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4. The percentage of people who attended worship that were involved in some sort of mission or service work.
5. The number of people who joined the church as a profession of faith.
The Methodist Church defined:
The system to be analyzed as an “Annual Conference” or specific area of the country.
The purpose of the system as to make Disciples.
The measurement system as the five metrics listed previously.
The system’s constraint as spiritual leadership.
Exploitation of the system’s constraint as spiritual leaders being on the path with one another and their flock while a COO manages church financial and legal affairs.
Results after Two Years
Is it working? This chapter was written in 2009. The Bishop has set as a goal the year 2010 when the negative trend stops and 2012 as the year all trends are on an upswing. In two of the four regions of the conference, they are already seeing positive results, so those two regions are ahead of schedule. If they stay the course, I am confident they will be successful.
Summary
Dealing with complex systems is fun when an organized systems approach is taken. Here are some of the things that have worked for me over the years.
1. One must first define the system. What are its boundaries? It has been my experience that the initial perspective of what you call “the system” will change.
2. Define the purpose of the system and how you measure success. If you can measure how to make Disciples, surely you can measure anything.
3. Remember that systems (and their cultures) are the combination of purpose (processes), relationships, and information flow.
4. Information flows through relationships so you can assume that if the relationships are improved so will information flow.
5. Begin globally and work from the outside in. What are the global processes that achieve purpose? What is the information required to achieve purpose?
6. Where is the physical constraint and is it in a desirable location? If not, take action to move it.
7. What obstacles exist that would prevent exploitation of the constraint?
8. Who needs to be involved to implement the change and what do they need to experience to change their mindset?
9. Never give up. Chance is not linear and can accelerate at any time. Stay the course and be persistent.
There is no “cookbook” for addressing the problems in complex systems. If anyone says that there is, I would advise holding on to your wallet. There is no substitute for real people who have the knowledge, skill, and desire to address the complexity. Someone who has an understanding of the science of systems is going to be a necessity. In my book, Enterprise Fitness, I (Covington, 2009, 134) emphasize the importance of leadership in this role. This person needs to disrupt, honor, and align constantly during the change process. If the top leader in an organization is not ready to change in a complex system, leave and move on to the next system.
Reference
Covington, J. 2009. Enterprise Fitness. Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing & Enterprises.
About the Author
John Covington is president and founder of Chesapeake Consulting (CCI). CCI specializes in process improvement and leadership development in both commercial and government markets and has been in business since 1988. John did his undergraduate work at the U.S. Naval Academy and the University of Alabama, earning a BS in chemical engineering. Prior to starting CCI, John held engineering, management, and executive positions at a variety of companies including DuPont, Sherwin-Williams, Stauffer Chemicals, and several midsized paint companies. John is a Fellow of both the College of Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Alabama. John is active in charity work for the developmentally disadvantaged and is an active member of his church. He enjoys biking, hiking, and training his German Shepherd, Maggie. He has been married to his wife Linda since 1972.
CHAPTER 38
Theory of Constraints for Personal