Concept XI

GB Concept XI. While the Trustees, acting together as the General Service Board (Great Britain) hold final responsibility for A.A.'s service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible committees, service executives, staffs and consultants. Therefore the composition of committees and service assemblies, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the systems of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, staffs and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers, will always be matters for serious care and concern.

World Service Long Form XI. While the Trustees hold final responsibility for A.A.'s world service administration, they should always have the assistance of the best possible standing committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Therefore the composition of these underlying committees and service boards, the personal qualifications of their members, the manner of their induction into service, the systems of their rotation, the way in which they are related to each other, the special rights and duties of our executives, staffs, and consultants, together with a proper basis for the financial compensation of these special workers, will always be matters for serious care and concern.

World Service Short Form XI. The trustees should always have the best possible committees, corporate service directors, executives, staffs, and consultants. Composition, qualifications, induction procedures, and rights and duties will always be matters of serious concern.

Application in AA

The General Service Board (the 'Board') is a corporate body / single spiritual entity
Like a group, it is made up of individuals
Its corporate role overrides its members' individuality
Final responsibility

Note that, under Concept I, final responsibility and ultimate authority for British AA services / for AA World Service reside in the collective conscience of our whole fellowship
Yet 'final responsibility' appears resides in the Board also
The final responsibility and ultimate authority referred to in Concept I gradually trickles down the service structure, leaving a portion at each level
The portion of final responsibility left at Board level is for AA's (world) service administration
However, this final responsibility is always subject to the 'higher' final responsibility of the layers from which or through which that final responsibility was delegated downwards

The Board does not do everything itself
It delegates a substantial portion of its work
There are four recipients of this delegation:

Committees / standing committees
Corporate service directors / service executives (higher level employees)
Staffs (lower level employees)
Consultants (external service providers)

These are organised into

Committees

Committees comprising Board Members only
Committees also including members of the fellowship (= sub-committees)

Service assemblies

Note that this is actually denoting assemblies above Board level (i.e. within the fellowship)

World service

Standing committees
Service boards

Aspects of significance

Composition (who they're made up of)
Personal qualifications
How they are inducted into service
Rotation systems
Interrelation
The rights, duties, and compensation of:

Executives (high level employees)
Staffs (lower level employees)
Consultants

'Serious care and concern'

Priorities these matters
Deliberate on them diligently

Requirements for AA's success and security

Competent leadership (Concept IX)
Non-Trustee committee members, employees, and consultants

High quality and dedicated
Harmoniously associated with other structural elements

These do most of the work
They travel & meet visitors
They originate new plans and policies
Their performance is thus very important
They therefore share leadership
As with other aspects of the Concepts:

Delegation is never absolute
Each layer has input into the decision-making of the layer above

These notes will not cover in detail the actual structure described in the World Service Manual as firstly the actual structure today differs in part and secondly the Great Britain structure is substantially different

Only aspects of general and ongoing significance are reproduced herein:

Nominations committee

Desirable qualities of candidates: competence, stability, and industry
The process of assessing candidates:

Careful deliberation
Painstaking investigation and interviewing
Refusal to accept casual recommendations
Preparation well in advance of the list of suitable candidates
Avoidance of haste or snap judgement
Beware the tendency to reject the first-rate out of fear of being outshone

Finance and budgetary committee

The primary function of the committee is to ensure solvency
Keeping on top of income and expenditure
Finding ways to increase income
Keeping a 'cold and watchful eye' on needless cost, waste, and duplication
Budgeting and forecasting process
Flexibility as the year progresses in updating and adjusting budgets and forecasts
Keeping substantial savings
Keeping a large proportion of these savings at call
Oversaving and underspending can impair service and discourage further contribution (which is counterproductive)

Public information committee

This requires professional expertise
But without losing sight of Tradition XI: 'Attraction not promotion'

'Hail on all frequencies'
But avoid high-pressure promotion tactics

Professional considerations must meld with the 'AA feel'

Literature committee

This requires professional expertise
Mission: 'To see that an adequate and comprehensive view of AA in its every aspect is held up in writing to our members, to our friends, and to the world at large'
Literature is the principle means of facilitating recovery, unity, and service
Professional considerations must meld with the 'AA feel' (as with the public information committee)
Consult with representatives of the target audience

General policy committee

Town-hall style meeting
Comprises a core of committee members
But other trustees, executives, staffs etc. are invited
Triages incoming matters

