Let’s pick up from where we left on in Part 1 of this series of articles on adaptive decision making, change, and leadership. Be sure to start by reading Part 1 if you haven’t yet done so.
Over the last century, here’s the reason most churches and organizations have been able to scale and support the growth that they’ve experienced.
It’s because of the modern day “scientific management model,” which rests primarily upon two elements:
- “Absolutely rigid and inflexible standards throughout your establishment.”
- “That each employee of your establishment should receive every day clear-cut, definite instructions as to just what he is to do and how he is to do it, and these instructions should be exactly carried out, whether they are right or wrong.”[1]
I’m not saying that these two elements run the shop in every church and organization today. I’m just saying that they are the foundation that modern day management theory—both inside and outside the church—has been built upon, and it doesn’t work anymore because…
- You can’t just set it and forget it
- You can’t just keep your head down, do your work, and expect to succeed and hit your goals
- Your success isn’t wholly dependent on you
- If the only time you talk about development is the annual performance review, you won’t grow
- If the only time you connect with your volunteers and leaders are on Sunday or in formal training environments, they won’t feel connected
- If the only things you do are the things on your job description, your team won’t win
- In fact, if you’re not revisiting your job description multiple times a year, it will become outdated quick
- And if the only time you talk with your team members is during official team meetings, your team will move too slow
- And if you’re not changing your website every 2-3 years, watch out…irrelevancy is just around the corner
[Read more…] about Adaptive Decision Making, Change, and Leadership – Part 2