Digital World Culture Shifts

Gallup reports that in 2008, 50% of the US workforce was made up of the Boomer generation. In 2018, the dominant group (43%) will be Millennials. Keep that statistic in mind for a moment...

We were at meetings of the Global Design Alliance recently where Rex Miller made a stunning statement:  "For the first time in history the young generation knows more about the way things work than those in charge."

Initially shocking, but also likely true.

Millenials are growing up fluent in a new structure.  This isn't about knowing how to use an iPhone.  It is about understanding how the new structure works. If you don't believe the structure has changed, consider this example: coordination has replaced planning.

Remember when you went to the theme park and your group split into those who loved roller coasters and those who were terrified of them?  There was always a plan to reconnect.  Meet by the (entrance, roller coaster, food court, etc.) at 3:00.  But what happens now?  Now, we don't make a reconnect plan because we have cell phones.  We can find each other anytime simply by calling.  Places and times to meet can be determined on-the-fly based on changing circumstances. For example, if you plan to have dinner with friends, then arrive at the restaurant to find there is a two hour wait, you can check Yelp! to find a desirable alternative nearby then call your friends while still in their car and avoid the wait.

The reason Millenials understand more about the way the world works is that they are growing up in this condition.  They are coming of age in a world where coordination replaces planning. 

Here's another major change:  size/cash aren't necessary to be successful.

Have you considered what it means that small, one-person shops like on Etsy, Amazon or E-Bay can function in the same way that the mass-retailers do? With virtually no start up cash, you can launch a business with simply an idea.  You don't have to wait for someone to approve it and finance it.  Writers once had to wait for a publisher to get their message into the public.  Now a blogger can pull as many readers as a New York Times columnist.  This empowerment to be able to access audiences, resources and knowlege without the benefit of size and cash changes the game for what it requires to be successful. What does it mean for people growing up in a world where they can think up an invention, have it rapid-prototyped in China, and sell via a digital storefront carrying virtually no inventory? What types of skills are needed to be successful in this model?

The examples above are evidence of fundamental changes in "the way things work."


If the Millennial are growing up without any past ideas of "the way things used to be" what does that mean for 2018 when they become the dominant makeup of the workforce?

Committees vs. Task Forces

What pops into your mind when someone invites you to join a committee? If you are like most people, probably a list of reasons why you shouldn't rated according to plausibility.Committees move slowly. They often require a lot of energy for very little result. Which begs the question....why? If we believe that groups of people collaborating together produce the best results, then why are committees not the most efficient way to plan facilities?

What if we used the phrase "task force"? We invite you to join a task force? Do the same excuses pop into your head or do you find yourself intrigued?

In contrast to committees, task forces are efficient. They move quickly. They operate more like 'special ops' than a full army.

So what is the difference? Why would one group of people--with an intent to collaborate--function so differently than the other? It may be that there is a key difference in the construct and expectations.

Committees are typically made up of people representing different interests. For example, a university facilities committee might have representatives from the various departments, there may be student representation, administrative members... Each person is there with a mission to represent their group.

A task force--however--is made up of people selected for their individual skills as it relates to an objective. For example, a site search task force might include a commercial realtor, an assessor, a marketer, someone with administrative talent, a person with deep understanding of the user group... Each person is there to complete the objective.

Committees serve long term with different members rotating in and out. Issues can be debated and decisions made with no real impact on the individual members. In fact, many times as the make-up of the committee changes, it can be difficult to trace back why certain decisions were made in the first place. Success would be measured differently by the groups represented based on how well their agenda was met. In fact, this idea of "different agendas" may be the single reason committees so often produce mediocre results.

Task forces are mission-specific. Success is measured based on the objective rather than by individuals in the group. Moreover, when the objective is complete, the task force dissolves and new task forces are assembled to complete different objectives.

When assembling your facility planning team, we highly recommend going the "task force" route. An empowered, talented group of individuals working to a common objective.

And the next time you are invited to join a committee, you just might decide to pass...

© Strategic Dimensions 2010

Strategy for the Strategists | Notes from Our Whiteboard

Just like we help the organizations we work with pull away to look at their organization and facilities from the 40,000 foot birdseye view, occasionally we do that for ourselves.

We wanted to share some snapshots of our white board that captured some key points in our thinking.

Taking a long time to make a decision, doesn't necessarily result in a better decision. When dealing with the large sums of money required in designing, constructing and operating fixed brick and mortar assets, it is easy to get stuck. (You've probably heard the term, "paralysis by analysis.")

At SD, part of our core mission is to facilitate good decisions. And while you would think that good data would equate to informed decisions, it doesn't always. Not because of a lack of intellect or a lack of data, but because of an inability to see data in terms of cause and effect.

Getting all the ideas on the table. In many groups, the vocal majority can limit thinking to a single favorite scenario. To truly explore all the possibilites--and to be able to spark solutions that haven't yet been thought of--there has to be a mechanism to get all the ideas on the table. Without a skilled facilitator or a solid process, some of the best ideas will never see light.



Software can be used linearly, but the power is in collaborative use. Most planning processes are linear. Point A to Point B. And in a linear process, there can be handoffs. An architect can deal with space...a cost consultant can determine the money...etc.

The thing is, the elements of your facilities--people, space, time and money--are not linear. They are linked. And every decision you make, changes the elements.

