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The anatomy of an organization
The anatomy of an organization EARL
E.
SHEPARD,
D.D.S.
St. Louis, x0.
IN REVIEWING or examining the anatomy of the American Association oi Orthodontists, we must begin with a basic structural analysis of the organizat,ion. Since the change in name from the American Societ.y of Orthodontists in 1937, our Association has been built from its tight constituent so&tics: 1. The Northeastern Society of Orthodontist,s 2. The Great Lakes Society of Orthodontists 3. The Southern Society of Orthodontists 4. The Southwestern Society of Orthodontists 5. The Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists 6. The Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists 7. The Midwestern Society of Orthodontists (until 1961 known iIs t.he Central Section of the American Association of Orthodontists) 8. The Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. The Pacific Coast Society, by reason of its geographic unwieldiness, is divided into three components-Southern, Central, and Northern. The Northeastern Society embraces the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Pork and the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island. No\a Scotia, and Newfoundland. ia The Great Lakes Society includes Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pcnnsylwn west of t,he Alleghenies, and the Province of Ontario in (‘anada. The Southern Society embraces the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Xorth Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Trnncssee, Kentucky, Xssissippi, and Louisiana east of the Mississippi Rivtr. The Southwestern Society takes in the states of Kansas, Oklaboma~ Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. The Rocky Mountain Society includes the states of Wytmiing, TJtah, &lorado, a,nd New Mexico. Read before the Denver Summer Seminar for the Advancement of Orthodontic tice and Research, August, 1964.
PJW~
The Pacific Coast Society embraces California, Oregon, JV&ington, Arizona, Neva.da, Monta’na, Idaho, Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, t,he Philippine Islands, and the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskat&ewan in Canada. The Midwestern Society includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and the Province of Manitoba in Canada. The Middle Atlantic Society ernbraees the states of Pennsylvania east of the Alleghenies, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The membership roll now consists of 3,313 members. The Northeastern Yociety leads the list with 725 members, and the Rocky Mountain Society is smallest with 75 members. Basic nerve center control is rendered by the Board of Directors, presided over by the president. The Board of Directors consists of the officers (including the immediate past president), a director representing each of the constituent Societies, and the chairmen of the elected committees, makihg a total of twentyfive directors. Business of the organization is current’ly carried on in a “town meeting” or membership assembly type of action. The Ad Interim Committee, consisting of the officers, the immediate past president, and the chairmen of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, has been charged with carrying on interim business for the Association, which has increased tremendously in the past few years. The members of this committee are our “minutemen.” Should the new Constitution and By-Laws be ratified in Dallas, the control of the Association will be placed in the hands of a Board of Trustees and a House of Delegates, The Board of Trustees shall consist of one trustee elected from each constituent society, the president-elect, the vice-president, and the secretarytreasurer. In addition, the president, the irnmediate past president, the speaker of the House, and the appointive officers shall be ex officio members without the right to vote. In making up the House of Delegates, each constituent society shall be entit,led to at least one delegate without regard to the number of members. In addition, each constituent society shall be allocated one delegate for each fifty members or fraction thereof of the first 100 members and one delega.te for each additional 100 members. This House of Delegates shall be the supreme authoritative body of the Association. Reference committees, consisting of five officially certified delegates, shall be appointed by the president at least 60 days in advance of each annual session. These committees shall consider reports referred to thern, conduct open hearings, and report recommendations to the House of Delegates. It is believed by some that the new type of control will prevent the tedious, argumentative open meetings now held, often with small attendance. The business will be carried on in a truly “businesslike” manner by certified representa-
vozunw Sumbeltivcs
;Iy’fif()l)~Jj
50 1% wllo,
},?r
reason
of
their
in&c;\t.ed
interest,
of
AW
t htl
n,r
nrganizutior~
t’lt’(‘td
(l~‘lWat(‘s
9 1 .i
(‘I’
