Bethany Lee
IST 301
The Penn State Anime Organization (PSAO): Organizational Analysis
Although student organizations tend to change frequently as student involvement is
affected by various events over the years as well as during the school year, a considerable
amount of analysis can be done based on observable patterns. As a member of the
executive board for the third year, I feel that I am able to make more insightful
observations than many. As devoted a stakeholder however, there is no doubt that my
position will not only cause me to be blind to observations a newcomer may see, but will
also cause my position to be biased in nature. I will however, make an honest attempt to
grasp as complete a picture of the organization by not only collaborating with others, but
also through obtaining copies of documents new and old, reflecting the history and
growth of the organization.
PSAO Background and History
The Penn State Anime Organization (PSAO) is an organization that focuses on
providing the means for Penn State students to congregate and focus on various aspects
of Japanese pop culture and entertainment.
For years, the Penn State Science Fiction Society (PSSFS) served as Penn State’s
main student organization that took interest in anime. In 1993, members of PSSFS
planned and coordinated the first Otakon anime convention, now known as the largest
anime convention on the east coast (Memoirs). Six years later, Shawn Handyside
founded a club focused specifically on anime and cultural appreciation of foreign media
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under the name, the Penn State Anime Organization. Shortly after the first meeting was
held, an article about the formation of the new club in the Collegian had been published
in February 2000. This publicity resulted in the scrutiny of club’s rights to show
copyrighted material publicly. Club officers had failed to obtain proper permission to
show the films and faced legality issues (Savini). Only six PSAO meetings were held
before the president resigned. Nathan Urban took the initiative to find a way to continue
holding meetings where students could anime. PSSFS took over the PSAO and added
viewing of anime into its organizational mission (Who). Students continued to face
troubles in acquiring resources such as member attendance, legal anime to show, funding,
and access to proper audio and video equipment for anime screenings (Norcia).
The PSAO was re-born when a member of the original 1999 club, Sara Savini, recreated a club focused on anime separate from PSSFS. Her goal was to rebuild PSAO’s
legitimacy by contacting outside organizations to acquire proper permissions to show
anime (Norcia). By 2002, a new formal constitution had been written, new executive
positions were filled, the website had been redesigned, and members were attending
weekly anime screenings (Penn). In 2003, the organization began to transition from its
birth stage into its growth stage. The initial purpose of the 2002 club, “[to be] committed
to promoting the enjoyment of Japanese anime and manga,” began expanding to
encompass appreciation for various other aspects of Asian pop-culture. Bi-weekly
gatherings were held to play Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) and enjoy Asian food. The
PSAO is still in its growth stage, as experimentation and great changes are continuously
being made
Environment
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In the early years, the PSAO encountered many pressures, especially during its birth
stage. In its specific environment, the PSAO faced scrutiny from other organizations. In
its more general environment, still within the university, the organization continues to
face economic, technological, legal, demographic and cultural, and environmental forces.
Specific Environment
During the planning and execution of the re-founding as separate club, founders faced
strong opposition from PSSFS. As an organization with its legitimacy stemming from a
long-established history, PSSFS was able to do fans of anime a favor by assisting in
providing the means to hold anime screenings. By doing this favor, PSSFS enjoyed
increased access to resources through larger membership. Formation of a separate anime
club would claim a large number of its members (Savini). The PSAO made an effort to
maintain close ties with PSSFS for two years, but the relationship was strained and
members from each club stopped attending the other organization’s meetings.
The PSAO also experienced pressure from organizations such as the Undergraduate
Student Government (USG) to strictly adhere to university policy. The PSAO continues
to face pressure from the USG, but is now more comfortable now that it has established a
level of legitimacy and more formal procedures.
In 2003 and 2004, the PSAO faced competition from the newly forming DDR club.
As the PSAO had just incorporated playing DDR into its mission and the USG had
dictated that two clubs must not overlap in missions, the PSAO attempted to create a joint
venture with the newly forming club. Attempting to form an alliance with the DDR club
failed due to the differing organizational culture of the two organizations. Fortunately,
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the USG rule had been removed and both organizations hold meetings for the enjoyment
of DDR (Lewis).
