- Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a book that says that the main problem is fear of conflict
- Sometimes we need to just say “I don’t understand how that will work” so that conflict is dealt with quickly and does not become personal.
- Why do groups fail?
- Silos are walls within an organization that keep people from working together.
- Examples of organizations without silos:
- surgery room, EMT, etc.
- power of crisis: a rallying cry that people see as more important than the division
- Thematic goal: the power of a crisis without the crisis.
- Single
- Qualitative (not quantitative)
- Temporary
- Shared across the organization (especially the leadership team)
- If we accomplish just one withing in the next 6-12 months, what should it be?
- Ex. Tire company with tires failing and people getting killed. Thematic goal: survive by re-establishing credibility.
- Ex. Biotech company with no crisis. What keeps the CEO up at night? Goal: not get complacent
- Ex. Lencioni family: prepare for baby #4.
- Things to actually do
- Ex. Fix tires, improve PR, repair distributor relations, address morale, settle lawsuits
- Ex. Improve performace management, streatch goals, streamline process, cut unnecessary expenses
- Ex. Make twins self-sufficient, improve discipline of 3 yr old, complete the house remodeling, purge home of stuff, outsource services
- There are standard operating objectives (SOO); this is what everyone needs to do. These never change, they are like living expenses.
- If you focus on these, you feel like you are just surviving; nothing different.
- Case study: Lakewood Community Church. 700 members, goal to reach the unchurched
- Thematic goal: redefine operations for continued growth
- objectives: quick communication, train leaders, hire leaders, utilize new campus (had been moving from building to building for 9 years)
- SOO: evangelism effectiveness, disciplines, ministry stewardship (serving), [missed the rest]
- Case study: Citadel of Faith. Detroit. 250 interracial inner city church
- Thematic goal: clarify and build processes for future growth
- objectives: reinforce core principles to congregations, evaluate and assign congregation, establish formal processes, create communication paths to share information.
- SOO: excellent services, parking/outreach ministries, evangelism/urban camping, stewardship, shared facility boundaries, leadership development.
- Case study: Northwoods Community Church
- Thematic goal: define process for life change
- objectives: define it, create delivery methods, integration with youth/children/other ministries, communication
- SOO: weekend services, people coming to Christ, stewardship, facilities, ministry health
- [ “Most churches have assimilation strategies but not life-change strategies” — Frazee ]
- Again what is most important?
- Clarifying questions
- Where does it live? In staff meetings. Go through each objective (and SOO) and ask how we are doing at a gut level. Talk about the ones that are doing badly.
- Important: Everyone discusses the problem. Often the best idea comes from someone outside that department.
- Who owns the goal? Someone. Not the group or no one, but one specific person. Varies.
- What about the board? Don’t pander to them. They fill in vacuums. Our job as leaders is to make sure that there is no vacuum.
- If there is no thematic goal, each person will have their own, which leads to silos.
- If everything is important, then nothing is.
- Take off functional hats
- Don’t make the perfect the enemy of the good (80% is better than 100% that never happens)
- Our ability to work together is as much a testimony that we are Christians as much as what we do.