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03.09.2019 | News

The most important project: We untie knots together

Loosening and untying old knots to establish new structures is a mammoth task. It is an even more massive undertaking when the task calls for enabling the Catholic church with its 2000-year-old traditions and structures to welcome a new culture of thinking and acting. In this interview, Wolfgang Rabl, CEO of next level consulting, shares his experience of accompanying the archdiocese of Paderborn in their organisational development process of the general vicariate.

 

Mr Rabl, since 2016, you have been intensively involved with the Catholic church in the archdiocese of Paderborn. What have you been dealing with?

The archdiocese of Paderborn pictured a vision of their future a couple of years ago. Based on this vision, eleven subprojects were developed. One of them took up the big challenge to re-think and re-organise the structures of the archiepiscopal general vicariate (AGV) within the context of the further development of the archdiocese. Our company won the public tender to accompany and advise the AGV on their new path. A major challenge has been and will be to extend the general vicariate from administrator to service provider.


What was the difference between your and your competitors’ advisory approach?

It was very important for us not to present a completed overall concept which we could simply impose on the administration. An organisational development project is a continuous process without a specific end point, and it can only be successful if it is accepted and lived by the social system within the organisation. This is why it was of utmost importance for us to walk through this process together with all managers and employees. We labelled this process “the path of little steps”. This approach convinced the decision makers to partner up with next level consulting.


Which key tasks emerged during the first few months?

The image of a red ball of wool already appeared during the first few meetings. This image symbolised our task to untie the knots, and it has accompanied us ever since. We were faced with untying numerous knots on our path together. For this reason, we kept on working this way: identify knots – build knot-teams – untie knots. This approach repeated itself in other processes in a similar way. In praxis this means that based on the vision of the future of the archdiocese of Paderborn, we developed a new operational structure and process map for the AGV. Our next challenge was to adapt the organisational structure to the new processes and to modernise it. What accompanied us continuously was the strategy process and the analysis of “What we are today” and the vision of “What we will be in 2024” as well as the projects resulting from this approach.


What was the particular challenge in the development of the new organisation chart of the AGV?

The foundation for the development of the new organisation chart of the AGV was a prevailing pillar structure from 1974. The decision-making structures were mainly characterised by the so-called principal-department-conference, which reached decisions for the AGV in a selected circle of people. These structures were inhibiting and inefficient; the group of professionals, therefore, could not, should not and had not to take autonomous responsibility for technical questions. Moreover, as years had gone by, the individual specialist departments had dissociated themselves from each other because of the organisational structure, which had hindered the departments in interdisciplinary exchanges. A new block organisation, consisting of the four areas of management, services, resources and development, successfully cracked the old-established shell. The new organisation is characterised by higher effectiveness, autonomy and self-responsibility of the individual specialist departments. Only fundamental or disputable decisions are taken at management level by a significantly smaller governing body. The independent section “diocese development” signals that the future of the archdiocese and the way to that same future are of fundamental importance.

 

Mr Rabl, can you actually compare the “company church” with its history, tradition, rituals, and structures with a regular company in the free economy?

Yes and no. Both organisations surely share one crucial feature: power structures behind the scenes, which essentially influence every change process regardless of the ecclesiastical or secular context. We have observed, for instance, notable differences in communication culture in the church. The way people deal with each other is strikingly more appreciative, and the general atmosphere is characterised by a more balanced and cooperative mindset. Moreover, the sense of urgency is far more relaxed when it comes to developing, making and realising strategic decisions than in profit-oriented companies. In this case, we are the chased ones and have to implement essential changes within a few months with successful results.
“The way people deal with each other is strikingly more appreciative…”

 

For consultants, developing and controlling change processes in companies is a special challenge. How can this goal be practically realised in an organisational and contemporary renewal within and with the church?

Particularly within the context of organisational developments, change processes are never completed. Any company, or in this case the Catholic church, continuously evolves and changes due to, for instance, societal influences and realities; similarly, the process of organisational development continuously has to be adapted and has to fulfil external and internal requirements. For our case this means that if the Catholic church in the archdiocese of Paderborn aspires and demands to especially enhance quality through evangelisation, then the organisational and operational structure of the AGV has to be evaluated with this in mind.

 

If we think of the church in terms of a company, surely one of the major problems is currently “customer loyalty”. How can the church highlight its unique feature again and present itself more attractively?

Our key task was to primarily deal with the AGV as administrative and service organisation. But you are right: You can never take up this challenge in isolation; the tasks and activities of the local church and the believers’ requirements related to the church as an institution have to be focused. I personally am convinced that the meaning of spirituality and of a superior complex of meaning will gain more importance for individual people within the next few years. The world is growing far too complex for individuals to deal with its entailed challenges alone. This represents, in my view, a great chance but also a tremendous threat to the Catholic church. If the Catholic church fails to enthuse people with its “product” and to provide contemporary answers and valuable orientation, I fear it runs the risk of sinking into insignificance.

 

Which goals of prime importance would you define if you want to make the church future-proof?

A contemporary and modern organisational and operational structure of the AGV is surely just an objective of secondary importance. I believe that the church has to succeed in a pressing first step to turn its officials and dignitaries, representatives of Catholic organisations and societies, the many volunteers and still numerous church goers into positive ambassadors of their own conviction and objectives. Sometimes I get the impression that even Catholic institutions and organisational structures are partially bashfully hiding their “being Catholic”. And I am convinced that a pastor can achieve a lot of good with his deeds in his community; unfortunately, he can also destroy a lot. I believe that many things are well thought through and brilliantly organised. But this is all just too good in theory if there is no functioning internal communication overarching all levels, internal and external, from top to bottom, to parishioners and non-parishioners. This is why I would like to make the decision makers take the following to heart: Communicate with each other and turn your own people on all levels into positive ambassadors for the Catholic church and thus, enthuse and inspire people again.

 

A final question: You enjoy moderating huge events – maybe one day you would like to give a sermon in a fully occupied cathedral. What would you communicate to the believers, and what would your sermon’s title be?

The answer comes naturally: “Who – if not we? When – if not now?” I think this sermon would emotionalise a lot.

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