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'''Landmark Worldwide''' (formerly '''Landmark Education'''), or simply '''Landmark''', is a [[limited liability company]] headquartered in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]]. It offers programs in [[personal development]]. The company claims that more than 2.2 million people have taken Landmark's programs since its founding in 1991, and that it hosts courses in approximately 115 locations across more than 20 countries.
'''Landmark Worldwide''' (formerly '''Landmark Education'''), or simply '''Landmark''', is a [[limited liability company]] headquartered in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], [[California]]. It offers programs in [[personal development]]. The company claims{{Weasel word}} that more than 2.2 million people have taken Landmark's programs since its founding in 1991, and that it hosts courses in approximately 115 locations across more than 20 countries.


The company started with the purchase of [[intellectual property]] rights developed by [[Werner Erhard]], founder of [[Erhard Seminars Training|''est'']]. Landmark has developed and delivered over 40 personal development programs. Its subsidiary, the Vanto Group, markets and delivers training and consulting to organizations.
The company started with the purchase of [[intellectual property]] rights developed by [[Werner Erhard]], founder of [[Erhard Seminars Training|''est'']]. Landmark has developed and delivered over 40 personal development programs. Its subsidiary, the Vanto Group, markets and delivers training and consulting to organizations.

Revision as of 13:28, 7 September 2013

Not to be confused with Landmark School.
Landmark Worldwide
Company typePrivate LLC
Industryself-help, self-improvement, personal development, management consulting, continuing education
FoundedJanuary 1991
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, U.S.
Key people
Harry Rosenberg: Director;[1] CEO

Mick Leavitt: President
Joe DiMaggio – Director, Research, Design & Development

Nancy Zapolski: Vice President, Program Delivery Division
ProductsThe Landmark Forum, associated coursework
RevenueDecreaseUSD$77 million (2009)[2]
Number of employees
525+ employees;[2]
800 trained leaders, some of whom volunteer their time;[3][failed verification]
SubsidiariesThe Vanto Group (formerly Landmark Education Business Development or LEBD, from 1993 to 2007)
Landmark Education International, Inc.[4]
Tekniko Licensing Corporation
Rancord Company, Ltd.
WebsiteLandmark's homepage

Landmark Worldwide (formerly Landmark Education), or simply Landmark, is a limited liability company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It offers programs in personal development. The company claims[weasel words] that more than 2.2 million people have taken Landmark's programs since its founding in 1991, and that it hosts courses in approximately 115 locations across more than 20 countries.

The company started with the purchase of intellectual property rights developed by Werner Erhard, founder of est. Landmark has developed and delivered over 40 personal development programs. Its subsidiary, the Vanto Group, markets and delivers training and consulting to organizations.

Landmark's programs have been categorized by scholars and others as religious in nature. In some quarters, it has been classed as a cult, with some participants alleging the use of manipulative and coercive techniques. Landmark denies such characterizations and has pressed lawsuits in response to such claims.

History

Landmark Worldwide LLC, known from May 7, 1991[4] to February 26, 2003[5] as "Landmark Education Corporation (LEC)", and from February 26, 2003 to July 16, 2013 as Landmark Education LLC, purchased certain rights to a presentation known as The Forum from Werner Erhard and Associates.[6] Since then, the name of the presentation has been changed to "The Landmark Forum" and the content has been revised. The group of people who purchased the rights registered themselves initially as Transnational Education, as The Centers Network, and (in Japan) as Rancord Company, Ltd.. Incorporation as "Landmark Education Corporation" (LEC) took place later in 1991. "Landmark Education International, Inc.", the first Landmark name incorporated in the State of California, was filed on June 22, 1987.[7] In February 2003, Landmark Education LLC succeeded LEC.[5]

The coursework and pedagogy of WEA evolved from est, founded by Werner Erhard in 1971. According to Landmark Education, Erhard consults from time to time with its "Research and Design team".[8] Terry Giles, Chairman of the Board, is credited with resolving a long-standing rift among the descendants of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.[9][10]

Corporation

Landmark Worldwide LLC operates as an employee-owned for-profit private company. According to Landmark's website, its employees own all the stock of the corporation, with no individual holding more than 3%. The company states that it operates in such a way as to invest its surpluses into making its programs, initiatives, and services more widely available.[2] In addition, its subsidiary, the Vanto Group, focuses on marketing and delivering training and consultation services to corporate clients and other organizations.[11]

