World Institute of Scientology Enterprises
Encyclopedia
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is an organization
affiliated with the Church of Scientology
that educates and assists businesses in the use of management methods and techniques developed by Scientology
founder, L. Ron Hubbard
, such methods and techniques being, like all of Hubbard's non-fiction writings, scripture of the Church of Scientology. The stated goal of WISE "is an ethical, sane and prosperous civilization" and "returning to business the values and ethical standards upon which it was founded: honesty, integrity, craftsmanship, rewards for productivity, commitment to the prosperity of entire communities and nations." However critics of WISE say that its real purpose is dissemination of and recruitment into Scientology and they reference the incorporation papers of WISE which include the statement "It is organized under the Nonprofit Religious Corporation Law primarily for religious purposes. Its purposes are to promote and foster the religious teachings of L. Ron Hubbard
in society, and to have and exercise all rights and powers from time to time granted to nonprofit corporations by law."
However the OEC was stated to work for any kind of organization if understood. Business not connected to the church wishing to improve their own success reportedly began hiring trained church staff in the 70s causing problems in the church. In the 1980s Hubbard created WISE with the intention of giving any non-church related organization a means to train their own staff so that Scientology churches and missions
could train their staff without fear of losing them to other groups.
denies that WISE is part of the church, internal publications such as The Command Channels of Scientology and WISE's place on the Scientology Org Board, as well as numerous reports that WISE affiliates are urged to recruit for Scientology in exchange for money, lead critics to assert that denials by Scientology are disingenuous.
WISE Members include e-Republic, which publishes Government Technology and Converge magazines and coordinates the Center for Digital Government. Other affiliated firms include various "alternative health" centers including "The Natural Health Centre" in Redondo Beach, CA which is owned and operated by Dr. Grace Syn.
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
affiliated with the Church of Scientology
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
that educates and assists businesses in the use of management methods and techniques developed by Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
founder, L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, such methods and techniques being, like all of Hubbard's non-fiction writings, scripture of the Church of Scientology. The stated goal of WISE "is an ethical, sane and prosperous civilization" and "returning to business the values and ethical standards upon which it was founded: honesty, integrity, craftsmanship, rewards for productivity, commitment to the prosperity of entire communities and nations." However critics of WISE say that its real purpose is dissemination of and recruitment into Scientology and they reference the incorporation papers of WISE which include the statement "It is organized under the Nonprofit Religious Corporation Law primarily for religious purposes. Its purposes are to promote and foster the religious teachings of L. Ron Hubbard
L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
in society, and to have and exercise all rights and powers from time to time granted to nonprofit corporations by law."
History
In the history of Scientology, Hubbard said about the early Churches of Scientology: "They are not business and so fail when they try to operate like one". He then began creating a new system of organizing these churches with the stated purpose of "Disseminating Scientology to the world." This new system was modified continually until circa 1980. In the late 60s, a project began compiling his notes into hard bound volumes that later became known as the Organization Executive Course or OEC. Originally intended as a training program for church executives (hence the name), Hubbard later made them available to all church staff and stated that all staff should train on them.However the OEC was stated to work for any kind of organization if understood. Business not connected to the church wishing to improve their own success reportedly began hiring trained church staff in the 70s causing problems in the church. In the 1980s Hubbard created WISE with the intention of giving any non-church related organization a means to train their own staff so that Scientology churches and missions
Scientology Missions International
Scientology Missions International is a Californian 501 non-profit corporation, which is located in Los Angeles, California. SMI is part of the Church of Scientology network....
could train their staff without fear of losing them to other groups.
Organization
While the Church of ScientologyChurch of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
denies that WISE is part of the church, internal publications such as The Command Channels of Scientology and WISE's place on the Scientology Org Board, as well as numerous reports that WISE affiliates are urged to recruit for Scientology in exchange for money, lead critics to assert that denials by Scientology are disingenuous.
- WISE headquarters are located in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 6331 Hollywood Blvd, in the Hollywood Guaranty Building. The corporate executives of WISE belong to the Sea OrgSea OrgThe Sea Organization or Sea Org is an association of Scientologists established in 1968 by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer and founder of Scientology. Its members are found in the central management organizations of the Church of Scientology as well as in individual churches...
of the Church of ScientologyChurch of ScientologyThe Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
.
- Hubbard College of Administration InternationalHubbard College of Administration InternationalHubbard College of Administration International is an unaccredited school that teaches administration using methods developed by Church of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The headquarters for the school is located at 320 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90004. The school began...
, which provides a "Degree program for an Associate of Applied Science Degree of Management and Administration", is located at 320 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California.