General Environment
Like many smaller student organizations at Penn State, the PSAO has faced financial
problems. Policy states that funds earned through participating in the Hot Spot at the
HUB LateNight event, a large percentage of the funds the organization receives, are put
in a restricted account used only for “office supplies, advertising, postage, copying, and
telephone charges” (AID). While these funds are potentially useful, the PSAO more
urgently needs funds for purchasing copies of media, equipment, and other resources for
making club events more enjoyable. To alleviate this problem, the club has provided
member benefits and accepted donations, frequently screens copies of media from
members’ personal collections, and have made purchases by sacrificing their wallets.
Holding more fundraising efforts and approaching area student governments, such as the
West Halls Residence Association (WHRA), would most likely further solve the problem.
The PSAO is extremely dependent on technology and has never established a stable
means of obtaining it. Currently, the only electronic device the organization owns is a
VCR. The PSAO must rely on university and members’ personal equipment to hold
weekly screenings. For the past year, the club has been fortunate to have a member who
is willing to allow the club to use their personal projector and screen (Tarlecki).
Previously, the use of the WHRA television has limited member attendance due to the
difficulty of viewing subtitles.
Club membership is deeply affected by student opinion. As the years have passed,
awareness and interest in Japanese anime and other aspects of Asian pop-culture have
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increased. While many more students appreciate anime, many do not join because of
negative stereotypes. While the club has not been actively making efforts to challenging
these stereotypes, greater publicity has the tendency to have a positive effect on
membership rates (Lewis).
A negative force that continues to affect the PSAO is competition for space. It is
common for two or more organizations to consistently compete for the same facility at
the same time. In the past, this has resulted in the Public Relations officer camping out
every week in front of the Residence Life office long before it opened. (Eventually
negotiations between the two organizations were made). Signing up for the Hot Spot, the
Involvement Fair, and for office space in the HUB are also often made serious issues due
to competition from various organizations.
Current Organizational Structure
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Like most small organizations, the Penn State Anime Organization utilizes a
functional structure—each division of the executive board focuses on a set of similar
tasks. Although there appears to be a relatively large number of levels of hierarchy, the
way the organization functions is very organic as the executive board is rather
decentralized.
The advisor is a faculty member whose role is to oversee the club’s functions and
ensure that activities adhere to the university policy.
The Administrative Board
The president serves as the head of the executive board by keeping track of the club’s
key issues of interest and maintaining order at executive meetings. The president
consults the executive board regarding decision making and rarely makes decisions on his
or her own. The public relations officer is responsible for interactions with outside
organizations; this includes reserving rooms and equipment for events, obtaining
permissions from distributors to screen media, communicating with other clubs, and
negotiating with companies for members’ perks. The vice president’s roles are to oversee
the various committees under the Board of Directors and to act as head of the Executive
Board in the president’s absence. The secretary manages the club mailing list, records
minutes, and keeps track of membership attendance. The treasurer’s role is to raise and
manage funds and to inform and advise the Executive Board on spending of the budget.
The Board of Directors
Each committee is headed by a committee director appointed by the Executive Board.
Creation of new committees must be approved by the entire board. (Recently, active
members of the club have appealed to the Executive Board to create two new committees,
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the Social Committee and the Culture Committee. After a board-wide discussion, the
club came to the conclusion that creating these boards would spread the club’s resources
too thin; specifically the time students have available to coordinate more activities. The
student proposing the creation of the Culture Committee later took the initiative to form a
new separate club focusing specifically on Japanese culture.) Currently, there are no
permanent members of each committee other than the committee heads. It is likely that
this is due to the relatively low level of work required to fulfill most committee tasks as
well as the relatively small size of the organization. However, the intention to keep
committees open for any member to provide feedback has proven successful—early in
the semester, many members attended to the Viewings Committee meetings to assist and
provide feedback for what media should be scheduled for each meeting.
Roles of the Committees
As previously mentioned, the role of the Viewings Committee is to schedule what
media is to be screened. Decisions are based off of member votes and recommendations
as well as the desire to provide a variety of genres. Also affecting decisions is the newly
applied method of voting taking place at the end of each screening—members decide
which of the two anime shown at the meeting that they would like to continue with next
meeting.
The Import Gaming Committee is responsible for coordinating the bi-weekly gaming
event where three stations gaming stations are set up in a recreational room, allowing
members to play a variety of different games. The head is responsible for reserving the
room, obtaining equipment, and the set-up and close down.
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The Web Team currently manages the club website, updates schedules, and monitors
message board activity.
The Library Committee maintains the club library and lending network composed of
all legal copies of anime, manga, and video games that club members may borrow from
one another. The Library Committee is currently making the inventory list more
accessible to members by creating a database to better systemize and keep track of
transactions.