trustees as the case may be. i\ personal opinion might be int,erjrcted, na~n~l\-, that opn ~w:~riW’s.~t(‘, Illa)-, in a smaller organization such as ours, d&r;lct fr(m attendance at tllc’ scientific sessions,should these hearings bc held concnrrcntly. and th(‘v Vit(’ possiblyc will ha\-c to br. Bnt to get on mit.h the dissection. l\n organization that has tripled its membership in the past 13 >-(:arsis illi organization which must necessarily make its voice heard in the halls (Al’t/it’ gatherings of dentistry itself. To do this without bein,0’thought h.vprraggrcssiv( is a problem which bears constant study. Our special ~1. n. A. Liaison (!om mittec is headed by those who are acquainted with the peculiarities of l)()tll groups. They labor ion,v and hard with little t,hought of personal recognition, As for our problem of education, on one day we Mcve that we have ii solved and then wake up to hear ourselves castigat,rd on the following morning. To protect the dental health of the public is a problem conceivablp prctiicatc~~l upon the Hippocrat,ic Oath. Yet when we set off too determinedly on this tangent we are condemned by our fellow dentists for building enclosures to prrvcLnt 111~ free dissemination of knowledge. If we could be sure that only the consciontiolrs and capable were utilizing that knowledge, or that at least an overwhelming majority were of this type, it would not be necessaryto legislate education. It is difficult to describe the far-reaching demands which ase placed upon OUT Council on Orthodontic Education and its chairman. Herein lies dedicatic:n of the highest order. We are being more clearly understood by the administra.tiye authorities of organized dentistry becauseseveral years ago WCwisely expandtd our old Education Committee an.d regimented its membership t,o include mernhers of t’he American Board of Orthodontics as well as teachers of graduate or postgraduate orthodontics and members in the private practice of orthodontic+s. Because of our adherenceto the principles of our professional antecedentsprinciples which we believe to be right-whole organizations have been built, ‘111) which, in a manner of speaking, are not in accord with these principles. Publications likewise are being int,roduced and technical laboratories iire being organized, all of which you can he sure provide food Car the thoughts of us all. It is also difficult to understand why KC should bt~ put to the cspcnse of the processesof law to prove that we are not required b accept,any n1;1nillto membership just becausehe sa,ysthat he is an orthodontist. The specialized functions of our organizational body deal with the cre;ltron of a proper image in the mind and eye of the public-whether or not. t,hey ;ir~ prospective patients. To attempt to achieve this, a special committee known as the Lay Education Committee has been created, with t,alent drawn from I,hc Public Relations, Orthodontic Public Health Service, Council on C)rthodont,ic Education, and Practice Administration Commit,tees.Informative literature, th(; brain child of this Committee, is in the making and will be placed in the hands of t,he educational facilities of our nation. Regular functions of our body include activities of such committees as the
9 16
S’hepard
Am.
J. Orthodontics lhm?mbe,’ 1964
~~thochtic Public Health Service t~ommit,t(x. ~illl(? all(i agail t,lrt, ~llr~lll~~~~s of this C’ominit~teetake precious tilw to clnt)ayk I~J,o~~ ;l(+tjyities \trlkicll will, it, is lloped, determine the llccd for the scrvicw of thp ()rtl~()doll,tist 1,y illqlliying as to wllcrc and by WHOMorthodontic C~I’Cis being administcyed. This lllily bc producing information Auablc to OUI’own cd~watio~~:~l stmdayds ilrl(l (~vrntuilll~ to the profession of dentistry itself’. The American Board of Orthodontics, organized at a nlccting 01 the i~. A. 0. at Estes Park, in Colorado, in 1929, provides a means whereby we may discipline our personal professional knowledge and techniques and further dignify 0~1 specialty. TO in.form oneself properly, it is worth while and often surprising to read in the By-Laws the functions of the regularly organized committee groups. But let us carry on with the special functions often not recognized. The Insurance Committee has caused us to be in possession of one of the most adequate such programs in existence. The Practice Administration Committee, not too long in existence, is a true handmaiden of service in providing many interesting and informative matters to the membership. The Membership Committee is a worth-proving group which examines and tests many items and proposals which will affect the individual members. Related Organizations provides a liaison with all specialty groups. Nomenclature keeps a weather eye on developments of a semantic nature. Qualifying is, along with the Council on Orthodontic Education, one of the great work horses of our organization. As long as we are educating via the preceptorship route, this committee has mountains of work. A specially functioning History Committee is daily engrossed in documenting our story of yesterday and today with a view toward tomorrow. An A. A. 0. Foundation Committee strives desperately to secure funds which may be utilized with lofty purpose in orthodontics. This as yet is an uphill struggle, Our Library, as well as our Museum, newly compounded or revitalized, are functions of our body enthusiastically stimulated and daily developing. Annually, a complete set of reflexes are called into play, what with a steadily expanding and well-attended annual session. These are the various groupings of committee function which are responsible for the preconvention planning and t.he local administration. And what is the sympathetic nerve center responsible to and for the mechanics of aJ1 of the aforementioned functions ? It is the Central Office, with our executive secretary, the assistant, and an annually expanding staff. The work of this group is made more efficient and comfortable in an’organizationowned building of distinction in a community which is pleased with its presence. Such is the anatomy of the American Association of Orthodontists.
,885 South Meramh
Ave.