The company claims that, since its founding in 1991, more than 2.2 million people have participated in its programs.[12] It also claims to hold holds seminars in approximately 115 locations, spread across more than 20 nations.[13] Landmark stated in 2005 that annual attendance at its courses was 200,000, with 70,000 to 80,000 participants in the Landmark Forum.[14] It has stated tthat from 1991 to 2008 more than 1 million people had taken part in Landmark's introductory program, the Landmark Forum.[15] Landmark reported revenues of approximately $81 million as of 2011.[2]

Business consulting

Vanto Group, Inc., founded in 1993 as "Landmark Education Business Development" (LEBD), a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Worldwide Enterprises, Inc., uses the techniques of Landmark to provide consulting services to various companies. The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business carried out a case study in 1998 into the work of LEBD with BHP New Zealand Steel. The report concluded that the set of interventions in the organization produced a 50% improvement in safety, a 15% to 20% reduction in key benchmark costs, a 50% increase in return on capital, and a 20% increase in raw steel production.[16] LEBD became the Vanto Group in 2007.

Companies such as Panda Express and Lululemon Athletica pay for and encourage employees to take part in The Landmark Forum.[17][18]

Licensing intellectual property

Tekniko, Inc., formerly owned by Werner Erhard, was the successor organization to Transformational Technologies, which was incorporated in 1984 by Erhard and management consultant James Selman.[19] Tekniko Licencing Corporation, a California corporation owned by Terry M. Giles, later acquired this technology. In 2001 Landmark Education formed Tekniko Licensing Corporation, a Nevada corporation, which purchased Tekniko Technology from Giles' company.[20][21]

Since that time, the Vanto Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Landmark Worldwide, has used Tekniko to license the "Tekniko methodology and intellectual property to a wide variety of corporations".[22]

Course content

The Landmark Forum takes place over three consecutive days and an evening session (generally Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday evening.) Each full day begins at 9:00 a.m. and typically ends at approximately 10:00 p.m. Breaks are approximately every 2–3 hours, with a 90-minute dinner break. The evening session generally runs from 7:00 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. Course size varies between 75 and 250 people.[23] Rules are set up at the beginning of the program, such as strongly encouraging participants not to miss any part of the program.[24] Attendees are also urged to be “coachable” and not just be observers during the course.[24][25] The program is arranged as a discussion where the course leader presents certain ideas and the course participants engage in voluntary sharing with the course leader to discuss how those ideas apply to their own life.[15] Ideas presented, asserted and discussed include the following:

  • There is a big difference between what actually happened in a person’s life and the meaning or interpretation they made up about it[15]
  • People pursue an imaginary someday of satisfaction[23]
  • Human behavior is governed by a need to look good [24]
  • People add meaning to events in their life which are not necessarily true[23]
  • People have persistent complaints that give rise to unproductive fixed ways of being[24][25][26]
  • People can “transform” by a creative act of bringing forth new ways of being, rather than trying to change themselves in comparison to the past[23]
  • Course participants are encouraged to call people they know during the course who they are incomplete with and either be in communication with the other person or be responsible for their own behavior.[23][24][26]
  • The Tuesday evening session completes the Landmark Forum with several further distinctions and sharing by participants about the results they got. Course attendees bring guests to learn about the Landmark Forum.[23][25][26]

Community projects

Some other Landmark courses encourage or require participants to create a community project.[27][28][29] In the Self-Expression and Leadership Program, participants are required to undertake a project that benefits the larger community or society as a whole.[30][31][32][33]

In the Team, Management, and Leadership Program, participants create four team-based community projects.[34]

Evaluations and reviews

The New York Times reporter Henry Alford summarized his review of The Landmark Forum by saying "Two months after the Forum, I'd rate my success at 84 percent. I'm more prone to telling loved ones and colleagues, in person and without glibness, that I love or admire them. But I still operate from a base position that people are a lot of effort."[35] Time reporter Nathan Thornburgh, in his review of The Landmark Forum, said "At its heart, the course was a withering series of scripted reality checks meant to show us how we have created nearly everything we see as a problem …I benefited tremendously from the uncomfortable mirror the course had put in front of me."[36]

