Organizational Identity and Purpose
Many organizations, including churches, have never gone through a process of thinking about their purpose because it seems that their purpose is obvious. Based on their assumed purpose, it seems obvious to them that they should be doing certain activities. Their goals are merely to succeed at those activities.
Managers try to get the work done well, but leaders should think about what work needs to be done. It is important to do things the right way, but first we must be doing the right things. A pastor should not be just a manager, but a leader.
There is a process of development that is important to every organization whether it is a ministry, business, or some other kind of organization.
A church may assume that they exist to have good worship services, to take care of their members, and to evangelize the community. However, many churches fail to purposefully plan how they will accomplish those things.
An organization should go through a process of development that includes much self-examination. These are some important questions that should be answered:
- What is most important to us?
- Why does this organization exist?
- What would it mean for us to succeed?
- What are some specific successes we can plan to reach?
- What can we do now to reach our goals?
These questions correspond to the first five stages of organizational development. The process of organizational development has these stages:
1. Discovering values
2. Realizing purpose
3. Sharing vision
4. Setting goals
5. Planning strategy
6. Taking action
7. Experiencing achievement
The stages are not completely separate. For example, an organization is probably already planning strategy and taking action even while it is discovering its values. Various programs and departments in an organization might be working on different stages of this process.
The order is important because each stage affects the ones that follow. Changes at any stage will make changes in the following stages. For example, if an organization changes its understanding of its purpose, it will change its goals and its definition of achievement.
The process does not occur only once. Values and purpose should not change after they are understood well, but everything else does. Whether goals are achieved or not, new goals must be set. After either achievement or failure, the organization must again look at its values and purpose, clarify its vision, set new goals, and plan new strategies.
► Why do many organizations never explain their purpose?
[1]Stage 1: Discovering Values
Values is a term for the things we consider most important. Individuals have values; groups are formed of people who share values. An organization has values. It exists to serve those values.
For a Christian, whether in business or ministry, pleasing God is the ultimate value. The values of an organization that is designed to please God will be based on regard for biblical truth, the church, and the gospel.
Even organizations that do not profess to be Christian are usually based on some good values, because they exist to meet human needs. One business organization listed its values this way: integrity in all things, quality care, relationships, and learning.
For any business, one important value is to make profit, because the business cannot serve its purpose without profit. However, even for a business, profit is not the most important value.
Another large business listed these values: safety, service, fun, and success. Success would mean profit for the business, but it was not to be achieved without the other values. The other values increase the possibility of profit because people do not want to be customers of a business that does not meet a need for them.
It is possible for an organization to be based on values that are not good, such as unlimited power of a certain person or hatred of some group of people. Such an organization is rarely strong for long and is always destructive.
Values explain how people of the organization should behave while they work for the goals. It is not enough to achieve goals. Goals must by achieved in an appropriate way. For example, a person should not be satisfied about winning a game if he won by cheating. A person who wants the enjoyment of real victory does not cheat, because real victory is earned not stolen.
► Think about a goal that you have. Why is it important to be satisfied about the way you reach your goal?
Values are listed in the order of priority. For example, one business listed integrity first because integrity should never be sacrificed in order to gain another value. Another business put safety before service, because the safety of people is more important than their convenience.
The order of values is important. For example: if a business values profit and also values honesty, what will an employee do when there is an opportunity to make a profit by being dishonest? What will he do when honesty might cost profit? If honesty is before profit in the list of values, he knows what to do. An organization is shaped by the way it deals with conflicts between values. A church’s supreme value is to honor God, and no goal should be achieved in a way that does not honor God.
An organization must find its values by self-examination. It is already following values, and those should be discovered.
An organization cannot simply profess values. Some organizations claim values that they do not really follow, and their employees and customers know that the statement of values means nothing.
The list of core values should be short, simply stated, known by everyone, and applied in every situation. The list of values should be short (maybe 4-5 values), because people cannot focus on many.
People should not list particular values just because they think those values create good results. If people claim values for that reason, they will eventually change to different values if they think they could get better results. Values are not chosen because they work well, but because they really are the most important.
Sometimes an organization gets started and becomes successful with a certain product or idea. The people of the organization may think that the organization exists to provide that product or follow that idea. However, that product or idea may not always fulfill the values of the organization. It is better for the organization to establish its values, then be ready to do whatever fulfills those values.
