Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Managing To Recruit Religious Conversion in The Workplace
Managing To Recruit Religious Conversion in The Workplace
Managing To Recruit Religious Conversion in The Workplace
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Sociologyof Religion1998, 59:4 393-410
Deana Hall*
of Alberta
University
New Religious Movements, like other social organizations, must generate economic strategies to
ensuresurvival.The Churchof Scientologyhas a long-established systemof therapeuticcounseling
and self-improvementcourses to offer potentialrecruitsand existing membersin exchangefor
monetaryresources.A recentdevelopmentin Scientology'sresourcemobilizationeffortsinvolvesa
seriesof associatedcompaniesofferingL. RonHubbard's"management technology"to medicalpro-
fessionalsin the form of practicemanagementconsulting.Consultingprogramsmay lead to con-
versioninto the religiousorganizationand ofteninvolvethe introductionof Scientologydoctrineinto
the workplace.Utilizingcontentanalysisof bothprimaryand secondarydocuments,as well as per-
sonal interviews,thisarticleexplorestherelationship
betweenScientology,its consultingcompanies,
and medicalprofessionals(n=59) who becameinvolvedin religiousideologythroughmanagement
consulting.Sinceresourcemobilizationtheorydoesnot offeradequateprovisioms to explainindividual
participationin specificsocialmovements,theauthorutilizesLoflandand Stark'sconversionmodelas
a supplement.
trines, Scientology aspiresto "reversethe downwarddirection of the current civilization and actually bring
ahxut a cleared planet"(Church of Scientology International 1994: 3).
2
Scientology's considerable financial holdings and extensive membershipbase warrantan economi-
cally-basedsociological analysis.Currentlythe organizationoperates in 86 countries and, according to author
RichardBehar, controls a four hundredmillion dollar empire (Behar 1986: 315; Lopez 1993: H5). In addition,
one recent statement by an organizationofficial in New YorkState indicates that approximatelyeight million
people worldwidehave participatedin Scientology courses, and a furtherfive hundredthousandtake their first
Scientology course each year (Lopez 1993: H5). Thus, investigation into the organization's financial and
membershipcomponents is imperative.
3 At least three published sources identify the link between Scientology and its PMCs. For
example
Passasstates that "the [Churchof Scientology] recruitswell-to-do individualsthrougha numberof consultancy
firms with secret ties to it. Stirling (sic) Management Systems, for example, allegedly targets health-care pro-
fessionalswith the promiseto help them dramaticallyincreasetheir income, offersseminarsand coursespriced
at $10,000, and lures them to the [Church of Scientology]" (1994: 221). See also Passasand Castillo (1992)
and Zellner (1995).
MANAGING TO RECRUIT:RELIGIOUSCONVERSION IN THE WORKPLACE 395
5 The analyses usually takes place in two stages. The first stage involves an extensive conversation
between consultant and client, and the second stage involves a close scrutiny of the medical professional's
practicedocuments,staff,and in some cases, interviewswith patients (Hall and Kent 1995: 10).
396 SOCIOLOGY
OFRELIGION
INITIALINTERACTION7
Resource
Mobilization
Theory
9 Scientology's WISE division licenses individual Scientologists to use L. Ron Hubbard'sideas in per-
sonal or corporateventures outside of Scientology. WISE ensures correct implementation and adherence to
Hubbard'sdoctrine and ideology.
10
Advertising through direct-mailand the media is a characteristiccommon to McCarthyand Zald's
"professionalsocial movements" (1973, 1987: 59-60). McCarthyand Zald used the term "professionalsocial
movements" to describe a new form of social movement that evolved out of the "bureaucratizationof social
discontent"(McCarthyand Zald 1973:3). In this evolutionarydevelopment, functions historicallyservedby a
movement's memberswere being taken over by highly skilled, paid workers. Professionalsocial movements
were able to use their monetary resourcesto hire specialists in the areas of marketing and promotion, fund-
raising,legal counsel, lobbying, and leadership(McCarthyand Zald 1973: 15-16, 20-23).
