Who Manages The Managers

Short Papers Competition 2009 © 2010 Internet Lodge and the author Paper 10/2009 Title Who Manages the Managers ? Author Bro Rabie Jarmakani– Nigeria Imagine an international Corporation with over 8,322 o ffices spread over 34 countries worldwide with a workforce of over 270,000. You are the CEO and you are charged with ensuring every office provides the exact same quality product. Let’s now make things really interesting and insist that offices within each country achieve the same standards set by you. Congratulations, you now Head, Quality Control - WorldWide. grouped in 8,322 lodges. Lodges within the United Kingdom are grouped into 47 Provinces, and Lodges meeting abroad are grouped in 33 Districts.’
The challenges facing freemasonry today are no longer a my stery; we all know that a direct correlation exists between membership retention and Masonic education. Can it be as simple as that? One thing that Freemasonry isn’t, is simple; the fraternity presents us with a journey filled with symbols, veiled in allegory, and shrouded by mysticism.
But who guides us on this journey and how do we ensure all 270,000 are equally equipped for the journey? We all know that any organization is as good as it’s end product.
To this end, the UGLE has promoted programs t hat provide powerful tools such as; Mentor, Orator, Communication, Social Relations, Information Technol ogy and Charity. It also provides vehicles for communication; one is the online magazine, Freemasonry Today.
Still, how do we ensure Quality is maintained? Who manag es the managers? How do we benchmark our performance: rituals, education, membership retention, quality of initiates, effective Boards, etc.
How do we ensure that the high standards set by the Head Office are maintained at the distant branches? How are these 8,322 offices empowering their workforce and promoting the teachings with the same zeal and enthusiasm? In the business world, lateral organizational arrangement s add value, manage the business and contribute to strategic success but, conversely, they can make spectacular errors that can be very costly to the organization. However, in many modern organisations where convent ional communication structures either do not exist or are less formal, communication tends to be horizontal, between individuals and departments, rather than the upwards or downward flow assumed to be the normal ca se. Therefore, the decentralization principle is important as the central tenet of many business practices.
Decentralization of each and every program launched by Grand Lodge should therefore have a clear and direct link with the respective Officers: Orators, Presidents of Boards, Mentor Program Heads, Communication officers, etc.
Each and every Officer at Head Office should now be re sponsible for their effect on that final product in each and every one of these 8,322 offices. With an improved and decentralized communication policy, and the insertion of effective checks and balances for each and every program, the end product readily becomes a well read, motivated, and driven Brother with a clear sense of purpose. A Brother who, where ever he reside s, will be properly prepared for his journey.