The Conventions and Cosplay Committee is responsible for coordinating the
registration, transportation, and lodging for members’ attendance to anime conventions.
The Conventions and Cosplay Committee also organizes and obtains resources for
costume workshops.
Executive Board Observers and Other Club Members
Also in attendance of executive meetings are members who are interested in the
functions of the anime club. These members have a stronger influence in club decisionmaking and have a higher chance of being elected or appointed to an executive position.
Other members are invited to voice their opinions during decision-making processes.
Active members, who have attended a minimum of three club events, have the ability to
run for executive positions. Active members may also obtain a membership card with
discounts to various deals from local businesses and entrance to private events (About).
The Old Structure
The current structure of the PSAO is relatively new. Currently, it functions more
smoothly and efficiently than the previous structure that was still in place last semester.
The previous structure did not include a distinction within the Executive Board between
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the Administrative Board and the Board of Directors. With this, there was excessive
discussion and debate; frequently leading to slow-decisions making and inability to
address all key issues. An attempt to rectify this led to the creation of a Parliamentarian
whose role was to apply Robert’s Rules of Order. This attempt to formalize decisionmaking proved a failure; the process for making complicated decisions was not
significantly shortened and quick decision-making was made lengthier (Savini). The
current structure allows only the president and Administrative Board to vote on large
issues, speeding the decision-making process up in most situations. All present members
still maintain the right to voice their opinions before a decision is made (Lewis).
Power and Control
As a relatively small organization run by students, the PSAO utilizes a clan
organization type of control system. Members of the executive board use informal means
of controlling productivity, namely through cultural norms, which will be discussed later.
Decision-making
Although the executive board is formally stratified in power, this part of the
organizational structure becomes relatively flat in times of discussion and decisionmaking. This decentralization creates a very open atmosphere for communication. In the
past, this level of communication has had the previously mentioned adverse effects on the
decision-making process. The current constitution more clearly defines the roles of
executive positions and has reduced redundancy. In addition to increasing efficiency, this
move has increased motivation. (Members no longer have the impression that “someone
else” will do the job).
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The most commonly used decision-making model the PSAO uses is the unstructured
model. As a relatively small organization, decisions are generally simple and are not
costly to make. There is widespread agreement among members that the general goals
are to increase legitimacy, satisfaction, and innovation. Especially as a new organization,
efforts to be innovative results in uncertainty. Often times, as problems are encountered,
alternatives are reconsidered.
Despite the PSAO’s informal nature of operating, decision-making and other
procedures have been becoming slightly more formalized. While the club constitution
and policy established by the government and university seem to be the only sources of
formal control, tasks pertaining to organizing regular events have been becoming more
standardized. This is due not only to the increased clarity in role definition, but also to
the accumulation of the organization’s experience.
Power
The types of power that are evident in the PSAO are legitimate, expert, and reward
power. The president and members of the Administrative Board are elected by members
present at the club-wide election meeting. To run for any position of the executive board,
one must be an active member—a member who has attended a minimum of three club
events. Candidates present their arguments to the club members (while other candidates
running for the same position are sent out of the room) before voting takes place.
Because these members are elected by the club, they possess a significant level of
legitimate power. (Such elections are not always foolproof, however; in the past,
candidates invited a large number of their friends to the one election meeting to increase
the number of votes favoring specific candidates).
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Members of the Board of Directors possess levels of expert power and legitimate
power as candidates must submit an application and appeal to the Administrative Board
demonstrating their abilities to fulfill tasks of the open positions. Although the
committee heads may be substitutable as tasks do not require much special skill, other
members tend to agree on which committee head has the most authority over a given task,
due to role definitions. As committee heads become more experienced in their field of
work, the level of expert power increases. Legitimate power and expert power may be
lacking in the situation that a committee head member is appointed for reasons unrelated
to skill level.
Reward power exists in the form of recognition and praise for good accomplishments.
Recognition may lead to more legitimacy and power to make decisions.
Other types of power that have been observed in the organizational history are
nonsubstitutability and unobtrusive power. In the past, a candidate was elected after
having stated that he was the only candidate who was a member of the WHRA, an
association that requires membership to access resources required to hold the PSAO’s
weekly functions.