The Irish Mail on Sunday says the effects of The Landmark Forum "...can be startling. People find themselves reconciled with parents, exes and friends. They have conversations they have wanted to have with their families for years; they meet people or get promoted in work."[37]

Landmark makes extensive use of web-published and word-of-mouth testimonials from customers to portray its effectiveness, and supplements these with studies, surveys, and opinions.[38]

Some observers[who?] question whether and to what degree Landmark courses benefit participants. Others[who?] criticize the use of volunteers by Landmark; others[who?] highlight the connections with other groups and with Werner Erhard. Landmark has been criticized by some for being overzealous in encouraging people to participate in its courses.[39]

Disputed religious character

Many scholars have categorized Landmark and its predecessor organizations as new age, self religions or new religious movements.[40] Others, such as Chryssides, classify Landmark as either quasi-religious or secular with some elements of religion.[41] Various governments have also classed Landmark as new religions. Various governments have also classed Landmark as new religions and some have classified it as dangerous (though some scholars have disputed this characterization).[42] Others have also included Landmark in cult typologies[43] or commented on characteristics shared with such groups without labeling it as a cult,[44] with former members reporting manipulative and coercive techniques such as sleep deprivation.[45] Landmark has vociferously denied that it is a religion, cult or sect.[46]

Articles about the Forum have mentioned allegations that it has "cult-like" characteristics.[47] Landmark rejects the cult label and "freely threatens or pursues lawsuits against those who call it one."[48] Journalists Amelia Hill with The Observer and Karin Badt from The Huffington Post have witnessed the Landmark Forum and concluded that, in their view, it is not a cult. Hill wrote, "It is ... simple common sense delivered in an environment of startling intensity." Badt noted the organisation's emphasis on "'spreading the word' of the Landmark forum as a sign of the participants' 'integrity'" in recounting her personal experience of an introductory "Landmark Forum" course. Part of this theme included repeated comparisons between program participants and Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.[49] Badt also noted that, "At the end of the day, I found the Forum innocuous. No cult, no radical religion: an inspiring, entertaining introduction of good solid techniques of self-reflection, with an appropriate emphasis on action and transformation (not change)", pointing instead to problems lying with uncritical participants.[23]

Landmark makes no claims to being a religion, but some academic observers have nonetheless noted relationships between the training programs and religion. Others have noted a lack of religious elements in the programs or the compatibility of the programs with existing religions.[50] Academic sources have suggested that the programs possess religious features and/or address participants' spiritual needs.[51]

Following a series of investigative articles in the national daily Dagens Nyheter[52][53][54] and programs on the private TV channel TV4, Landmark also closed its offices in Sweden[55] as of June 2004. The French office of Landmark closed in July 2004 after labor inspectors, following a site visit that noted the activities of volunteers, made a report of undeclared employment.[56]

Legal disputes

Main article: Landmark Education litigation

Since its formation in 1991, Landmark Worldwide LLC has initiated several lawsuits around the world, pressing defamation actions against authors and journalists who have intimated that it is a cult. Critics of Landmark have portrayed these actions as an assault on free speech or an attempt to suppress legitimate comment, whereas Landmark Education has insisted that it only seeks to have inaccurate statements corrected and to protect its products from unfair disparagement.[57][58] In addition, other actions have been brought by individuals who have been required by their employers to attend seminars delivered by Landmark and Vanto. Landmark has also initiated actions against websites such as Google and the Internet Archive to remove material it deems defamatory and to protect the content of its courses.[59]

