As an example I will use the existing Communist Party in my country. The CP of my country is generally viewed as a rigid, Stalinist party (one of the few remaining in the world), so it is a very suitable analogy.
The comparison will be as this: I will describe the characteristics of the CP and I will highlight in red letters the (in my opinion) characteristic that resembles the JW, although some characteristics are SO similar, that this marking may seem unnecessary…
Activity of members: Every member of the CP is expected to read regularly the Party literature, which includes one daily newspaper and one bimonthly magazine; not just “read” it though, but “absorb” it. A party member is also expected to actively participate in party propaganda, which often includes (yes, you’ve guessed it) door-to-door activity! Apart from the ‘official’ propaganda activities, each party member also does unofficial propaganda, i.e. in most occasions, a party member conversing with ‘non-believers’ will always try to convert them. But since communism in my country has been an ideology which has suffered severe prosecution for many decades (many communists and JWs were together in prison cells and exile), and as a result there is a lot of “prejudice”, a good party member will be careful to present “the good news” to a stranger in a clever way which is not always straightforward! Many outsiders avoid having chats on politics with a known CP member because they know that a CP member usually converses with an outsider in order only to recruit them!
The Newspeak: The CP, as most communist parties, uses a special vocabulary which is characteristic of that very party. Often, an informed outsider will know that a person is indeed a member (or fan) of the CP just by listening to the very phrases they speak.
Gaining and regaining member status: One can become a member of the CP only after a trial period which includes appropriate indoctrination by experienced Party members (who are sometimes called "instructors"), in which someone shows if, and how much, they have absorbed the teachings of the Marxist ‘truth’ and are ‘qualified’ to be part of the CP. Once they’re admitted, though, then does the hard part begin. (“Baptism is not the end, but the beginning”) The abovementioned activity requirements are not overstated: if a member is not so whole-hearted in his cause, it is quite possible that they will be ‘counseled’. However, the gravest mistake a CP member can make, is raising a voice (verbally or worse, in writing) that is not in FULL compliance to the Party line. This often occurs as a result of what Orwell called a “thought crime”, i.e. independent thinking, which may result in questioning the political infallibility of the Party. If, now, a member commits the “thought crime”, especially if they express it, they can be safely regarded as “done”. The usual procedure is this: one first loses the prospect of advancing further and is being watched upon from that point on; then he loses gradually any official positions he may held, e.g. Central or regional Committee etc; a period of increasing alienation from the Party core follows, combined with further losses of any privileges left; the final step is deletion from the Party itself. This is usually combined with a form of Orwellian “vaporization”: the former member’s achievements and contributions to the cause are wiped off the Party’s collective memory, or heavily downplayed in the least; he is officially stigmatized as an ‘apostate’, and if, for instance, he happens to die while being an ex-member, in his obituary in the Party newspaper, if there happens to be one, emphasis will be placed to his ‘downfall’ from the ideological Truth, and his succumbing to the ‘dark side’ of revisionism, or “opportunism”, as it is usually called.
One, however, can regain the Party member status, but with some very interesting prerequisites: At least 6 months will have to pass since his deletion, and his case will be dealt with by an officially appointed reinstatement committee, which will converse with them and decide if they have indeed turned down their “wrong” views and have sincerely embraced once again the Party’s teachings. The most important factor in regaining membership is, therefore, complete and utter repentance and renewed submission to the Party line.
Leadership: ‘Officially’, the CP operates on the principles of democratic centralism, which dictates that once a Party decision/resolution has been taken via democratic procedures (voting in Party Conferences), everyone in the Party is obliged to stick firmly to this decision and not question it under any circumstances, until the next Conference takes place. The same applies in electing new Party leadership: in every Conference, delegates (who are elected by regional bodies) elect the new Central Committee (CC) and the Party’s General Secretary (GS). In practice, only the latter part of this democratic centralism principle applies, i.e. the centralism part. That is because when a Conference is due to be held, the decisions are always presented the day before as “suggestions” by the current CC, and it usually is pretty certain that the vast majority of the delegates will vote for the exact decisions/resolutions that the CC has already made! The same applies for the new leadership: the old guard suggests which members should be elected in the new guard (most willl remain in post) and which member should be elected as GS, so in fact it is more of an appointment than an election. For example, in the last Conference held by the CP, a new GS -suggested by the previous leadership- was elected with a majority of over 97%. This reminds of the Soviet era, when State officials were always elected by the people in a majority of about 99% (due to the fact that there was only one candidate for each post, ‘suggested’ by the Party.)
So it may seem that the Central Committee is the Governing Body analogy. But not quite: once a new CC is elected, it appoints a “central committee-within-a central committee”, which is called Politburo. While the CC may consist of around 80 persons, the Politburo is usually constrained to 10-12 members only. The Politburo is in fact the all-powerful body in the Party, the body which outlines the Party policy.
Another characteristic with respect to leadership is the “ban on factions”. While typically, every member is free to express their views, especially in a pre-Conference period, these views should not be really different from the Party line; factions within the Party are of course forbidden. However, as mentioned above, not only factions, but every voice that is even slightly different will be ‘dealt with’. The result is a complete uniformity in thought and action, which has some understandable advantages: while policies of the other parties may be constantly changing (which makes people mock them), the CP is known to have a firm, consistent ideology that is stable through time. This characteristic of the CP makes many people respect it, even though they wouldn’t vote for it. (Well, here is a striking difference with the JW: stability and slow -if at all- changing of policy) However, if and when a change indeed comes, every member must be quick to adapt it. (Back to similarities )
Eschatology: Yes, the CP has a clear eschatology at its core: the coming of the communist stateless society, which is very similar to our Paradise on earth. For this to come though, sacrifices must be made, which include the complete members’ devotion to the cause. And as a great part of the history of the USSR showed, in order to establish paradise on earth, one must go through an earthly hell first.
The reason I posted this comparison is because I had it forming in my mind for some time now. It is not a scholarly study, just some organized thoughts. It seems to me that analogies to the JW structure can be found in this particular ideology and practice, which is very good in its principle. (Who doesn’t want an equal society where no one exploits anyone? Only someone who currently exploits.) However, the means to reach such a goal usually are so severe, that after many years one has effectively lost the goal, and now fights only for keeping alive an unnatural construct. A totalitarian structure thus occurs, and totalitarian structures, regardless of their honorable roots, have only one practical goal: sustainment of power and control, by all means. In order to keep reaching the remote future Utopia, one must suffer the very real present Dystopia.
The future of the CP is clouded: many people in my country believe that if it continues in its Orwellian, inflexible practices, it will shrink further and finally dissolve. Many with similar ideology though, wouldn’t like to see this historic party dissolving, but rather evolving to something better, and more humane. Time, as with everything else, will show…