Chaordic Consulting I

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.