and tight supervision, based on the conviction that unless workers are tightly supervised, they will invariably do the self-serving and lazy thing. The effect of Theory X management is that it infantalizes the work force, Theory Y management sees workers as essentially trustworthy, and assumes that, given opportunity, a challenge, and freedom to innovate, they will creatively and responsibly pursue their tasks. This approach results in good work and personal growth for the workers. JFJ is pure theory X, without apologies. The result, as you say, is the suppression of innovation and creativity. The organization has good mailing lists statistics. If that is what you are after, then Theory X is just fine.
Theory X... Yes, I've heard from Moishe's own lips that people should have slightly more work than they can handle. Because if there is less, the people will "fill the time".
Two implicit thoughts are there. You can't trust people to manage their own workload and people are basically lazy.
Sick.
Just before I left staff with Jews for Jesus in the early 2000's with David Brickner as Executive Director, he made it clear that he believed in the Theory of X and explained it to me.
I think it all boils down to the fact that Martin Rosen was morbidly paranoid that someone might be slacking... the JFJ culture is suspicion.
I wonder how much money they spend on paranoid checks of their highly paid respected, missionary staff. So they don't over charge the "Ministry". All you staff and ex staff just think. How much money have they spent monitering this blog? And of course, what would jews for jesus be without its Saul Alinsky's "Rules For Radicals" response to this blog? They will probably call in a lot of favors to start a for jews for jesus blog.
Post a Comment