Like most Koch funded non-profits, the Seminar Network has re-branded 3 or 4 times in the last few years (e.g. Freedom Partners Shared Services, Center for Shared Services, etc.), but changing the name and slapping on a new coat of paint doesn’t address the core problems for this organization and others under the “Koch” non-profit brand.
They adhere to a management philosophy called Market Based Management (MBM) which was developed by Charles Koch for his private sector company Koch Industries. This management approach appears to be immensely successful for Koch Industries, but fails to transfer into a non-profit organization. In the Seminar Network MBM is weaponized and used to shutdown dissenting ideas, justify wasteful spending, and excuse a high employee turnover rate. MBM terms are thrown around so loosely that anybody walking in off the street would think you were speaking a different language. If I had to sit in one more meeting listening to somebody talk about “embracing change”, “creative destruction”, “failing small”, “challenging the status quo”, or any other MBM cliché I might have lost it. This brings me to another point, you will spend half your day sitting through useless meetings and MBM trainings. It doesn’t matter if you fall behind in your actual work because you’ve been stuck in meetings from 9-5. The answer is figure it out. I don’t know the reasons why MBM isn’t successful in the Seminar Network, but I would guess it’s because they have no real way of measuring their effectiveness as an organization or the products they produce. Everything is supported by donor money so there is no real profit incentive. Instead, they keep rebranding and changing their name. They’ve figured out that this is an easy way to refresh their image in the eyes of the donor and keep that money rolling in. In reality, this organization would have gone under years ago if asked to support itself in the free market. I feel bad for Mr. Koch because I doubt he has any idea how much of his money is being wasted on this boondoggle.
The final point I want to bring up is the office environment. This place is essentially high school. The amount of office politics and gossip that goes on behind your back is disturbing. If somebody has a problem with you or something you did, rather than confront you like an adult and attempt to solve the problem, they go behind your back to a manager or supervisor to complain. Once you get on somebody’s bad side, they will begin building a file on you and record everything in writing just in case they ever want to fire you, I mean “embrace change”. This organization is all about becoming buddy-buddy with those on top and the go along to get along mentality.
