In our last article in which we discussed the institutionalization process in political parties and movements, we mentioned the dual effect of charismatic leaders in institutionalization and stated that the necessity of addressing the issue of institutionalization after charismatic leaders in general emerged.
So, which criteria come to the fore in the institutionalization process or should they come to the fore? This week I will try to address some basics on this topic.
First of all, it should be noted that in these days when politics in Turkey has moved to an unpredictable point, and new calculations are made in politics, just like in the period before 2002, this issue is important in terms of setting the politics on a healthy ground.
However, when such an effort is undertaken, there is often a concern that institutionalization will lead to routinization and dullness and obstruction in parties.
In fact, this point of view cannot be rejected altogether. An institutionalization approach that ignores the human factor can indeed stabilize the structures after a certain period of time.
For this reason, it is important to plan the parameters of the institutionalization process correctly.
When academic studies are examined, it is seen that some topics are highlighted in this sense in the process of institutionalization.
First of all, it is important to identify the red lines in the structural context. The criteria for appointment and dismissal should be clearly stated in all units from the level of the chairman to the lowest level.
It should be made predictable according to which criteria the persons elected to decision making bodies are determined in a structural context.
The question of how the new person to be elected to a position vacated due to force majeure such as a resignation or death should be answered clearly and understandably.
Apart from this, there is a necessity to ensure a healthy and correct transfer of the values of the movement from generation to generation.
Of course, although there may be various changes in the handling of some issues periodically, the preservation of the basic principles is indispensable in terms of institutionalization.
While planning a future-oriented fiction with institutionalization, making it detached from the past can lead institutionalization to metamorphosis and even objectification.
If done; it actually means going to a new structuring, not institutionalization.
For this reason, the values of the movement have to be compatible with the establishment codes while being transferred from generation to generation. In other words, there is an obligation to be consistent in value implantation.
If a movement becomes undefended or changes its tone during its defense, it may fall into a void or cause doubts about being consistent.
Therefore, one of the important titles mentioned among the institutionalization criteria is consistency in action and discourse.
In fact, this consistency will pave the way for its own positioning in terms of party or movements.
In the decision-making processes, for example, in the face of current developments such as the new Constitution debate, discourses or actions consistent with the history of the movement will put it in a separate position on the basis of discussion.
For example, in Turkey, the National Opinion (Milli Görüş) parties' constructing their own actions and discourse without taking a stand on any of the left or right parties on issues concerning the country has elevated it to a distinct position in political life.
It is stated in scientific circles that the actual beginning of the transition to multi-party life in Turkey was experienced with the establishment of the National Order Party, and that this way it was possible to switch from two-party fiction to multi-party fiction.
As a result, it should be noted that the institutionalization process includes becoming predictable. For this, there is an obligation to be a movement that manages to be consistent in its actions and discourse, instill value in its members and consolidate its members.
In addition, it would be an incomplete assessment to perceive institutionalization as a departure from natural development. What is meant; It is the determination of the codes of the functioning and ideological positioning of the movement.
Such a character of movements will make politics predictable.