Originally written for TonyMorganLive.com
Do your team members ever struggle to work together? Many church staffs suffer from an unhealthy tension that is actively creating distance among their team members. As individuals disagree on how their team should be operating, their commitments to each other deteriorate over time.
The typical response to relational tension is to bring everyone together to talk through their differences. While that approach is often great, it doesn’t always generate a long-term solution. Many times, a similar problem rises again in the future only to recreate the same tension. In those recurring situations, it takes more than another conversation to address the issue.
The solution to many relational tensions may actually seem very non-relational at first. When you find tension is on the rise within your team, it may actually be time to take a fresh look at your systems. Many church leaders view systems as organizational red tape nearly opposite of relationships. That perspective could not be further from the truth.
Systems don’t replace relationships. Systems better define relationships.
A good system doesn’t get in the way. It removes the ongoing obstacles that prevent people from working well together. When a team’s systems are at their finest, everyone knows exactly what they can [and cannot]expect from others.
Wondering if your team might need a new system? Consider the following indicators…