References

  1. ^ (January 7, 2002). "Landmark Education Celebrates 11 Years of Business and Growth". LandmarkEducation.com. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d LandmarkWorldwide.com. Landmark Fact Sheet. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
  3. ^ The Landmark Seminar Leader Program. LandmarkWorldwide.com. Retrieved on July 16, 2013.
  4. ^ a b (January 16, 1991). Articles of Incorporation, dike.de. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
    Quote: "This letter serves as the consent by Landmark Education Corporation for the use of the name "Landmark Education International, Inc." by our wholly-owned subsidiary, currently known as Werner Erhard and Associates International, Inc."
  5. ^ a b LP/LLC information. California Secretary of State. Filed February 26, 2003. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  6. ^ Pressman, Steven (1993). Outrageous Betrayal: The dark journey of Werner Erhard from est to exile. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-09296-2, p. 254. (Out of print).
  7. ^ Corporation information. California Secretary of State. Filed June 22, 1987. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  8. ^ Faltermayer, Charlotte; Richard Woodbury (March 16, 1998). The Best of Est?. Time. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
  9. ^ Dewan, Shaila (May 3, 2010). "Hired to Bring Order, Kings' Adviser Brings Peace". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2010-11-02. Terry M. Giles ... the self-improvement techniques of EST. (Werner Erhard, the creator of EST, is a client.)
  10. ^ Dow Jones & Co., Inc. (2010). "Landmark Education Corporation". The Business Journals. American City Business Journals, Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-02. Landmark Education Corporation - Company Executives - Terry Giles - Chairman of the Board
  11. ^ (February 1, 2008). "Landmark Education Business Development, LEBD, Changes Name to Vanto Group". Reuters. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
  12. ^ LandmarkWorldwide.com. Who Participates. Retrieved on September 1, 2013.
  13. ^ See:
  14. ^ LandmarkWorldwide.com. About Landmark. Retrieved on July 16, 2013.
  15. ^ a b c Stassen, Wilma (September 2008). "Inside a Landmark Forum Weekend" Health 24[dead link]
  16. ^ Logan, David C. (1998). "Transforming the Network of Conversations in BHP New Zealand Steel: Landmark Education Business Development's New Paradigm for Organizational Change", University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business, L984-01.
  17. ^ "General Tso, Meet Steven Covey". Business Week. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  18. ^ "Lululemon's Cult of Selling". Fast Company. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  19. ^ Norman Bodek (1985). ReVision: The Journal of Consciousness and Change, Vol 7, No. 2, Winter 1984 / Spring 1985
  20. ^ Case Financial Inc · DEFM14A. SEC filings on secinfo.com. Filed May 3, 2000. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
    Quote: "Mr. Giles is the owner of Tekniko Licensing Corporation, which licenses intellectual properties owned by Tekniko to businesses throughout the world."
  21. ^ Pacific Biometrics, filings. Form SB-2. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  22. ^ Landmark Education information.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Badt, Karen (March 5, 2008). "Karin Badt: Inside The Landmark Forum". The Huffington Post. Retrieved on October 22, 2008.
  24. ^ a b c d e Hill, Amelia (2008-03-05). "I thought I'd be brainwashed. But how wrong could I be…". The Guardian. London: www.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  25. ^ a b c McCrone, John (2008-11-22). "A Landmark Change". The Press. The Press (New Zealand).
  26. ^ a b c Odasso, Diane (2008-06-05). "My Landmark Experience". The Huffington Post. www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  27. ^ "Velo and Vintage on Second Saturday". Sacramento Press. 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  28. ^ 31/entertainment/24990821_1_breast-cancer-survivors-breast-cancer-survivors-duck-breast "Cherish the mammary: Restaurants raise funds for breast cancer survivors". Philadelphia Daily News. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2011-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  29. ^ "Some of Detroit's Major Miracle Makers". Time Magazine, Detroit Blog. 2010-09-21. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
  30. ^ "Cyclists gear up for challenging event". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  31. ^ Mauro, Lucia (2001-10-26). "Middle Eastern arts on tap". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  32. ^ "Helping professionals take up community welfare projects". Chennai, India: Hindu Times. 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  33. ^ "Charity walk to boost anti-suicide initiatives". Bay of Plenty Times. 2011-08-20. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  34. ^ "Local couple finds true love is closer than you think". The Daily Courier. 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  35. ^ Alford, Henry (2010-11-26). "You're O.K., but I'm Not. Let's Share". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  36. ^ "Change We Can (Almost) Believe In". TIME Magazine. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