E.
SHEPARD,
D.D.S.
St. Louis, x0.
IN REVIEWING or examining the anatomy of the American Association oi Orthodontists, we must begin with a basic structural analysis of the organizat,ion. Since the change in name from the American Societ.y of Orthodontists in 1937, our Association has been built from its tight constituent so&tics: 1. The Northeastern Society of Orthodontist,s 2. The Great Lakes Society of Orthodontists 3. The Southern Society of Orthodontists 4. The Southwestern Society of Orthodontists 5. The Rocky Mountain Society of Orthodontists 6. The Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists 7. The Midwestern Society of Orthodontists (until 1961 known iIs t.he Central Section of the American Association of Orthodontists) 8. The Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. The Pacific Coast Society, by reason of its geographic unwieldiness, is divided into three components-Southern, Central, and Northern. The Northeastern Society embraces the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Pork and the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island. No\a Scotia, and Newfoundland. ia The Great Lakes Society includes Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pcnnsylwn west of t,he Alleghenies, and the Province of Ontario in (‘anada. The Southern Society embraces the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Xorth Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Trnncssee, Kentucky, Xssissippi, and Louisiana east of the Mississippi Rivtr. The Southwestern Society takes in the states of Kansas, Oklaboma~ Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River. The Rocky Mountain Society includes the states of Wytmiing, TJtah, &lorado, a,nd New Mexico. Read before the Denver Summer Seminar for the Advancement of Orthodontic tice and Research, August, 1964.
PJW~
The Pacific Coast Society embraces California, Oregon, JV&ington, Arizona, Neva.da, Monta’na, Idaho, Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, t,he Philippine Islands, and the Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskat&ewan in Canada. The Midwestern Society includes Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and the Province of Manitoba in Canada. The Middle Atlantic Society ernbraees the states of Pennsylvania east of the Alleghenies, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The membership roll now consists of 3,313 members. The Northeastern Yociety leads the list with 725 members, and the Rocky Mountain Society is smallest with 75 members. Basic nerve center control is rendered by the Board of Directors, presided over by the president. The Board of Directors consists of the officers (including the immediate past president), a director representing each of the constituent Societies, and the chairmen of the elected committees, makihg a total of twentyfive directors. Business of the organization is current’ly carried on in a “town meeting” or membership assembly type of action. The Ad Interim Committee, consisting of the officers, the immediate past president, and the chairmen of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Constitution and By-Laws Committee, has been charged with carrying on interim business for the Association, which has increased tremendously in the past few years. The members of this committee are our “minutemen.” Should the new Constitution and By-Laws be ratified in Dallas, the control of the Association will be placed in the hands of a Board of Trustees and a House of Delegates, The Board of Trustees shall consist of one trustee elected from each constituent society, the president-elect, the vice-president, and the secretarytreasurer. In addition, the president, the irnmediate past president, the speaker of the House, and the appointive officers shall be ex officio members without the right to vote. In making up the House of Delegates, each constituent society shall be entit,led to at least one delegate without regard to the number of members. In addition, each constituent society shall be allocated one delegate for each fifty members or fraction thereof of the first 100 members and one delega.te for each additional 100 members. This House of Delegates shall be the supreme authoritative body of the Association. Reference committees, consisting of five officially certified delegates, shall be appointed by the president at least 60 days in advance of each annual session. These committees shall consider reports referred to thern, conduct open hearings, and report recommendations to the House of Delegates. It is believed by some that the new type of control will prevent the tedious, argumentative open meetings now held, often with small attendance. The business will be carried on in a truly “businesslike” manner by certified representa-
vozunw Sumbeltivcs
;Iy’fif()l)~Jj
50 1% wllo,
},?r
reason
of
their
in&c;\t.ed
interest,
of
AW
t htl
n,r
nrganizutior~
t’lt’(‘td
(l~‘lWat(‘s
9 1 .i
(‘I’
