Reading Lencioni

When we travel as a family and Claudia does her share of the driving on the Interstate, I usually pass the time reading. This week I have one of Patrick Lencioni's books, Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars. Lencioni is a consultant for corporations and non-profit organizations. He has also been a key speaker at some of Willow Creek Leadership Summits.

In Silos, Lencioni has written a very good fable that depicts the typical "silos" or turf wars that take place in any organization. Using several different case scenarios, Lencioni does a great job in describing the subtleties of turf wars and places the blame square at the top of the organization. (The ground troops are simply doing their jobs as described for them by their bosses.)

The answer to the turf war, according to Lencioni, is a thematic goal. This is not to be confuse with a vision statement or a BHAG (big fat hairy goal), as Porras and Collins describe. But it is more than strategic goals and objectives. I must admit, this was a new concept for me and I'm not quite sure of the concept even after reading Lencioni's concept.

Lencioni clearly states that a thematic goal does not exclude the need to develop a good, functioning executive team (cf. Dysfunctions of Teams). Indeed, good executive teams are a priority for Lencioni. But contends that even well functioning teams with good personal relationships will sometimes have organizational/structural weaknesses that allow "silos" or turf wars to develop.

Overall, Lencioni has written a very readable book that clearly describes the problem of politics among divisions in an organization. But the concept of a "thematic goal" (as opposed to organizational vision) is still a bit vague to me -- but he's probably on to something. I don't think this book is as good as his Dysfunctions of Teams, but it is still a good read, has great application for various organizations including many churches and ministries.