  37. ^ "Landmark Forum: One Weekend to fix your LIFE?". Irish Mail on Sunday. 2012-02-18.
  38. ^ "Brief Quotes". LandmarkEducation.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  39. ^ Graham Rayman, "Suit Against Sperm-Bank Firm Claims Sexual Harassment and Cult-Like Behavior", Village Voice, 20 May 2008
  40. ^ See:
    • Barker, Eileen (1996). "New Religions and Mental Health". In Bhugra, Dinesh (ed.). Psychiatry and Religion: Context, Consensus and Controversies. London and New York: Routledge. p. 126. ISBN 0415089557.
    • Beckford, James A. (2003). Social Theory and Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 156. ISBN 0-521-77431-4.
    • Beckford, James A. (2004). "New Religious Movements and Globalization". In Lucas, Phillip Charles; Robbins, Thomas (eds.). New Religious Movements in the 21st Century. Abingdon and New York: Routledge. p. 256. ISBN 0-415-96576-4.
    • Clarke, Peter B. (2012). "New Religious Movements". In Taliaferro, Charles; Harrison, Victoria S.; Goetz, Stewart (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Theism. London: Routledge. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-415-88164-7.
    • Heelas, Paul (1991). "Western Europe: Self Religions". In Sutherland, S.R.; Clarke, P.B. (eds.). The Study of Religion: Traditional and New Religions. London: Routledge. pp. 165–166, 171. ISBN 0-415-06432-5.
    • Ramstedt, Martin (2007). "New Age and Business". In Kemp, Daren; Lewis, James R. (eds.). Handbook of the New Age. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Leiden: Brill. p. 196-197. ISBN 978-90-04-15355-4.
  41. ^ See:
  42. ^ See:
  43. ^ See:
    • Chryssides, George (1999). Exploring New Religions. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 229, 687.
    • Schneider (1995). "Der Pädagogische Bereich als Operationsfeld für Psychokulte". 20 Jahre Elterninitiative. e.V.. University of Tubingen, Theologische Abteilung: 189–190. ISBN 3-927890-23-5. ISSN 0720–3772. {{cite journal}}: Check |issn= value (help)
    • Sharot, Stephen (2011). Comparative Perspectives on Judaisms and Jewish Identities. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. p. 182. ISBN 9780814334010.
  44. ^ Goldwag, Arthur (2009). Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies. New York: Vintage/Random House. pp. 29–30. ISBN 9780307390677.
  45. ^ http://www.caic.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=8&id=73&Itemid=12
  46. ^ Puttick, Elizabeth (2004). "Landmark Forum (est)". In Partridge, Christopher Hugh (ed.). Encyclopedia of New Religions. Oxford: Lion. pp. 406–407. ISBN 978-0-74-595073-0.
  47. ^ See:
  48. ^ Scioscia, Amanda (19 October 2000). "Drive-thru Deliverance; It's not called est anymore, but you can still be ridiculed into self-awareness in just one expensive weekend". Phoenix New Times.
  49. ^ Badt, Karin (2008-03-05). "Inside The Landmark Forum". The Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2009-08-11. I questioned the odd apolitical bias of the program. Martin Luther King and Ghandi [sic] were not just victors of positive thinking: they had a radical political agenda to re-adjust political inequality. Their belief system was based in believing in something more than ourselves. Why were we being compared to Gandhi and King if we could stand up to our husbands and get a more successful career? [...The seminar deliverer] concluded, per forma, with moving descriptions of Gandhi and King.
  50. ^ See:
  51. ^ See:
  52. ^ [1][dead link]
  53. ^ [2][dead link]
  54. ^ Christian Palme (2002-06-03). "Landsting köpte kurs av Landmark". DN.SE. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  55. ^ Tidskriften Analys & Kritik - Irrationalismen
  56. ^ See:
    • Marie Lemonniera, "Chez les gourous en cravate", Le Nouvel Observateur, 19 May 2005, accessed 7 December 2008; French text: "L’'Inspection du Travail débarque dans les locaux de Landmark, constate l'’exploitation des bénévoles et dresse des procès-verbaux pour travail non déclaré." English translation: "Labor inspectors turned up at the offices of Landmark, noted the exploitation of volunteers and drew up a report of undeclared employment."
    • "Defence workers trained by 'cult'", ABC News, 2 April 2008
    • (1996) "Liste des sectes dangereuses" (French). atheisme.free.fr. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
    • (May 26, 2004). "Landmark Education - Droit de Répons - France 3" (French). landmarkeducation.fr. Retrieved on October 23, 2008.
  57. ^ "File:2004 Landmark v Ross complaint.pdf - Wikimedia Commons". Commons.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  58. ^ "File:2004 Landmark v Ross answer.pdf - Wikimedia Commons". Commons.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
  59. ^ Electronic Frontier Foundation. Landmark Education. Retrieved on September 1, 2013.

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