trustees as the case may be. i\ personal opinion might be int,erjrcted, na~n~l\-, that opn ~w:~riW’s.~t(‘, Illa)-, in a smaller organization such as ours, d&r;lct fr(m attendance at tllc’ scientific sessions,should these hearings bc held concnrrcntly. and th(‘v Vit(’ possiblyc will ha\-c to br. Bnt to get on mit.h the dissection. l\n organization that has tripled its membership in the past 13 >-(:arsis illi organization which must necessarily make its voice heard in the halls (Al’t/it’ gatherings of dentistry itself. To do this without bein,0’thought h.vprraggrcssiv( is a problem which bears constant study. Our special ~1. n. A. Liaison (!om mittec is headed by those who are acquainted with the peculiarities of l)()tll groups. They labor ion,v and hard with little t,hought of personal recognition, As for our problem of education, on one day we Mcve that we have ii solved and then wake up to hear ourselves castigat,rd on the following morning. To protect the dental health of the public is a problem conceivablp prctiicatc~~l upon the Hippocrat,ic Oath. Yet when we set off too determinedly on this tangent we are condemned by our fellow dentists for building enclosures to prrvcLnt 111~ free dissemination of knowledge. If we could be sure that only the consciontiolrs and capable were utilizing that knowledge, or that at least an overwhelming majority were of this type, it would not be necessaryto legislate education. It is difficult to describe the far-reaching demands which ase placed upon OUT Council on Orthodontic Education and its chairman. Herein lies dedicatic:n of the highest order. We are being more clearly understood by the administra.tiye authorities of organized dentistry becauseseveral years ago WCwisely expandtd our old Education Committee an.d regimented its membership t,o include mernhers of t’he American Board of Orthodontics as well as teachers of graduate or postgraduate orthodontics and members in the private practice of orthodontic+s. Because of our adherenceto the principles of our professional antecedentsprinciples which we believe to be right-whole organizations have been built, ‘111) which, in a manner of speaking, are not in accord with these principles. Publications likewise are being int,roduced and technical laboratories iire being organized, all of which you can he sure provide food Car the thoughts of us all. It is also difficult to understand why KC should bt~ put to the cspcnse of the processesof law to prove that we are not required b accept,any n1;1nillto membership just becausehe sa,ysthat he is an orthodontist. The specialized functions of our organizational body deal with the cre;ltron of a proper image in the mind and eye of the public-whether or not. t,hey ;ir~ prospective patients. To attempt to achieve this, a special committee known as the Lay Education Committee has been created, with t,alent drawn from I,hc Public Relations, Orthodontic Public Health Service, Council on C)rthodont,ic Education, and Practice Administration Commit,tees.Informative literature, th(; brain child of this Committee, is in the making and will be placed in the hands of t,he educational facilities of our nation. Regular functions of our body include activities of such committees as the
9 16
S’hepard
Am.
J. Orthodontics lhm?mbe,’ 1964
~~thochtic Public Health Service t~ommit,t(x. ~illl(? all(i agail t,lrt, ~llr~lll~~~~s of this C’ominit~teetake precious tilw to clnt)ayk I~J,o~~ ;l(+tjyities \trlkicll will, it, is lloped, determine the llccd for the scrvicw of thp ()rtl~()doll,tist 1,y illqlliying as to wllcrc and by WHOMorthodontic C~I’Cis being administcyed. This lllily bc producing information Auablc to OUI’own cd~watio~~:~l stmdayds ilrl(l (~vrntuilll~ to the profession of dentistry itself’. The American Board of Orthodontics, organized at a nlccting 01 the i~. A. 0. at Estes Park, in Colorado, in 1929, provides a means whereby we may discipline our personal professional knowledge and techniques and further dignify 0~1 specialty. TO in.form oneself properly, it is worth while and often surprising to read in the By-Laws the functions of the regularly organized committee groups. But let us carry on with the special functions often not recognized. The Insurance Committee has caused us to be in possession of one of the most adequate such programs in existence. The Practice Administration Committee, not too long in existence, is a true handmaiden of service in providing many interesting and informative matters to the membership. The Membership Committee is a worth-proving group which examines and tests many items and proposals which will affect the individual members. Related Organizations provides a liaison with all specialty groups. Nomenclature keeps a weather eye on developments of a semantic nature. Qualifying is, along with the Council on Orthodontic Education, one of the great work horses of our organization. As long as we are educating via the preceptorship route, this committee has mountains of work. A specially functioning History Committee is daily engrossed in documenting our story of yesterday and today with a view toward tomorrow. An A. A. 0. Foundation Committee strives desperately to secure funds which may be utilized with lofty purpose in orthodontics. This as yet is an uphill struggle, Our Library, as well as our Museum, newly compounded or revitalized, are functions of our body enthusiastically stimulated and daily developing. Annually, a complete set of reflexes are called into play, what with a steadily expanding and well-attended annual session. These are the various groupings of committee function which are responsible for the preconvention planning and t.he local administration. And what is the sympathetic nerve center responsible to and for the mechanics of aJ1 of the aforementioned functions ? It is the Central Office, with our executive secretary, the assistant, and an annually expanding staff. The work of this group is made more efficient and comfortable in an’organizationowned building of distinction in a community which is pleased with its presence. Such is the anatomy of the American Association of Orthodontists.
,885 South Meramh
Ave.