EMERGENT ORDER AND SELF-ORGANIZATION - A CASE-STUDY OF ALCOHOLICS-ANONYMOUS

Based on a case study of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the authors argue that some self-help organizations are able to translate their transiti on of group-level experiential learning into unique organization-wide learning cultures. The underlying premise of such learning cultures is that organization-level structures and processes evolve in response t o group-level experiences. Instead of adopting a rigidly centralized, top-down approach, some self-help organizations appear to be driven by the collective needs and experiences of their member groups. In some cases, the most critical role of the central organizing body is to cre ate a context within which multiple, diverse local groups are allowed to organize themselves according to their unique circumstances, opport unities, and challenges. The article uses a perspective in which if is possible to understand AA's approach to organization as the enactment of a self-organizing, emergent design process that is driven by an or ganizational culture of experimental learning and examples the relevan ce of this to other self-help organizations.