- WISE regional offices, which are at Church of ScientologyChurch of ScientologyThe Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
locations, coordinate the local level Charter Committees.
- Charter Committees of established members in local areas provide guidance and dispute mediation between WISE members instead of using the civil courts.
- Hubbard Management Consultants are WISE members licensed to sell services, seminars, training and courses based on Admin Tech and to encourage their clients to become WISE members. Consultants are encouraged to compete in the "WISE Consultant Expansion Game" with weekly standings. WISE consultants include "MasterTech Computer Products", Sterling Management SystemsSterling Management SystemsSterling Management Systems offers practice management seminars and training to Accounting, Medical and Dental and other private practice professionals. Founded in 1983 in the back office of a dental practice in Vacaville, Ca., it is currently located in a office in Glendale, CA. It has been named...
, Survival Strategies Inc., and David Singer Enterprises.
Membership
Membership in WISE means that the owner(s) of the firm have embraced Hubbard's administrative ideas such as management by statistics and the Org board and have agreed to abide by a certain Code of Ethics which includes arbitration by a WISE mediator of any disputes with another WISE member. That is the basic company membership. If the firm also wants to train its employees in the Hubbard administrative technology using WISE materials then they become a higher-level member a By paying pre-determined amount of money to the church of Scientology. Some employees and prospective employees have objected to this formal training in something that also forms a part of Scientology and a number have filed discrimination lawsuits with mixed results.WISE Members include e-Republic, which publishes Government Technology and Converge magazines and coordinates the Center for Digital Government. Other affiliated firms include various "alternative health" centers including "The Natural Health Centre" in Redondo Beach, CA which is owned and operated by Dr. Grace Syn.
Lawsuits
A number of firms use the WISE administrative technology in their practices and there have been a number of civil suits and discrimination cases brought by employees objecting to the material with mixed results:- In 2008, two former employees of DiskeeperDiskeeper-Further reading:#...
, a WISE member, sued the company for being dismissed for refusing to participate in Scientology training courses. - In 2006, the Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionEqual Employment Opportunity CommissionThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
filed a federal lawsuit against dentist K. Mike Dossett of Plano, TexasPlano, TexasPlano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
, on behalf on Dossett's former receptionist, Jessica Uretsky. The suit alleges that Uretsky was pressured to study Scientology during mandatory meetings on her own time, and was told to "increase business by concentrating on her phone to make it ring". - In 2005, dentist Daniel Stewart and his Smile Savers Dentistry in Baltimore, Maryland were sued by former employee Tammy Bright. She accused her employer of religious discrimination for failure to adapt her religious beliefs to Scientology. Devora Lindeman, Stewart's attorney who is also a Scientologist herself, denied the allegations and said Bright was fired for "poor performance." ("Woman claims she was fired unfairly over Scientology" by Laura Cadiz, The Baltimore Sun, March 4, 2005)
- In 2003, three former employees of Aurora, Ohio dentist C. Aydin Cabi asserted in court that Dr. Cabi dismissed them from their jobs for their refusal to take part in Sterling Management's Scientology-based seminars.
- In 2002, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionEqual Employment Opportunity CommissionThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
filed a lawsuit on behalf of former employees of dentist Juan Villareal and Harlingen Family Dentistry in Harlingen, TexasHarlingen, TexasHarlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...
who refused to attend Scientology training courses. - In 1998, dentist Roger N. Carlsten was sued for religious discrimination in the workplace by former employee Susan Morgan, who alleged in court that she was fired for refusing to take a Scientology-filled Hubbard Administrative Technology "statistics" course. A Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
Superior CourtSuperior courtIn common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases...
jury, however, cleared the dentist of the charges. - In 1994, Christina M. Goudeau of Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
filed suit against Landmark Dental Care. Goudeau reported she was fired because she was expected to join the Church of Scientology, and to use Scientology practices and terminology in the office. - In 1992, two former assistants of dentist Lyn V. Bates filed suit in Canton, OhioCanton, OhioCanton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, claiming they "were continually, against their will, subjected to religious recruitment, proselytizing and brainwashing by defendants in fervent attempts to convert them to the Scientology cult." ("Dental assistants say firing result of their rejection of Scientology", by David Knox, Akron Beacon Journal, September 2, 1992)
External links
- WISE
- Sterling Management
- Hubbard College of Administration site
- Site critical of WISE
- Managing to recruit: religious conversion in the workplace, Deana Hall, Sociology of Religion, Winter, 1998.
- Expert report prepared for the plaintiff in the case of EEOC v. I-20 Animal Medical Center, Dr. Stephen A. Kent, November 9, 1999.
- WISE Charter Committees
- WISE Consultant's Guide to Bridge Dissemination