A mission organization was helping many churches with monthly financial support. Most of the budget was spent for routine support. However, the leaders began to realize that their most important value was the development of locally-led, locally-supported churches. Their routine support of churches hindered the achievement of their goal. They began to change their strategy and actions to fit with their value. They realized that their purpose was to help churches in a way that made them stronger instead of keeping them dependent.
“The only truly reliable source of stability is a strong inner core [of values] and the willingness to change and adapt everything except that core.”[2] The organization must demonstrate its values in all that it does, authentically and consistently. The organization should change its goals and actions when they become inconsistent with its values.
[3]Everyone in an organization—not just the leaders—should believe in and follow the values. If people of influence in the organization do not really believe and support the values, the organization cannot be strong. The organization needs to consistently promote people who hold its values. People who do not hold the values should not continue in leadership. The environment should encourage support of the values so strongly that some people choose to leave and others are attracted.
Consistency in an organization does not mean that there is no flexibility and variety. If people have commitment, they can have variety in almost everything except the values. Consistency means that the people of the organization must support the values in everything they do.
Values become real only when you demonstrate them in the way you act and the way you require others to behave. If you are willing to act contrary to your professed values in order to get something done, your professed values are not your real values. Something else is more important to you.
Collins and Porras studied companies that maintained strength over a long period of time while similar companies declined. They called the better companies “visionary companies.”[4] These are ways that visionary companies are different from declining companies:
1. A visionary company teaches its employees its core values so thoroughly that the values create a strong culture throughout the company.
2. A visionary company carefully selects people for management positions who are committed to its core values.
3. A visionary company requires everyone on the team to consistently practice its core values.
All actions and policies of a company must demonstrate its values. To that end, the organization must find ways to:
- Explain the core values.
- Teach applications of the core values.
- Observe the practices of the team and provide feedback and correction.
Stage 2: Realizing Purpose
An organization’s purpose is based on its core values. The purpose does not have to be unique from that of other organizations.
The purpose guides and inspires excellence. An organization should be evaluated on how well it is fulfilling its purpose.
Unlike goals, which are achieved then replaced, purpose is unchanging. An organization will sometimes change the way it fulfills its purpose. It must adapt to changing needs in order to keep its original purpose.
In the past, music was recorded for devices different from the ones we use now. Advancing technology developed new ways of playing music. If a business continued to sell those earlier devices, few people would buy them. But if a business’s purpose is to provide music, it will provide music using the newer technology. Likewise, every business and every ministry should adapt its methods in order to continue to fulfill its purpose.
Sometimes an organization is not able to make the changes necessary to serve in a new way. A church building was located in a neighborhood that was changing. Many poor people of various ethnic groups were moving into the neighborhood. The people of the church did not know how to evangelize the new population of the neighborhood. Because the church did not have a purpose that could give them a vision for the neighborhood, the people sold the building and moved the church to another place.
Stage 3: Sharing Vision
Vision is a description of the way things should be. Vision is the answer to this question: “What would things be like if we succeeded completely?”
Vision is reality as it would be if the organization succeeded completely. The leader should have this picture in his mind and communicate it throughout the organization in a variety of ways. The leader should communicate and behave in such a way that the people of the organization have no doubt about the leader’s passion and commitment to the vision.
People operate out of a basic understanding of reality that controls the way they view individual issues. They have an understanding of how things are and how they ought to be. That understanding controls the way they view individual questions that arise.
“The leader must shape the way followers think about what is real, what is true, what is right, and what is important.... Leaders aim to achieve lasting change and common alignment on these questions.”[5] The leader should constantly be explaining how things are and how they should be.
A group of believers started a church in an impoverished area of a large city. Their values are the gospel, the local church, and family. Their purpose is to demonstrate life together in the church in the impoverished area. Their vision is that the geographical area be changed as people begin to live life in the church as God intended. Their goals are to communicate the life of the church to the community in specific ways.
Stage 4: Setting Goals
Goals are specific steps toward achieving the vision. They should be measurable and easy to see.
Goals are based on an organization’s values because they show how the values should affect the team, the community, and the world. All goals should express what the impact of the values should be.
Blanchard described the relationship between values and goals this way: “Goals are for the future. Values are now. Goals are set. Values are lived. Goals change. Values are rocks you can count on. Goals get people going. Values sustain the effort.”[6]
Goals should not be permanent. They should be changed when situations change. Values do not change, but goals must change so that they can serve the values in changing situations.