With a history of having a decentralized decision-making process, the PSAO has
proven to be vulnerable to unobtrusive power. In the past, conflicting coalitions have
formed, resulting in constitutional revisions. While it is debatable whether or not
proposed changes in the organizational structure were initially intended to oust the
opposing coalition, after long, drawn-out conflict, compromises were met, and the results
rewarded the organization with a new, improved organizational structure.
Control
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The PSAO’s manner of control is highly informal. The main method used is
management by objectives—every week, members of the executive board and observers
meet to collaborate on achieved accomplishments and planned short- and long-term goals.
Every member of the executive board presents a report, which is often followed by
board-wide discussion. As a clan organization, members trust one another to fulfill their
expectations, resulting in a form of peer pressure. Because members of the executive
board tend to develop close ties with one another, group-wide praise and criticism tend to
be a sufficiently effective method of control.
Organizational Culture
The Penn State Anime Organization’s culture is considerably weak. While most
members of the executive board have a good general sense of what the organization’s
values are, these values have never been formally discussed. The PSAO’s looselydefined terminal values are to create an enjoyable social atmosphere, to broaden
members’ horizons, to make events worthwhile for members, openness to innovation and
improvement, and to build an increasingly good reputation.
Creating an Enjoyable Social Atmosphere
There are many instrumental values involved in creating an enjoyable social
atmosphere. The PSAO feels it is absolutely necessary to provide members the means to
relax and take their minds off of work for a few hours each week. A highly effective way
to accomplish this is by socializing with others who share interests in the same
subcultures. Every year, freshmen are the most active in attendance and participation in
the club. Many feel that socializing with others at PSAO events help alleviate some of
the pressures experienced while transitioning into the college lifestyle. The executive
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board has through the years tried to increase the level of interaction between members
through various tactics. Tactics that have been successful and are currently in use are
holding a variety of events frequently, giving members many opportunities of various
types to congregate and relax; holding events in rooms that best facilitate more
interaction; showing funny video clips as an intermission at screening events to provoke
conversation; keeping executive meetings open for all members to attend; maintaining a
message board on the club website; and a general friendly approach in addressing club
members (humor is often a very good tool). Through the years, as a group, all members,
have become increasingly social. Unlike in past years, members are not afraid to laugh
out loud and whisper comments to the stranger sitting next to them.
Broadening Horizons
Many members of the PSAO share the sentiment that it is unhealthy to restrict oneself
to a single area of fandom. Members of the executive board feel that doing so leads to
missing out on various interesting aspects of culture. Aside from weekly anime
screenings, the club has branched out into the realms of video games, Asian food, anime
conventions, and costume creation. The PSAO has held much interest over the past years
in formally expanding into the areas of Asian music, traditional culture, manga, fan art,
fan fiction, anime music videos, live action movies, and Japanese language.
Unfortunately, the incorporation of observing more aspects of culture requires resources
that the PSAO does not currently have access to, such as the human resources required to
run more events. Executive board meetings are open to all members to further bring
insight regarding other cultural areas that the PSAO could explore.
Making Events Worthwhile
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In an age where most college students can obtain anime and video games through
broadband Internet connections with a few clicks of a button, many may wonder why a
student would be motivated to walk for fifteen minutes in freezing weather to watch
anime they could watch in the comfort of their own dorms. Many members of the
executive board admit that if they did not hold positions and did not have friends in the
PSAO that they would not show up to meetings. They key to creating value for members
is to make every meeting a lively experience. Careful planning goes into each meeting to
ensure that members will enjoy themselves. A recent procedure that was tested and has
succeeded this year is the anime episode voting system discussed earlier.
Openness to Innovation and Improvement
As trying new things out is regarded to be a source of excitement and fun, the
executive board is always looking for fresh ideas. Members of the executive board have
the tendency to become tightly knit with one another and subconsciously begin to think
alike. The main method the PSAO employs to keep up with changes is by making
executive members highly approachable and by providing other members with as much
information as they would like to know. All members are permitted and even encouraged
to attend weekly executive meetings, and the club website and mailing list provide a
means for members to view schedules, to communicate with one another, and to learn
about the club’s history. Members have many opportunities to voice what changes they
would like to see and to inform us of the types of things they are interested in.
Building a Good Reputation
While adhering to laws and communicating with outside organizations at a
professional level quickly becomes automatic and a value taken for granted by members
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of the executive board, this responsibility is not always so tacit with other members.