Resolves them itself
Or refers them to the General Service Board

Other principles

'Sustained and competent executive direction'

This must always head up in one person
Boards / committees can never actively manage anything, in the continuous executive sense
This person must always have ample freedom and authority to do the job

Executive ability: a rare combination of qualities

Inspiration by energy and example (which secures willing cooperation)
Knowing when real firmness is in order
Acting without favour or partiality
Comprehending and executing large affairs
Not neglecting smaller affairs
Taking the initiative in planning
Effective in exercising Right of Decision (when to ask, consult, act, or report back)

Pitfalls of the executive function

Failing to consult sufficiently when new plans affect others
Failing to secure experience and wisdom when devising plans
Structural constraints can check an over-energetic director
But there is no structural remedy for a weak or indecisive director

Employing AA members

Be able to be firm and accept firmness from others ...
... even though we're engaged in a spiritual endeavour
Because it's also a business endeavour

Compensation

Pay people at market rate
Do not pay people 'charity rates'
'Cheap help' is insecure and inefficient: this is more costly in the long run

Rotation and equal staff pay

Staff members switch assignment annually
Everyone gets the chance to do any job (except where special skills are involved)
This means that the structure can cope with sudden departures
Pay increases awarded based on service duration

This avoids destructive competition and 'politicking'
This instils a dedicated desire to serve (in the place of the usual ego drives)

However: no fixed terms of service

Because of the risk of

Losing highly qualified people
Having to hire inadequate replacements

However, the work is strenuous, so people tend to move on eventually anyway

Full participation of paid workers

Principle covered at depth in Concept IV
Involve employees in decision-making, including voting rights
Treat them as friends and co-workers, not subordinates
But do not go so far as to hesitate to let go of someone who cannot or will not do their job

Application in life

Two types of final responsibility

The final responsibility and ultimate authority resides with God
However, I am given final responsibility and ultimate authority for 'service administration'
This means I act as though I have final responsibility and ultimate authority
This means displaying the three executive qualities: competence, stability, and industry
However, this is tempered by:

The awareness of the higher purpose and direction
The veil ultimate falling to reveal everything as being in God's hands

The necessity of cooperation and delegation to achieve things (in service and in life)

Cooperation: achieving what needs to be achieved in units: family, AA group, community groups, larger organisations, commercial entities

How often do we practise the following principles of Concept XI in selecting who and what bodies or organisations to engage with in life (copied from above)?

'Careful deliberation
Painstaking investigation and interviewing
Refusal to accept casual recommendations
Preparation well in advance of the list of suitable candidates
Avoidance of haste or snap judgement
Beware the tendency to reject the first-rate out of fear of being outshone'

Delegation: hiring commercial third parties to do work

But be very careful who you pick
Pay them properly

Business is business

When working with people in AA, business comes first
This means that the special bonds and knowledge of the spiritual content of what we do does not stop the exercise of authority
With sponsees: the job of getting through the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts is paramount
Do not let personal affections or bonds compromise saying what needs to be said to sponsees ('hard truths')

Principles of sound (personal and business) financial management (copied from above)

'The primary function of the committee is to ensure solvency
Keeping on top of income and expenditure
Finding ways to increase income
Keeping a 'cold and watchful eye' on needless cost, waste, and duplication
Budgeting and forecasting process
Flexibility as the year progresses in updating and adjusting budgets and forecasts
Keeping substantial savings
Keeping a large proportion of these savings at call
Oversaving and underspending can impair service and discourage further contribution (which is counterproductive)'

Equality of employees and remuneration

Higher motives replacing lower ego drives for money and prestige
We're all paid the same: sobriety and the fourth dimension
This pay is the market rate: we're not being asked by God to work 'at the charity rate'
This frees up energy and focus for higher purposes
Treat small and large jobs in AA the same
Being willing to serve in both menial and prestigious ways

'Best possible'

Aim to do each task to the best of my ability

regardless of the magnitude of the task
regardless of who is watching
for the sake of the task
without personal engagement in the result
satisfaction comes from dedication not results

Lessons from the general policy committee

Sift between major and minor activities
Dispense with as many minor activities as possible first of all
This leaves room for the major activities to receive full attention
A method of triage:

Divide incoming tasks or projects into those that are:

Necessary
Important
Mission critical

Start with the mission critical first and work back
If something is none of these, discard it
Not everything that is necessary and important needs to be done today and to the max
But never neglect the 'mission critical'

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Concept XI