paradoxes and democracy

For several years I was involved in a professional organization governed by a board of directors that conducted nearly all its business online. The organization was quite innovative, launching the first online journal in the discipline committed to publishing work across the field, not just research about the internet, digital media, or computer-mediated communication. I was a member of the organization briefly, then elected to the board of directors. Two years later I was elected president, and then the board selected me to edit the journal--the second editor in the journal's existence.

The last part of Chapter 8 discusses paradoxes in democratic organizations that address four aspects of organizing: structure, agency, identity, and power. Reading this section reminded me of my time with the professional organization and the struggles members faced. Although the organization encountered paradoxes in all four areas, paradoxes of power were the most difficult for the organization members to manage productively. In academe, we like to think of ourselves as egalitarian, but in reality, multiple hierarchies exist within the academy. The organization was challenged both with resolving issues of control and leadership within the board as well as the larger hierarchical norms in the discipline and academe. For example, senior scholars who were well-known in the field generally carried more sway in board member discussions. In addition, founding members of the organization had greater influence as well. These control and leadership issues often conflicted with the organization's hierarchy. As you can imagine, some meetings became quite heated.

Although I enjoyed (most of) my time with the organization--especially editing the journal--managing those paradoxes became time consuming, tiring, and distracting. As communication scholars, we should have done a better job addresses the paradoxes of democratic organizing.

~ Professor Cyborg