• 2, low concern for congregational performance and mission results; little energy toward tasks
• ,2 low concern for people, for members, coworkers and relationships; distancing from people
• 3-D gives little or no attention to congregational situations or systems; doesn’t ask the question, “Why?”
  

  Passive (2,2) expresses servant leadership only sometimes:

• when taking time to recover from illness or exhaustion
• when withdrawing from “24-7” work schedule
• when retreating--spiritual renewal, meditation, regrouping
• when a relationship just isn’t within your limited scope
• when you lack the necessary skill-set for a task
• when the task simply isn’t worth doing
  Note: This is not an effective primary style for congregational leadership, although it may have limited values as suggested above.



So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. --Matt. 25:25

Similar Styles--focusing most often on the negative:

• 1,1 Impoverished Management (B/MGrid) exerting minimum effort to do required work, or to sustain organizational membership; fears being abandoned but tries to “hang on”
• 1/1 Passive Paralytic (White), low expression of both authority and servanthood; “just let it happen”
• “Hermit”--the Eroding Style: (Dale) withdrawing from people and work; negative about people needs and passive about congregational mission achievement
• Also, “non-leadership”--inaction, uncaring, bankrupt leadership

Key to attribution in the text
(also, see Bibliography/Reference Section)
(CLGrid) Congregational Leadership Grid - Elder

(B/MGrid) The New Managerial Grid - Blake & Mouton
(White) Christian Leadership Grid - Ernest O. White
(H/B) Situational Leadership - Hersey & Blanchard
(Dale) Congregational Leadership Model - Robert Dale
(House) Path-Goal Theory of Leadership - House
3-D “Third-Dimension” situations - Elder

• 8, high concern for congregational performance and achieving mission results; task orientation
• ,2 low concern for people, for relationships with members and coworkers; for maturity or development
• 3-D gives incomplete, short-term assessment of changing situations, systems, or environment
  
  
  Directive (8,2) expresses servant leadership sometimes:
  
• when focusing on a specific task within a new context
• when a coworker is new and has not yet proven maturity: readiness, ability, willingness, or confidence
• when a task is technical or very prescriptive
• when a coworker is in a new position, or has a major change in assignment
• when a coworker has low performance and needs skill or behavior training and improvements
• when a new or existing team needs a “jump start” in the right direction within a given time frame
• when there is an emergency among the coworkers or within the congregational situation: legal, moral, etc.
  
  
  Similar Styles--even if negative factors:
  
• 9,1 Authority-Obedience Style (B/MGrid): high on production (9), and low (1) on people, efficiency in operations results from arranging conditions of work in such a way that human elements interfere to a minimum degree; fear of failure, seeks mastery
• 12/1 Divine-Authoritarian (White): claims spiritual truth as basis of authority for leadership; does not emphasize servanthood; concerned chiefly with getting God’s work done; often a “benevolent dictator”
• S1 Telling Style (H/B): a directive leadership style, providing specific instructions and closely supervising performance; when the coworker has low maturity readiness--unable, unwilling and insecure.
• Commanders--the Efficient Style (Dale): active/negative, active toward emphasizing congregational mission; negative, aggressive toward people, overpowering others; often getting what they want in the short run
• Path Goal Directive (House): lets subordinates know what is expected and how to get there
  

• 2, low concern for congregational goals, performance and mission results; little energy toward tasks
• ,8 high concern for individual persons, coworkers, teams and relationships; mutual warmth and respect
• 3-D gives attention to personal situational dynamics, more to “family systems” than to organizational “systems thinking”; likes one-on-one perspective
  
  
  Supportive (2,8) expresses servant leadership often: even essential in congregational leadership for many of its leaders, coworkers, and functions:
  
• serving the servants, encouraging coworkers
• acting in the best interest of others, not self
• pastoral caring, nurturing, counseling attention to persons, families, and groups
• attention within groups to relationships rather than task issues; seeks to involve others
• celebrating improvements, attainments and victories
• spiritual direction: teach, develop, with rejoicing and weeping
• building authentic, caring congregational fellowship
• providing an example of an accepting, believing, quiet presence even in troubled times
  
  
  Similar Styles--sometimes focusing on the negative:
  
• 1,9 Country Club Management (B/MGrid): low (1) on concern for congregational performance and results; high (9) on consideration for people and relationships; thoughtful attention to the needs of people for satisfying relationships leads to a comfortable, friendly organization atmosphere and work tempo; fears rejection, seeks warmth and approval
• 1/12 The Submissive-Servant Leader (White): low (1/) on authority, high (/12) on servanthood; overwhelming desire to please everyone, relationships protected at all costs
• Encouragers, the Empathic Style (Dale): passive-positive is warm, trusting, approachable; submissive with people; praised as selfless, often controlled by others; goals and production may be a necessary evil
• Path-Goal Supportive (House): shows concern for the needs of subordinates; makes the work more pleasant and is friendly and approachable
  

• 5, moderate concern for performance, for mission results, but not beyond group agreement or willingness
• ,5 moderate concern for people, for member relationships, but not to the extent of high expectation, trust, or development; low risk level; small gains, small losses
• ,5 could be called consensus, constituency-centered, democratic, or compromising leadership style. I have sometimes called this “the committee leadership style,” or “keeping everyone equally satisfied”
• 3-D usually gives attention to the immediate situation in the congregation (or one of its systems)--or to a specific issue or task at hand; does not usually take the longer or deeper look; pursues a specific job assignment
  
  

  Participative (5,5) expresses servant leadership often:

