This paper presents an analysis of the "adjacent curriculum," a term defined as that knowledge that is organizational in origin and that is transmitted to the organization's members for the purpose of maintaining the organization as an abstract but functional entity. This "curriculum" consists of such material as conduct codes, evaluation forms, and other transmissions that serve, in addition to their specific function, to establish organizational legitimacy. This causes organizations to be viewed as established, unchanging, and "received," and disallows the emergence of a valuable dialectical relationship between the organization and the individuals it serves. (Author/JM)