I'm traveling across the pond to the USA (Joisey) and then by road to interior Pennsylvania- so I'm again giving the floor to Steve Court.
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SHELL'S CEO Peter Voser with some lessons, for the Salvos
Forbes: What convinced you to accept the CEO job?
PV: The Shell board kept up an ongoing conversation with me. Shell had turned 100 years old in 2007, so we talked a lot about how to make Shell a world leader for the next 100 years. By 2050 the world will have 9 billion, not 7 billion, people; global energy consumption will be at least double what it is now; and China will have 600 million or more cars. The question is how should Shell evolve to serve this new world?
sc- So The Salvation Army turns 150 years old in 2015. Now, I'm not of the school that wants to discuss how to make sure The Army stays a world leader for the next 150 years. Instead I want to discuss how we can finish off the mission to win the world for Jesus way before 150 more years pass. Voser discusses the demographic changes that affect Shell. For us, the 10/40 Window is the key demographic, joined by Asia and the biggest populations in the world - India and China. But Europe, whose new nickname - Eurabia - is suggestive of spiritual changes that make it a key battleground in coming years. How does The Army need to arm up to take the 10/40 Window, India, China, and Europe?
Forbes: You became CEO in June 2009, during a global economic crisis. What was that like?
PV: I saw it as a great opportunity. Shell had become too slow. We’d built up a lot of structures, hierarchies, fat. I wanted to change that from the first day I became CEO.
sc: We're facing the global challenges we mentioned above - demographically. But we are also facing social challenges and system challenges and structural challenges. Let's see these as a great opportunity. Like Shell, we have probably become too slow. Like Shell, we have built up a lot of structures, hierarchies, fat. Ouch. Voser aimed to change that from day one. Some seasons it is hard to tackle the big challenges because of the urgent issues and demands of each day. But let's step back and step up and strategise. How about a premant global strategy body to plan this stuff? It sounds like more 'fat'. But if we trim some other stuff, we're in shape to do it.
Forbes: Speed of transformation is high on every CEO’s list. What are the keys?
PV: Two things. First, you have to communicate right from the start—and very clearly—what you want to do. Then, when you start to make changes, you start at the top. We took 20% of Shell’s top management out in order to make the company fitter, with faster decision trees, more accountability further down. Then I took the unusual step of asking the top 14,000 people at Shell to reapply for their jobs.
sc: Whew! So, wait. First, Shell removes 20% of the top management. Can you imagine that in The Salvation Army? 20% fewer commissioners, 20% fewer DCs; maybe 20% fewer territories and divisions... How would that look? At the risk of offending some people (no offence, we're just brainstorming), how about a set of standards for territory status? X number of soldiers and corps... We might end up with Continental Europe Territory and a bloated Southern Africa Territory and a West Africa Territory, and so on...
I'm not saying that this is the best way ahead but we blogged this past week about raising retirement ages meaning that commissioners and generals stay on longer, bumping other great leaders to 'lesser' responsibilities (which you'd expect for them to prosper), thus improving The Army. This would have a similar impact, theoretically.
AND he made 14000 employees re-apply for their jobs! Wow. Can you imagine making all the officers re-apply? Actually, there is an intriguing related idea out there that goes like this: make 2015 the year of jubilee and release every single soldier and officer from their covenants. Everyone is freed with blessing. So if you left or you've wanted to leave for whatever reason, you're now free and won't be breaking covenant. THEN everyone who wants to stay in The Army covenants up again. But THIS time we actually hold them to it. What do you think?
Forbes: How long did it take to change Shell’s organizational structure?
PV: Seven months. I wanted it in six, but I was happy with seven. When you decide to change, you have to move fast.
sc: What? Seven Months! He changed the structure of SHELL in seven months. Wow. So before Valentines Day 2013 we could change the structure of The Salvation Army. No excuses. It can be done. Shell did it and it is a $500billion/year company. Do we want to? (does God want us to) Do we have the guts to? (do we have the guts to obey) Those are the only questions.----
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
The Kingdom of God is at hand.