At Strategic Dimensions--our purpose is to provide tools that are collaborative, visual and in real-time. Because a linear approach can't produce multi-faceted solutions.

© Strategic Dimensions 2009

Blue Sky Thinking

In a planning meeting once I heard the question: If you had $200,000 dollars right now to solve this problem, what would you do?

The "unlimited resources" question can get to the heart of your dreams. In fact, in this particular planning session, the $200k question allowed most of us to figure out where to pour our energies and brought up some really good ideas.

The question reveals how much we limit our thinking with what we believe we "can't" do.

There is a constant tension between "blue sky" dreaming and what is actually achievable. Sometimes people spend too much time in "blue sky" conversations to ever actually make something real happen. Other times we put so many fences around our thinking that we think we can't do anything.

The question has value in generating ideas. Because though you may not have cash you often have creativity, energy and other resources and the question can get to the heart of where you want to spend them.

Strategic Dimensions mission is to "change the way facilities are planned." To reveal the line between "wish list" and "impossible" to a project that can actually be accomplished.

Reporting for Churches - What?

Let's begin by reviewing the made-up "verse" with which I ended last week's post (inspired by Romans 10:14-15): How then will you make good decisions without proper analysis? And how are you to properly analyze information you do not have? And how are you do have that information without effective reporting? And how can you effectively report what you do not track? As it is [not] written, "How beautiful is data which reveals the truth!"

I repeat this to make the point that we decide what data to track and report according to what decisions we need to make. Start with your church's mission. Where are you trying to go? How will you know you are on the right road, headed in the right direction? How will you know when you reach your destination? Most churches already track attendance for worship and education, plus giving and other statistics such as decisions, baptisms, new members, etc. Tracking this data provides vital guidance to the church, like the instrument readings on a car's dashboard. These metrics tell us about our activity (speed, oil pressure, engine RPMs) but they do not tell us where we are going or how we are progressing toward our destination. For that we also need a GPS navigation system.

In the context of church data tracking, the "GPS system" reminds us of our destination (mission) and provides meaningful metrics (milestones) to verify our course and progress. What you measure depends on what you wish to accomplish. If your church values serving, maybe you should start tracking numbers of volunteers and hours served. If community is a core value, how about measuring how many people are in groups/classes and how often they are attending? Perhaps more importantly, how about measuring how effectively the church is raising-up new leaders birthing new groups/classes? Or maybe start asking people to self-report on certain aspects of their spiritual disciplines if the church is pursuing spiritual growth as a goal.

My point is to start with the end product (what you want to accomplish) and work backwards to determine the data you will need to measure your church's progress against your goals. You will probably come up with a list of metrics you never before thought to track.

© Strategic Dimensions 2009

Reporting for Churches - Why?

In my first post of this series, I said the first topic would address the question, "Why incorporate effective reporting methods into a church's practices?

To begin with, I think it is currently difficult to use information reporting in churches to gauge the effectiveness of our ministries. Many churches have traditionally used a small number of easily gathered statistics to measure their success: attendance and giving. To these some churches also add baptisms, decisions and other metrics. But what if those statistics don't actually measure whether or not your church is accomplishing its mission?

For example, if your mission is transformed lives, activity-based metrics like attendance, by themselves do not accurately correlate with life change, as Willow Creek's findings with the REVEAL study have shown.

Having said that, this basic information can be useful if we analyze it more deeply. For example, we could dive beneath the surface of typical giving data (total giving per month, per year, etc.) to analyze giving per capita. We may find that per capita giving has decreased, a fact masked because high attendance growth drove overall giving upward. Or what if we look at annual giving increases from year to year? Are individuals and families becoming more generous over time? We can ask many such questions, but answering them takes a lot of effort and maybe some knowledge of Excel and your CM software that goes beyond the basics. I think this will get easier as better tools become available.

In the meantime, churches can and should use effective information reporting for planning purposes. How many people might attend on a particular weekend? In a year? Will our facilities have adequate capacity? Are we making the best use of our existing facilities? Will we have enough staff? How many volunteers will we need? Should we add another service? Should we change our service times? If your church answers these questions and others like them without using available current and historical data, you are flying blind. You need good data to make good decisions. Otherwise you base your plans on perception, emotion, politics or "pastor numbers," which could lead you astray.

Perhaps you are not even tracking some of the data you need to make these decisions. Now is a great time to start!

I leave you with a "made-up verse" (inspired by Romans 10:14-15): How then will you make good decisions without proper analysis? And how are you to properly analyze information you do not have? And how are you do have that information without effective reporting? And how can you effectively report what you do not track? As it is [not] written, "How beautiful is data which reveals the truth!" Selah.

Strategic Dimensions 2009

Reporting for Churches - 3 W's

I wanted to share some thoughts about reporting for churches.

By reporting I'm referring to management reporting, or business intelligence. By using such terms I do not imply that churches are businesses or should operate as such. I have worked in both environments and know firsthand how different they are...or should be. But the business world has adopted certain practices that churches can and should adopt in order to plan better and to steward their resources. So let's talk about it. The 3Ws I will cover in the next few weeks are:

Why incorporate effective reporting methods into a church's practices?What information should be tracked and reported? and
When should the information be reported?

© Strategic Dimensions 2009