What is wrong with the AAP volunteer system which is leading to dissonance?

GROWTH OF AAP VOLUNTEERS: In a very short time frame a huge volunteer force was created by AAP. These volunteers were dedicated and worked selflessly to make AAP a powerful organization. They soon became a thorn in the flesh of the established opposition parties. Established parties like Congress and BJP started to take notice of AAP because of the quiet but highly effective work done by AAP volunteers. 

Why Effectiveness of AAP Volunteers Has Declined with Time: To-day AAP volunteers are feeling lost. They appear directionless and frustrated. Internal power struggles have started among AAP volunteers. Those who are not able to make their voices heard are feeling that their cause is not getting due attention. They feel that the volunteer organization has been taken over by those with an ear to someone from the top leadership. These people are acting in their personal interest and against the interest of the AAP national volunteers. The volunteers are expressing their dissatisfaction in small groups but are afraid to speak openly. This is not a good sign for a party which has a long way to go. Volunteers are the life blood of a political party. If the blood gets polluted or infected, it will not be long before the whole system gets diseased.

WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE PROBLEM: A healthy system needs to have a continuous 2 Way communication. Think of your own body. Each part is all the time sending information to the brain about its status. If the brain will not listen to a small part of a small finger which is burning, the whole finger will get burnt. The brain needs not only to listen to the small finger but also provide action so that the finger is saved. Unhappily this 2 way communication is seriously lacking in AAP, because of the present organizational structure. Because of this lack of free and frank communication, many fingers in AAP have got burnt. A emergency measure like "MISSION VISTAAR" will not result in the right treatment, as it is only a band-aid reaction. Its bound to fail, because it does not recognize the cause of the problem. 

WHAT IS THE REAL PROBLEM: The problems are of organization, of communication and of timely conflict resolution. But the basic problem is organizational. If we have the right organizational model, the communication and conflict resolution will automatically follow from it. The biggest question we have to analyse and answer is what is the correct organizational model for AAP voluntary group.

Let us analyze the available alternatives.
What Are the Alternative Organizational Models: (1) The most commonly used organizational model is based on a hierarchical structure. The Government, Military, Companies etc work on this model. It is bureaucratic and works well when problems are of a standard and repetitive nature. You have a few well tried solutions, and you keep solving problems based on your well-tried solutions. As majority of problems one faces when in government, military and companies are of this nature, the hierarchical organization works well, but as we all know, it works very inefficiently.

(2) The second organizational model is the autocratic model. This works well when there is a single objective of the organization and all members are committed to that single objective. This system demands that individual members give up their own personal rights and accept the rights of the organization as supreme. Such an organization model has its use in emergency situations, as in times of war or national calamities. This system seriously lacks a feedback mechanism, leading to serious dysfunctional actions. Unhappily, once such a system comes into being, its very difficult to change it, as individual groups have lost all power of opposition.

(3) The third organizational structure is by committee control, where a small group replaces the single dictator/autocrat. This core group system allows a wider information flow and generation of alternative strategic solutions. This system works well in small homogeneous communities and most tribal colonies have successfully used this model for centuries. Unhappily, with large heterogeneous groups, with widely differing circumstances and problems, this system cannot work.

(4) The fourth organizational structure is ORGANIC. As the name implies the structure grows and gets organized around the problem. As the problems change, the structure keeps getting modified to take care of the changing conditions. In very large groups, there are many problems of different groups. So there can be multiple "organs" which get created around individual problems. The relationship of the members within any "organ" is one of expertise, and not of hierarchy. There are no power-centers but solution-centers. The members can also move from one "organ" to another depending upon changing problems. As the focus of each individual "organ" is to solve the problem it has been built around, with the expertise of its members, there is no need of any external authority, and this obviates the need of power struggles. 

There are bound to be conflict situations within an organ, as effectiveness of alternative solutions is not known. This is solved by the age-old and well tried PANCHAYAT system. The panchayat is selected for a particular problem and has a short life-span. All members are committed to accepting the panchayat solution. There is no praise or blame for success or failure on any one individual or any sub-group. The success or failure is of the whole "organ". All successes and failures are analysed and documented, to ensure that there is learning for the future. This builds the knowledge-base of the "organ" reducing future conflicts. 

LET US LOOK AT THE SCENARIO TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE: As we see from the four organizational structures analysed above that each has its advantages and disadvantages. The Congress and BJP are organized around the hierarchical structure. Shiv Sena, BSP, AIADMK, TMC etc, are organized more on the dictatorial model. Even in the hierarchical organizations, wherever there are powerful groups, the dictatorial forces come in to play, either by an individual or by a small group. They start working in their own interest and not in the organizational interest. This is the reason why all these organizations have moved away from the problems of the people and have started working around the personal objectives of the dictatorial forces. This is why public has become frustrated with all of them, and hopes that someone will solve their problems. So they just try one group after another - so the anti-incumbency vote. Unhappily, with the present organizational structures of the parties solution of problems is impossible. 

If AAP was to also follow the same hierarchical organizational structure, AAP will also become bound in similar knots as the other parties, and become a failure. So AAP volunteers have to have a different organizational structure. 

AAP VOLUNTEERS MUST ADOPT ORGANIC STRUCTURE:
Since AAP wants to solve the problems of the public, it has to have a structure that can help it to achieve this. The only organizational structure that can do this is the ORGANIC model. In this model the structure is flexible and builds itself around the problem. As no one is superior to any one else in an organic structure, there are no power conflicts, and everyone is focused on solving problems and not on getting into position of power or influence. 

In an organic structure, the group works to find solutions and hence, it works for the benefit of the people. As it solves more and more problems it gets more efficient for this and gets greater support from those it benefits. As its very existence is dependent upon solution of problems, the "organ" keeps actively looking for problems. It does not spend time trying to curry favor with senior members, as that does not help it in any way.

The PARACHUTE REPRESENTATIVE FOR ASSEMBLY/LOK SABHA: This is the worst face of a hierarchical organizational structure and creates utter frustration among the dedicated workers. They have little opportunity for growth, as everything is decided and told to them from top down. They lose their individuality and creativity. They become mere postmen between the public, who they are supposed to help, and the leaders, who keep getting more and more busy, and do not have time to help them solve the problems. Gradually the public does not get timely solutions, leading to its frustration, and the volunteers losing confidence in the organization.

SELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVE FOR CORPORATION/ASSEMBLY/LOK SABHA: The representative should be selected from the "organ" based on the decision of the"organ". The "organ" wishes to be successful in solving the problems, as such, it will like to send someone who can be a good representative. As the real action is at the "organ" level, not everyone is inclined to become a representative and move away from the scene of action. Also, no one should become a representative more than once and for one post only. 

I would like all volunteers to debate the above post among themselves and see if their present issues will get resolved with this system. Do not, for the present think of representative selection, but in solving the real problems of the public. If you succeed in that the rest will follow automatically.

Best regards
Pravin Gupta
AAP-THE ROAD AHEAD