Major Stephen Court
6 comments:
I find a fair amount of naivety in this article.
first. we need to realise that TSA is part of a church and has as it's aims the welfare of souls and serving suffering humanity - not making a profit. Yes, we need money to run the organisation, but to be honest, the way TSA is run, it doesn't need much funding. We can talk about how much it would cost in the secular world to do what we do, but the reality is that it doesn't cost that much.
we can't be concerned about comparing ourselves with big busineses. If we do, then we might as well close our doors forever because we have lost the plot. We can't apply big business models to the church, or quote leaders like Schwartzcopf as some like doing. We can't have money as our measure of success. What did Chrust say? You can't serve both God and money.
big businesses do make big changes quickly and make lots of money etc. But their motivation is different. They destroy a lot of people in doing it. Are we prepared to destroy people just so that we can be perceived as being sucessful and have more money?
Second. As far as the idea of covenant goes. Again this makes the assumption that people resign because they want to, or because it is just too tough. There may be some like that, but most resign because they are forced to. If they had the option, many I'm sure would not have resigned. Many are forced to resign because they need to look after loved ones, or because they wanted to help people on the streets instead of being behind a desk, or because they fought too hard for human rights, or because they asked too many questions that made people uneasy. I think many formers would be in favour of holding people to their covenant as TSA would no longer be able to force people to resign. They would be forced to answer uneasy questions. They would be forced to accept people fighting for human rights. etc. etc. etc. However, if TSA does, it would also have to become more Christlike and show caring and understanding for its' officers - a novel concept for TSA I know - but one that would have to be embraced.
Do we have the guts to resist the temptation to see ourselves as a business? Do we have the guts to put the souls of people, and serve suffering humanity ahead of being a business? These are the questions we need to ask, not those that were asked in the article.
Yours in Christ
Graeme Randall
Former Australian East living in London
No thanks for me. Life is better for me on this side of the fence but I do like the jubilee idea. It's never a bad idea to clean house. And by that please don't read...toss the baby with the bathwater...but there are certainly some ideas here that can be rethought and put to good use. I like it. Thinking outside the box a little shaking up. As Nike says...:)
Former USA South
Thanks, Stephen.
Just a couple of points.
The Salvation Army is never going to win the world for Jesus. If this is ever going to happen, it can only be done by the church working together as one. The SA has a role to play, but only in humble partnership with other Christians. There is more than a touch of hubris in your blogging, Stephen. Please be careful.
The idea of changing the SA structures in seven months is a bit silly. It's not going to happen, because there are far too many vested interests involved. The other problem is that the SA is an autocracy, and only the General has the authority to make any change.
You may have 'the guts' to do it, but you can't. Only she can. And she won't.
So far as the 'Jubilee Covenant Release Scheme' goes, it's a fine idea, but unworkable. Even if a significant number sign up again, how are you going to 'hold them to it'? Fine them torture them, imprison them, send them on a guilt trip?
Just won't work, and not really a Christian way to do it. After all, William Booth made a covenant with the Methodist Church which he later broke. Sometimes God surprises us, and we cannot enforce rules on those who believe that God is calling them elsewhere.
Enjoyed the blog, though!
T
I think the idea of making the Army better is possible, yet the idea of leaving the covenant and then taking it up again for those who want to stay, does not sound serious for me. I took my covenant as a young man in this Army and believed in it as a promise of marriage, never to break.
In a time when everybody breaks covenants when realizing "they were too young back then", "now I understand better", "there is more life than the Army". Well... I felt that too! and that same idea applies to marriage, doesn´t it? but a word and promise -I believe- IS holy and it is something to keep.
If someone feels the Army is not for them after many years, that is fine and I understand that, they can go on and I am sure they will have God´s blessing, because he sees the heart. But to ask those who believe in a lifetime promise to rethink and do it again if they feel like, is -to me- following the idea the world has given us of options according to my mood and need. I personally don´t want to think again, my promise remains the same and has been the same through good and bad times, with good and bad commanders and partners in different countries and I believe I won´t find anything better in the secular world. I am here for Christ, my promise was to Him.
I have said before that if it were for a debt, I think I have paid my debt to the Army for what it did for me long ago, but I have not paid my debt to Jesus and while the army is not perfect, it is the place were the Lord has placed me to have roots, grow and help others.
All the rest can be done and I agree in many things you say. Just this point is something that I don´t share but certainly respect.
Gerardo Gochez
Major
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