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Backstage is a series of articles discussing various areas of dramatic production. Our desire is that this information will serve to inspire, educate, and aid you in your drama ministry.

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Who is in Charge Here?

One of the biggest problems I have encountered over the years has been in the area of organizational structure. The phrase "too many Chiefs and not enough Indians" has bounced around in my brain many a time! The problem, I believe, exists at the top and bottom of the working chain. I have had too many people to answer to and also too many people not taking responsibility for things because they didn't want to overstep their authority. So, is there a way to correct this problem?

Yes. I believe there is a need to establish an organizational structure in your group from the very beginning. In the business world no one would accept a job without first being given all the job responsibilities. Why should we in the drama field be any different? In addition, we need to be told who answers to whom. It is then up to the head authority to make sure that the job responsibilities and organizational charts are being adhered to. Sometimes when we are in a volunteer organization we do our best to work together without strife, but when we don't have lines of authority it sometimes causes dissension and turmoil.

Let us now walk through the process.

The first step in any project is to establish a budget. This budget should be established by the coordinator of your drama. Sometimes we forget that this budget should include not only financial considerations, but also how many people are necessary. If you don't have the people to meet the requirements of your project, save it until later. Burn-out is so frequent in this ministry!

Now, sit down and decide what areas of responsibility need to be covered and who will answer to whom. In essence, make an organization chart. This will show how each individual will relate to each other and hopefully keep the conflicts to a minimum.

Next, determine the requirements and expectation of your drama. Now, you know that as you work you will make last minute changes, but if you determine well in advance what the needs or desires of your coordinator are you will make your process easier.

Over the last few years I have discovered that I am not the effective communicator that I thought I was. I have found that I have misunderstood my Pastor and at times have done a fairly bad job of communicating my goals and desires and time-table to those I work with. Honestly, I have a hard time demanding anything from my talented, hard-working group of volunteers. Hence the problem! If from the very start each member of the group knows his or her responsibilities, who is responsible to whom, guidelines and budget considerations, the overall job goals, then together we work towards meeting those goals with very few conflicts!

As always, we welcome your comments and questions!

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