According to John McCarthy (1987: 59-61), direct-mail and media solicitations representattempts by
professionalsocial movements to develop social networks,or infrastructures,among loosely affiliatedpotential
adherents (ideological supporters),where they do not alreadyexist. PMC advertisementsthat highlight testi-
monials from established medical professionalsoffer an example of attempts to develop movement-generated
social networks. These testimonials serve as validation of the PMC programsamong individual professionals
that are similarto, but isolated fromone another. They are a means of generatinga social network for the pur-
pose of sharing a potentially valuable service, or mobilization tool - in this case, practice management
training based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard.In addition to publishing their own journals,the PMCs also
advertisein respectedprofessionaljournals(Hall and Kent 1995: 3-4).
11 Through a licensing agreementbetween individual PMCs and WISE, Scientology receives a royalty
of approximatelyten percent on all money invested in training and materials by PMC clients (Koff 1987).
MANAGINGTO RECRUIT: IN THEWORKPLACE 399
CONVERSION
RELIGIOUS
Model
Conversion
Regardlessof whether PMC clients choose to actively join Scientology, a portion of their consulting fees sup-
ports it, makingthem financial constituents of the social movement.
12 Lofland and Stark (1965: 864) operationalizetotal conversion as a state in which converts express
both active and verbalcommitments to the organization.
13 A numberof economic, social, and personalstrainsmay impinge upon a medical professionalat any
one time. Presumably,individual responsesto these factorswill vary considerably.The issue that is of impor-
tance to this study is the process that occurs when these individual tensions lead to a determinablesocial pat-
ter of response, which in this case involves medical professionalsobtaining practice management training
from Scientology and its affiliatedPMCs.
ResourceMobilization
In this case, Alan Hollanderdescribedone of the goals of his organizationas directing clients into Scientology
in an effort to supportthe movement'sgoal of "Clearingthe Planet."Thus, PMCs operate on behalf of Scien-
tology, mobilizingresourcesof both money and new memberstowardsits ideologicalends.
21 The similarities in the content and formatof courses that both PMCs and
Scientology offer reflect
the fact that almost without exception, employeesand executives of Hollanderand Sterling also are practicing
Scientologists (Cartwright 1990: 1, 4; Jakush 1989: 7; Koff 1988; Lopez 1993: HI; Ochart 1993b: 193, 263;
Witt 1989: 11). At one PMC, raises and promotions depend upon acceptance of and enrollement in Scien-
tology courses,so that even if employees are not Scientologists when they are hired, they may be pressuredto
become church members(Cartwright1990: 1).
404 SOCIOLOGY
OFRELIGION
Conversion
Model
ENTERINGSCIENTOLOGY:BECOMINGA
CONSTITUENT-ADHERENT
Resource
Mobilization
Theory
Conversion
Model
22 Priorto purchasing
coursesdirectlyfromScientology,PMCclientsrepresentisolatedconstituentsof
the socialmovement(McCarthyandZald1987:29). Isolatedconstituentshaveno directinvolvementwith
the largersocial movement, and are thus tied only tenuously to the organization(1987: 30). Recruiting these
isolatedconstituentsdirectlyinto the social movementsand convertingthem into constituent-adherents
ensuresan increasedlevelof solidarityandfinancialsupport(McCarthy andZald1977:9, 1987:29-31).Thus,
froma resourcemobilization perspective,ScientologyutilizesPMCsto locateandobtainpotentialelite con-
stituent-adherents
to helpensureitscontinuedexistence.
When medicalprofessionals purchasemanagementconsultingfroma PMCaffiliatedwith Hubbard's
teachings,the PMCforwards a portionof that moneyto the Scientologysocialmovement.In this stageof
involvement,the professional is a constituentof the socialmovement.If the professionals
agreewith the
resultsof the personalityprofileand agreeto participatein Scientologycounselingor training,then they
acceptthe social movement'sabilityto assistthem in personalissues.In this stageof involvement,they
becomebothconstituentsandadherents of the movement.
23 In orderforan individualto
joina movement,"anaffectivebondmustdevelop,if it doesnot already
exist"(LoflandandStark1965:871). The developmentof a positive,interpersonal
tie betweena prospective
memberandone or moremovementmembersis the strongestprecipitating factorin organizationentry(Snow
andPhillips1980:440).
406 SOCIOLOGY
OFRELIGION
CONCLUSION
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MANAGINGTO RECRUIT:
RELIGIOUS IN THEWORKPLACE 409
CONVERSION