I recently read a book about Web 2.0 titled “Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.” Ironically the book is only marginally about wiki software or Wikipedia, and more about organizational dynamics than classical economics. The authors of the book purport to signal the impending death of top-down, hierarchical organizations in favor of horizontal, collaborative businesses.
” . . . the organizational values, skills, processes, and architectures of the ebbing command-and-control economy are not simply outdated; they are handicaps on the value creation process. In an age where mass collaboration can reshape an industry overnight, the old hierarchical ways of organizing work and innovation do not afford the level of agility, creativity, and connectivity that companies require to remain competitive in today’s environment.”
If one thinks of classical top-down management, the Mormon and Catholic churches certainly pop to mind. At their heart, they are not businesses; but are they immune from “wikinomics?” Cynthia Ware in her blog “The Digital Sanctuary” asks the following questions: “If peering, sharing, and open-source thinking become the norm and collaboration emerges as the dominant paradigm of our era, how will our faith communities reflect and respond to this new world? While our theology doesn’t change, because Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever, how will the Church change?”
Here are two possible examples of how collaboration might energize Mormon culture. First, wiki technologies could be used as an upgrade or alternative to Sunday School. In my Ward, Sunday School is rather static. Participation is largely limited to reading scriptures and quotes. Meaningful discussion, during the regime of our previous Bishop, was openly discouraged in favor of pat answers. Blogs could provide a useful add-on or adjunct or, if nothing else, a better model for social and intellectual interaction at Sunday School. Blogs and wikis might also be useful for preparing collaborative Sacrament Meeting talks.
One responder on Cynthia’s blog commented: “This year we are doing a sermon series on ‘A Year in the Life of Jesus’ and I had been pushing our worship leader to put a creative team together to help pastors articulate their vision for their sermons each and every week. Since we began this process we have develped a wiki to help manage our day to day items and our services are running on all cylinders because of the collaborative process we have created.”
A second example of the possible application of Web 2.0 technologies involves Mormonism’s international growth and humanitarian efforts. The fastest growing segment of the Mormon population is from third world countries and this growth is projected to continue. U.S. Mormons spend an inordinate amount of ecclesiastical time doing “make-work” jobs. I get the feeling that many members are just itching to get involved in meaningful volunteer humanitarian work. Certainly the new collaboration technologies make “person-to-person” activities easier, ie. pairing up U.S. Wards with Third World Branches or communities or orphanages or schools. Mormons have only scratched the surface of their potential for improving the global community. Wikeumenicity would be very useful for encouraging, marshalling, and organizing volunteers.
Hopefully, the Mormon hierarchy will find ways to embrace these new technologies (and not just fear them).
The following is an excerpt from a PF Stack article that appeared on the SLTrib website on 05/14/2009:
Andrea “Radke-Moss concludes that the online Mormon community has fostered ‘a new frontier of democratic discussion for Mormon women to express their views either in support of or in opposition to the top-down rhetoric regarding women’s roles.’”
“She is specially analyzing the widespread blogger reaction to LDS General Relief Society President Julie B. Beck’s 2007 speech ‘Mother Who Know’ and the online response, ‘What Women Know.’”
“‘Because of Beck’s talk and the online discusions that followed, I notice some changes that occurred in early 2008 in some church leaders’ rhetoric — not necessarily dramatic changes, and nothing that would even directly contradict what Beck said in her original talk,’ Radke-Moss said in an e-mail. “Instead, the language shows more complexity, nuance and a balanced and inclusive tone, expecially about women’s roles, motherhood, fatherhood and family.’”
The following was written by Amy Green (Relgion News Service) and appeared in the SLTrib:
“Michael Campbell, the 30-year-old pastor of the 230-member Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church in Montrose, CO, poses question druing his sermons and asks worhippers to text their responses, which displayed on a screen. . . . Campbell then discusses the respons.”
“In other congregations, Twitter has emerged quietly and organically, with parishioners tweeting their reflection during services in the same way they tweet their thoughts or activities throughout the week. The dialogue also allows real-time discussion and gives those who couldn’t make it a chance to monitor services from afar.”