We are institutionalized.  Not only are humans social creatures, but we are also institutional beings.  Every form of ongoing organization can be viewed as an institution.

The flower club with events, membership roster, and dues; the bank; the association of banks; city government, including multiple departments; every corporation; every non-profit; the neighborhood association, etc.

The dividing line between parts of a large corporation or among government entities may shift, but some form of organization and purpose continue.

Large scale movements for change often focus on the government, or on particular corporate abuses.  Some say that the whole system must change, and point to fundamental problems of capitalism or non-democratic states.

We rarely consider institutions unless they directly affect our lives.  Does the company or agency I work for produce something useful?  Do we feel appreciated by those above us?  When we have something to say, does anyone care?

Do we have competitors? Is the workforce compensated fairly? Does management pay themselves too much?  Do the customers get value?  Do we impact the environment? Do we have a future?

It is within institutions that both collaboration and conflict occurs.  The more top down and authoritarian an organization, the more likely it is that the work force is alienated and valuable information does not flow up the management hierarchy.

Even if capitalism ended tomorrow, we would still need institutions for production, transportation, education, sewage, water, electricity, mail, health, taxation, and on.

Would we keep the current ones?  Would we start from scratch to create everything?  I think not.  We might decide that some current institutions should not exist, but we would have to be careful.

For example, we might decide that insurance companies make no sense, but then we might want the new and improved government to provide in case of emergencies.

In my various careers, I have usually been more aware of what was wrong with an institution than of what was right with it.  There is a good reason for this.

If institutions are always in the process of “becoming”, always changing, than focusing on problems can be the way that institutions change, for the better.

But there is often a risk that some of the “baby” will go down the drain with the “bathwater”.  And who is to judge which is which?

In this section, I look at my and others’ experiences within institutions; corporations, schools, and social service organizations.

In 1972, there was overt racism in GE factories.

From 2007 until today, management and Children’s Friend and Family (CFF) relies of Employment at Will law to fire employees without cause, and on non-disclosure agreements to keep abuse from the public eye.

And in 2012, a bullying, abusive administrator was chased from a local school, JSHS, through the efforts of teachers, parents, and students.

In GE and JSHS, institutions were improved. In CFF, clients and clinicians continue to suffer.