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Typically an organization drifts in the current toward one of two styles: a speedboat or a barge.
Barge Organizations
Some institutions become so large that they have trouble turning and staying nimble—like a barge trying to adjust course at full speed. Those on the barge can barely tell it is moving (sometimes even the Captain), but it is moving, making big waves in the process. Wherever barge organizations go they deliver a whole lot. However, those who like to steer but aren’t the captain struggle among the shipping containers wondering why other islands are not explored, why it feels so slow, and why nothing changes quickly enough. Barge organizations make big waves but sometimes we can yearn for a smaller, more adaptable and change-driven organization.
Speedboat Organizations
Other institutions don’t make huge waves and don’t deliver a whole lot in comparison—but they sure are more fun to steer. These are the speedboat orgs. They often explore islands no others have seen, forging new ways through that others can follow. They don’t carry much, sometimes just a few people or even just the speedboat captain alone, but they cover a lot of distance in a short amount of time and can change their minds to do something different in what feels like a split second.
My Org
Of course denominational work, which makes up the majority of my leadership energy… is decidedly of the barge variety (some might even think of it as a shipwreck variety.) Until the last 5-7 years or so there have not been major turns in the barge I belong to.
Lately I’ve been wondering if we might be attempting to retrofit our Wesleyan Barge into a Wesleyan Aircraft Carrier. One that might make some waves but is more concerned with sending out our innovative craft not just into the waves around us but also the skies. Talk to me in 6 or so years to see if I think it’s worked.
Your Org
As for you, which kind of organization are you in? Does the grass seem greener in the other kind of vessel (to mix metaphors big-time)? What advantages does your barge or speedboat have that you likely overlook as you get sick of your own circumstances? Do you have another kind of water-going vessel you’d prefer to use in this metaphor for your org?
