The Tyranny of Stuctureless

As long as the structure of the group is informal, the rules of how decisions are made are known only to a few and awareness of power is limited to those who know the rules.

The rules of decision-making must be open and available to everyone, and this can happen only if they are formalized.

Notoriety is not a definition of an elitist. The most insidious elites are usually run by people not known to the larger public at all.

Intelligent elitists are usually smart enough not to allow themselves to become well known; when they become known, they are watched, and the mask over their power is no longer firmly lodged.

Elites are nothing more, and nothing less, than groups of friends who also happen to participate in the same political activities.

They would probably maintain their friendship whether or not they were involved in political activities; they would probably be involved in political activities whether Elites are nothing more, and nothing less, than groups of friends who also happen to participate in the same political activities. or not they maintained their friendships. It is the coincidence of these two phenomena which creates elites in any group and makes them so difficult to break.

In a Structured group, two or more such friendship networks usually compete with each other for formal power. This is often the healthiest situation, as the other members are in a position to arbitrate between the two competitors for power and thus to make demands on those to whom they give their temporary allegiance.

The characteristics prerequisite for participating in the informal elites of the movement, and thus for exercising power, concern one's background, personality, or allocation of time. They do not include one's competence, dedication to feminism, talents, or potential contribution to the movement.

If the sorority is not politically aware enough to actively engage in this process itself it can be started by the outsider pretty much the same way one joins any private club. Find a sponsor, i.e., pick some member of the elite who appears to be well respected within it, and actively cultivate that person's friendship. Eventually, she will most likely bring you into the inner circle.

• Informal power was not given by mandate so it cannot be taken by mandate
• People are conditioned to seek spokespeople
• If a spokesperson is not assigned by a movement then the press will pick one
• Unstructured groups are good at getting a discussion but poor at driving actions. Sometimes they form in to the correct structure by accident.
• Ensuring full group participation has geometric complexity. Groups are limited to about five members. Larger groups (up to 15) are only possible when some are excluded from decision making or the group is comprised of multiple working units.

Unstructuredness [..] But this style of organization has its limits; it is politically inefficacious, exclusive, and discriminatory against those women who are not or cannot be tied into the friendship networks.

If the movement continues deliberately to not select who shall exercise power, it does not thereby abolish power. All it does is abdicate the right to demand that those who do exercise power and influence be responsible for it.

• Delegation of specific tasks to specific parties; creating scoped authority, self-selecting candidates and formally confirming a candidate.