Executive members are frequently reminded of this existing organizational value when
new members volunteer to lend illegally obtained media. The head of the Web Team
frequently scours the club message board to censor any discussion promoting any such
illegal activities, the Viewings Committee must ensure that only legal copies of media are
shown, the Library Committee must ensure that no illegal media circulates in the lending
network, and the Public Relations officer must receive approval from entertainment
companies to publicly screen materials. Maintaining a good reputation is vital to future
interactions with outside organizations.
Norms
Most of the organization’s norms are related to maintaining a laid back atmosphere
and a professional image towards outside organizations. The way to gain a power in this
organization is to take the initiative to participate in discussion and show enthusiasm for
the planning of events. While presenting new ideas, it is unwise to be forceful. The way
the PSAO carries this process out is as follows: the main idea is proposed, members
discuss the feasibility and alternatives, and a conclusion is met. If the general sentiment
of the board is against the proposal, the issue should not be pushed until a later time, due
to time constraints in relation to the number of issues to be addressed executive meetings.
Socialization
The socialization process is highly informal. At the beginning of each semester, the
PSAO employs a collective method of socialization by holding an orientation meeting at
which executive board members explain to newcomers what the PSAO does and answers
questions. The PSAO also holds informational events at the Penn State Involvement Fair
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and Hot Spot at the HUB. Many members join without attending any informational
events and learn about the organization in an individualistic and random manner through
observation and questions. This manner also applies to members who attend executive
meetings. Because the socialization process is so informal, both divestiture and
investiture are common; similar to the way a group of friends will both praise and
criticize one another. However, because the PSAO’s atmosphere is very friendly and
members tend to be very understanding, investiture is used more frequently. The only
time a serial socialization process is used is when a newly appointed executive board
member must receive training from the retiring member.
Clashing of Cultures
In the past, the PSAO (in its more power-hungry days) has attempted to take over the
DDR club as it was beginning to form. This was unsuccessful as the members of the
other organization felt that the organizational culture of the PSAO was too weak—
members of the DDR club tend to be much more serious about playing DDR. They felt
that the PSAO, a much more laid-back club in general, would not suit the needs of their
club.
The Future of the PSAO
While student organizations tend to have erratic qualities due to the constant change
resulting from cycles related to school years and student graduation, it is likely that the
PSAO will continue in its growth stage for a reasonably long time. It is unlikely that
interest in Asian pop-culture will drop off in the near future. So long as the
organization’s processes become more formalized and communications between all
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levels of hierarchy remain open, fostering healthy evolutionary change, the organization
should be able to foster growth.
Works Cited
1. About the PSAO. Retrieved 1 Dec 2005. <http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/psao/
constitution.04.doc>
2. AID – Penn State University. Retrieved 3 Dec 2005. <http://www.clubs.psu.edu
/up/aid/web/ourchapter/howto/howtotreasury.html>.
3. Freeman, Anthony. “Anime fans form organization.” The Digital Collegian. 2 Mar
2004. < http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2000/02/02-18-00tdc/02-1800darts-14.asp>.
4. Jones, Gareth R. Organizational Theory, Design, and Change. Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2004.
5. Lewis, Annette. Personal interview. 3 Dec 2005.
6. Memoirs: 1994. Retrieved 1 Dec 2005. <http://www.otakon.com/memoirs_
1994.asp>.
7. Norcia, Nicholas. “Anime club features weekly showings on campus, attracts
students.” The Digital Collegian. 2 Mar 2004. <http://www.collegian.psu.edu/
archive/2004/03/03-02-04tdc/03-02-04darts-01.asp>.
8. Penn State Anime Organization. Retrieved 3 Dec 2005. <http://web.archive.org
/web/20021204193005/http://www.clubs.psu.edu/psao>.
9. PSAO – The Penn State Anime Organization. Retrieved 3 Dec 2005.
<http://web.archive.org/web/20000523184128/http://www.clubs.psu.edu/psao>.
10. Savini, Sara. Personal interview. 1 Dec 2005.
11. Tarlecki, Robert. Personal interview. 8 Dec 2005.
12. Welcome to the PSAO Webpage. Retrieved 3 Dec 2005. <http://web.archive.org
/web/20020328120144/http://www.clubs.psu.edu/psao>.
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13. Who are Who We Are and What We Do. Retreived 3 Dec 2005.
<http://web.archive.org/web/20020806065045/http://www.clubs.psu.edu/pssfs/ab
out-pssfs.html>.
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