A company in the United States made products for driving horses. When automobiles became common, few people bought products for driving horses. Because the company did not have a purpose that could be expressed in goals for new products, the company ceased to exist.
Achievement of goals should be celebrated and commemorated so that goals are seen as markers on the road toward the vision.
► What happens if a group tries to work hard without having specific goals?
Setting the Big Goal
The organization will have small, short-term goals; but after the values, purpose, and vision are clear, the leader should set a large goal that inspires and motivates the organization.
The large goal may be something that will take several years to achieve. It should be so large and challenging that it will require a high level of teamwork, energy, and strategy. The goal should not be so high that the team does not really think it is possible, because then it is not really a goal. However, it should be so high that it would be a great success that requires great effort. People who are not in the organization may think the goal is impossible, but the goal should be something that a motivated team considers possible.
The big goal should be easy for everyone to understand. It should be written and emphasized. It is not just a dream, but a real expectation.
The big goal should unify the organization. It should not be suddenly imposed by the leaders. It should come after much discussion so that the committed people truly believe it is the appropriate goal.
When the goal is achieved, it no longer serves the purpose of motivating and guiding activity. A new goal must be set. Leaders should be prepared to lead in the process of setting a new goal.
Stage 5: Planning Strategy
Strategy is a plan of action that will achieve a particular goal. Strategy should be based on:
- A realistic understanding of circumstances
- Available resources and abilities
- Reasonable, but challenging, goals
The work of planning a strategy also includes setting policies. The people of an organization need patterns to follow that demonstrate the organization’s values and achieve the organization’s purpose. Otherwise, there is not consistent quality.
A church should train people how to greet visitors, how to pray with those who come to seek God, how to disciple new converts, how to respond to the financial need of someone in the congregation, and many other practices. If a church does not discuss these responsibilities and decide on a good plan, they will not be done well.
Goal setting comes before strategy, but goals will be adjusted while strategy is being planned. Strategy will be adjusted during the action, as you see the effects of your action. It is rare for a strategy to be so perfect that it needs no revision. Persisting in a wrong direction is a worse mistake than starting in a wrong direction.
Large changes of strategy can be costly in time, effort, and resources. For this reason, it is important to plan the best strategy possible as early as possible. It is wise to test a strategy idea in a small way—so that you know whether or not it will work—before you invest more in that strategy. It is best to invest in strategies that have already been proven successful.
The army of a nation is designed to defend the nation in a time of war. Most nations are not at war most of the time. Therefore, thousands of men are trained for a purpose, then spend most of their time doing other things. An army has difficulty finding a purpose for itself when it is not in war. An army often multiplies regulations and policies that keep people busy without a clear purpose.
A church should have a clear purpose. Without one, the church may become preoccupied with developing rules, policies, and procedures.
Stage 6: Taking Action
Action should follow the planned strategy. Action includes recruiting help, getting work done, managing activities, continually adjusting methods, keeping people motivated, and observing effectiveness.
A mission organization helped support hundreds of churches in several countries. Organization leaders began thinking about the values of the organization. They realized that the organization had been formed by people who were taking the gospel to people who had not yet been reached. The leaders realized that spreading the gospel was their primary value, and sending the gospel to new places was their purpose. They decided to set new goals and plan new action. Instead of supporting established churches, they planned to focus on recruiting and sending missionaries to new places.
Stage 7: Experiencing Achievement
Achievement is not just succeeding at a large goal. Achievement is also the success of many goals on the way. Any obvious progress toward the vision is an achievement.
A team of Christians shared the gospel with people who were drug or alcohol addicts. Several were converted. They attended various churches but had difficulty finding a church that understood and accepted them. They formed a new church, led by the team that evangelized them. The values of this church are the gospel and transformation of addicts. Their purpose is to facilitate evangelism and special discipleship of addicts. Their strategy is to plan activities and programs that meet the spiritual needs of addicts and former addicts.
“The use of means ought not to lessen our faith in God, and our faith in God ought not to hinder our using whatever means he has given us for the accomplishment of his own purposes.”
- J. Hudson Taylor
“Success cannot come from [men who stand still]. Methods change, and men must change with them.”
- James Cash Penney