After pastoring for eight years, the past two years I have
been involved with Church Consulting. As I have gone to churches with the
consulting team I have been reminded of the word “chaordic”. Chaordic is an
adjective that describes an organization as a blend of chaos and order. The
term “chaordic” was first coined by Dee Hock, the founder and former CEO of the
VISA credit card association. This mix of chaos and order is described as the
harmonious coexistence of chaos and order, but neither being dominant. In his
book “Birth of the Chaordic Age”, Hock defines chaordic as the behavior of any
self-governing organism or system which harmoniously blends characteristics of
order and chaos.
“Chaordic” expresses the character of the church and any
organization especially in the face of the fast and drastic changes that are taking place in the twenty-first century world. Churches in America have
struggled to adapt to the changing world. [See “The American Church in Crisis”
by David T. Olson] Understanding that chaos and order are both at work in the
church can help ecclesial leaders to adapt to the changing world.
The general use of the word chaos means a state of confusion or lacking any order. However,
according to chaos theory, the word chaos has a slightly different meaning. Chaos in this context refers to an
apparent lack of order in a system that obeys particular laws or rules. The
idea, in an organizational setting, is that no matter how complex
organizational systems may be, they rely upon an underlying order. Also, simple
or small organizational systems and/or events can cause very complex behaviors
or events. This is also referred to as the butterfly
effect. First described by Edward Lorenz, the butterfly effect theoretically says that small changes in one area
can have dramatic effects on other organizational systems and outcomes.
Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist, was re-running a computer
model to predict weather conditions. The second time he entered the rounded
number, .506, instead of the previous number of .506127 with the thought that
the slight modification would produce similar results. Instead, the results
were radically different from his first outcomes. According to scientific
thought at that time, the results should have been only slightly different
because the inputs were thought to be about the same. This led to the
realization that very small, seemingly inconsequential changes in one place or
system can have very large consequences elsewhere in the organization. Lorenz
later summarized this thought by asking, “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings
in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?”
“Weather” is a good illustration of chaordic. On a day-to-day basis, weather seems to be unpredictable
and random. However, observed long enough weather patterns can be detected and
even predicted to some degree. In recent years, we have become aware of how
weather events on the other side of the globe can have local affects. An earth
quake in Indonesia can produce Tsunamis thousands of miles away. Organizations,
like hurricane Katrina, will never be 100% predictable, but patterns can be identified
that can help organizations adapt.
Football gives another more simple illustration of Chaordic.
When I was in elementary school, I would watch football with cousins. To a
young boy’s eye, it seemed as though the players lined up, ran around, and then
jumped on the ball and each other—then repeated the process occasionally
kicking the ball. It could be best described as organized chaos. [This is also
my understanding of Rugby to this day, but more chaos than order.] However, as
I grew and got involved in sports myself, I began to see the order of the game.
Even with “order”, a football game can be described as chaotic order. The
object of the game is to execute plays in the face of opposing forces and to disrupt
the execution of your opponent’s plays. This dynamic insures that plays are
seldom executed to perfection without opposing forces. Football teams succeed
by adapting and changing. Football teams have people dedicated to scouting
their opponents, identifying their strengths and weaknesses and summarizing
opposing personnel and developing a “game plan”. Every game plan is tentative.
As the game progresses, the execution of the game plan is adjusted as the
opposing forces are successful or not. Teams adjust or lose. Football teams
have the luxury of evaluating successes and failures throughout the week and
adjusting for the next contest. The stakes are higher for organizations [especially
the church] than they are for football teams.
So what is Chaordic Consulting?
Chaordic consulting is having an outside consultant identify
internal and external factors which affect organizational efficiency. Like the restaurant
owner calling in an expert to discover why they were losing customers. The owner’s
efforts had been focused upon insuring that the food and service was first
rate. Ultimately it was found that poor upkeep of the restrooms was the primary
factor hindering repeat business. Updating the dining room and a remodel of the
restrooms gained back lost business and gained additional customers. This
increase in business not only made a financial impact, but also improved the
overall moral of the restaurant staff. Like the restaurant owner, managers and
pastors are often too close to the problems to identify them so they call upon
consultants to help identify the resisting forces.