• when seeking to build consensus around a specific project or issue; listening to people for their ideas so you can make better or more accepting decisions
• when sharing a task or responsibility between staff and lay leaders: committees, teams, councils; expressing democratic participation: calendar, budgeting, projects
• when pursuing an effort to work with people at their current readiness level; being inclusive in a group with members at differing maturity levels
• when training and developing coworkers to take responsibility for task and mission results, and people concerns
• when risks, impact, and methodology are at limited levels; or options are being developed and tried
• when team morale is part of the task, if not its most significant element
• when following church policy or procedure to get the assigned task done (Organization-Man)
• when “finding out where people want to go, then getting out in front to lead them” (pretty close to some “benevolent dictators”)

  
  Similar Styles--some negative:

• 5,5 Organization-Man Style (B/MGrid): moderate concern for production (5,) and people (,5); adequate organization performance is possible through balancing the necessity to get out work while maintaining morale of people at a satisfactory level; fear of being embarrassed, need to be popular; middle-of-the-road style
• 6,6 People Pleaser Style (White): employs some servanthood and some authority according to what people want or will approve; conflict is not acceptable, and decisions are by consensus and/or compromise
• S2 Selling Style (H/B): this leader asks coworkers for input, provides for clarification, makes the decision and sells it; when coworkers have moderate task readiness (R2), unable but willing or confident to do the work
• S3 Participating Style (H/B): this leader provides encouragement and growth; shares ideas and facilitates decision-making; when coworker has moderate maturity, task readiness (M3)--able but unwilling and/or insecure
• Path-Goal Participative Style (House): consults with subordinates and takes their suggestions for consideration when making decisions and setting goals

5. Transformative Leadership Syle--CLGrid 8,8

The CLGrid 8,8 - transformative leadership style, draws upon contingency styles “transforming” or “transformational” discussed in leadership material. Leaders throughout the congregation--but especially those “to whom much is given, much is required”--should consider it as a preferred choice and practice. It embraces the content of servant leadership but still draws upon the other four CLGrid styles based on situation factors: mission, values, goals, tasks, people, and systems. Now, let’s continue our interpretation:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.--Romans 12:2

• 8, gives high concern for performance in achieving the congregation’s mission results; goals are set that are challenges and move the congregation in that direction; personal and congregational goals are clearly identified, integrated, and expressed as a stewardship
• ,8 gives high concern for people, and measures member relationship by the high standard of biblical--“koinonia fellowship”; and “agape love” goes beyond warmth, friendliness, and satisfaction to mutual respect, trust, development, caring, and high expectation
• 3-D gives careful consideration to the “third dimension”-- the congregation’s systems, situations and environment, and the impact one change has within other systems
• Transformative Leadership Style--expresses elements of other kindred styles, such as: transforming, transformational, collaborative, visionary, mission-centered, charismatic, effective, strategic, courageous, systems, team/partnership--yes, even Christian, spiritual, or kingdom leadership


Transformative leadership: one who commits people to action, who converts followers into leaders, and who may convert leaders into agents of change. --Bennis, Leaders, p.3

. . . is the capacity to translate intention into reality and sustain it . . . it is the wise use of power. Bennis, Leaders, p.14

• 8,8 expresses servant leadership consistently and with greatest impact when it:

• creates and communicates a vision among members of the congregation and reflects the power of their ownership and passion; paints a challenging dream for the future
• helps to define the realities, challenges, and opportunities of a servant congregation
• inspires the membership and its leadership to live and work together as servants of the Lord
• seeks to transform the congregation’s membership, resources, and culture into its mission achievement
• reflects choices, situational in that 8,8 transformative leadership stays in touch with other CLGrid styles, different situations, systems and coworker task readiness
• develops members into servants, servants into leaders, and leaders into servant teams, providing continued learning, growing experiences; takes risks, learning from them
• delegates toward coworkers who are able, willing, and confident to accept work tasks and people relationships
• accepts change and conflict as normal and potentially beneficial to strengthen relationship and achieve goals
• provides a symbolic frame of reference for the congregation on its spiritual mission
• tells the stories of the church and its members, its past and present, its sorrows and joys, its failures and successes--its preparedness for today’s mission

Similar Styles to 8,8 Transformative--considered by most practitioners as the most effective, but not the only one-best style for every situation; (B/MGrid) sometimes raises unrealistic expectations or is over-complex.

• 9,9 Team Management Style: high concern (9) for production and for people; work accomplishment is from committed people, interdependence through a “common mistake” in organizational purpose leads to relationships of trust and respect
• 12/12 Body Leader Style (White): high concern for authority and for servanthood (12) expresses a healthy balance between authority, service, respect for others, and a good sense of relationship to self and to the Lord
• S4 Delegating Style (H/B): this leader style provides larger goal direction, turns over responsibility for decisions and implementation; when coworker has high maturity/readiness (M4) --when able, willing and confident
• Catalyst--the Effective Style (Dale): active toward mission tasks, positive toward members; participates in the process but is not consumed by it
• Path-Goal Achievement-Oriented Style (House): emphasizes excellence in performance and displays confidence that subordinates will assume responsibility and accomplish challenging goals

Reflection/Assessment/Application of This Grid:
Congregational Leadership Grid provides five optional leadership styles/behavior patterns. They are interactive, but distinctive; each is valid in certain circumstances, but not equally valuable as a primary style; they are presented in concept but also in specific application. But now, it's up to you. How will you make your choices and establish your pattern of effective leadership? How will you chart your own course?

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© 2006 servantleaderstoday.com; hosted and copyrighted by Lloyd Elder & Associates, Inc.
For full citation of referenced works, see Bibliography/Links at www.servantleaderstoday.com
Adapted by Lloyd Elder, Th.D., Founding Director, Moench Center for Church Leadership