Tradition IX

on

Short form: AA, as such, ought never be organised; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

Long form: Each AA group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership is the best. The small group may elect its secretary, the large group its rotating committee, and the groups of a large metropolitan area their central or intergroup committee, which often employs a full-time secretary. The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our AA General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our AA Tradition and the receivers of voluntary AA contributions by which we maintain our AA General Service Office at New York. They are authorized by the groups to handle our over-all public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principal newspaper, the AA Grapevine. All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in AA are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.

Application in AA

  • Basic motto
    • As much organisation as necessary
    • As little as possible
  • Organisation refers to
    • The structure of groups
    • The structure of the fellowship
  • The basic structuring mechanism: the formation of a committee (or service board)
    • Two forms:
      • Sub-committees hive off work within a layer
        • For instance, the PI committee of a group is smaller in scope than the group and reports to the group
      • Other committees create an extra layer
        • For instance, an Intergroup is larger in scope than the group and reports to multiple groups
    • The terms committee and service board are applied by convention to entities at various levels of the fellowship
    • They are functionally the same, however
  • If this structuring mechanism is activated several times ...
    • ... this produces multiple layers (group, Intergroup, Region, Conference ...)
    • This produces the inverted pyramid of the AA structure
  • When is a committee formed?
    • When high-level decision-making gets bogged down because there are too many decisions to be made in the time available / there are too many people involved at the decision-making level
      • E.g. Conference splits into committees to deal with two or three questions each
      • The committees produce recommendations, which are then ultimately put to the plenary session of Conference
    • When a decision-making body gets bogged down by relatively minor decisions at the level of 'plan, execute, and manage'
      • E.g. Intergroup setting up a PI committee
    • When a decision needs to be made across different bodies
  • How is unity maintained?
    • The committee is directly responsible to those it serves
    • The committee serves: it does not govern
    • It enacts the principle of Thy Will Be Done
    • Concept III: Right of Decision
      • The delegating authority defines the service / the product / the output
      • The delegating authority might define the 'how' (i.e. the means, the procedures, more detailed parameters)
      • The role of the committee: act, ask (for help), consult (the delegating authority, experts, affected third parties), and report back
      • The four ways in which the delegating authority can exercise power: censure, redirection, reorganisation, replacement
  • Is there leadership in AA? Yes!
    • What are some features of leadership?
        • Impartiality
        • Peacekeeping
        • Consultation
        • Responding constructively to criticism
        • Compromise
        • Taking tough stands where necessary
      • See Concept IX for a full rundown
  • Rotating leadership
    • Individuals take turns in different roles
    • It is wise to periodically step back entirely from committee work
    • Parallels from other domains
      • The biblical notion of jubilee
      • Leaving land to lie fallow
      • Pruning
    • Advantages
      • The serving member can be rejuvenated
      • Bodies can rethink basic assumptions and premises underlying their work
      • New members can be trained up
      • The vacuum created tends to stimulate new ideas and experimentation
      • The principle of democracy is enacted
      • Resentment against leaders is (temporarily) eliminated
  • Statesmanship
    • A statesman is a guardian of the Traditions / Concepts
    • He or she is the point of consultation 'of last resort'
    • How to be a statesman:
      • Generally leave people to get on with their jobs
      • Intervene only where necessary
      • Continued to be involved through sponsorship
      • Train others to apply the principles to scenarios that arise ...
      • ... without giving in to the temptation to run one's own home group or another committee remotely
  • What aspects are delegated to a larger structure? (See Concept VIII)
    • Large matters of policy
    • Large matters of finance
    • Internal relations
    • Public relations
    • Leadership questions
  • Why do we trust leaders?
    • They have knowledge and experience
    • They have a track record of effective, efficient, and harmonious service
  • The status of leaders
    • Authority is traditional not legal
    • There is no government as such
    • The General Service Office / the Board cannot tell groups what to do
  • Apply Tradition Nine at group level
    • As much organisation as necessary
    • As little as possible
    • Examples
      • Don't organise what can be left to the 'ad hoc group conscience'
        • E.g. where to go for coffee after the meeting
      • Leave officers to do their jobs
      • (Whilst retaining custodial oversight)

Application in life
  • Construct a daily plan, guided by God
    • As much organisation as necessary
    • As little as possible
  • Without some organisation, either nothing will happen or the right actions will not be prioritised
  • Be flexible
  • Be adaptable
  • Listen to intuition instead of following rules
    • Ideal: balance of effectiveness and efficiency
      • What happens if a person is under-organised?
        • Important actions are overlooked in favour of spontaneity
        • Deadlines are missed
        • People are let down
        • There is the risk of having to work late or hurriedly
          • This impacts results
          • And displaces other activities
        • Emotional stress
      • What happens if a person is over-organised?
        • Important actions are overlooked in favour of the system
        • Ad hoc opportunities are missed
        • Over-reliance on the system and under-reliance on God
        • Separation from the source of inspiration and spontaneity
        • The drudgery of fixed routine
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