Lesson 2/6

Empowerment Leadership Model for Small Groups, Teams, & Families
Course 2, Lesson 6

Implementing the Action Plan
Deciding How to Make Decisions
Learning to Carry Out Decisions

what the group does to get started working on the group purpose

Note: Whenever "group" or "team" is used, it can mean "group", "team", or "family".
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The group's second major task, or phase, is that of getting started working on the group purpose. (This is different than the first phase or task which was getting started being a group or team.)

In getting started working on the group purpose, the group works on these subtasks: (1) implementing the action plan; (2) deciding how to make decisions; (3) learning to carry out decisions made; (4) having a sufficiently wide range of activities and/or responsibilities to meet the needs of all group members; (5) learning the strengths and weaknesses of group members as related to the group purpose and goals; (6) significantly tapping the strengths of all members as required for maximum accomplishment of the group’s purpose; and (7) helping group members behave in line with the group purpose and goals.

The group will need the leader's help at first to address most of these subtasks, but as the group matures it will more and more see what a particular situation requires and do what needs to be done. Especially at the beginning of the group, the leader needs to know what the group needs to do to get started working toward the group purpose. The group will intuitively know or stumble upon some of these things, but the leader's more comprehensive knowledge will let her or him know when to help the group see and do what is needed. The leader will need to sit back and wait a bit to see if the group will pick up the task on its own initiative. If not, then it is the leader's job to do as little as can be imagined to get the group to discover or remember the task and then do what needs to be done. But, the leader doesn't want to do too much or the group will never become capable in doing that particular thing.

When the group doesn't know what to do, the leader has the challenge of interacting with the group and its members so as to not do anything they can do within the time available. The wise leader knows that getting the group purpose done as quickly as possible does not allow the development and maturity of the group and its members. So, taking the time to struggle with group and individual skills is often as valuable as accomplishing the purpose.

The skill of giving work to the group, and not doing the group;'s work is a group leadership skill we will deal with in a further Course. For now, begin to think how the leader can give hints or ask non-specific questions to see if the group can figure it out. This will help the group grow. If after a little while the group and its members just cannot decide what needs to be done, switch into a teaching role. Don’t do it for them. Teach them how to identify what needs to be done.

For example, the group might have decided that what needs to be done is examine one another’s faith, one of the 65 Togethers. But the group might not know how to do it. So, in keeping with the rule to not do anything the group can do, you should start by asking them to share their ideas about how to examine one another’s faith, or to brainstorm ways to do it. During that discussion, only if no one mentions it, you might ask them to consider how careful of one another’s feelings and privacy they need to be when they examine one another’s faith. Only if they do not have a clue as to how to do it, or if they are intimidated or afraid, should you actually ask for a volunteer to be examined and then do the actual faith examination yourself, tenderly beginning with that person’s own estimation of what are strong and weak points for him or her in the faith. But after you have once shown how to do it, you should expect the group to examine each other’s faith without much involvement from you.

Now let's look at major task or phase #2: the task of getting started working on the group purpose. This includes 7 subtasks.

(1) implementing the action plan

(2) deciding how to make decisions

(3) learning to carry out decisions

(4) having a sufficiently wide range of activities and/or responsibilities to meet the needs of all group members

(5) learning the strengths and weaknesses of group members as related to the group purpose and goals

(6) significantly tapping the strengths of all members as required for maximum accomplishment of the group’s purpose

(7) helping group members behave in line with the group purpose and goals

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Implementing the Action Plan

The first subtask, then, is to implement the action plan. This is where the group actually gets started with the Bible study, the caring for one another, the running the church, the overseeing the church’s missions effort, or whatever is the group’s purpose. If an action plan was not developed during the process of starting the group, then it needs to be done at this point, at least a tentative action plan. For example, if the group’s purpose was to study the Bible in order to transform the lives of each and every group member, now would be the time to decide how that was going to be done. What Books of the Bible will be studied? Will it be book or topical study? Will the group use any booklets published by the various sources of such helpful material? How will the group decide if a person’s life is significantly transformed? These are some of the things an action plan might address.

Once actions are defined, the group merely gets started.

Deciding How to Make Decisions

In making the actual or tentative action plan, the group had to make decisions. So, this subtask may have already been done. However, it is still necessary at some point to make a solid decision of how decisions will be made so that every member will work at carrying out those decisions.

Too often groups do not openly decide how decisions will be made. This can cause big problems later when the group goes to implement a decision and some of the group members refuse, saying that they did not want the course of action or the activity. For example, a group could assume that decisions can be made by a simple majority. Trouble brews when one group member did not make that assumption and refuses to go along with any decision he or she did not agree with.

The group leader needs to watch the group’s beginning process of making decisions. If the group goes by assumed consensus or majority rule, look carefully for body language of group members to spot if any are showing a lack of commitment to the group’s decision. If so, they are likely to drop out of the group or oppose the decision later. If the leader spots this, he or she can give an observation, speaking to the group, not to the people who look ambivalent about the group’s decision. It is the group’s job to address those individuals. Instead, say something like this to the whole group, “If the decision you just made will require the participation of all members, the group might want to decide if this is a majority rule decision or require total consensus. Anyone who is not fully with you now, might not go with the decision later.”

Since it is the group's corporate duty to deal with the consequences of its decision-making process (whether smooth or full of problems), the group should give some attention to deciding how it wants to usually make decisions. To name a few possibilities, decisions can be made by total consensus, two-thirds majority, simple majority, or by the most forceful member. If a group wants to make decisions by total consensus, it needs to consider the advantages and disadvantages. And simple majority must also be carefully considered because it requires true commitment to a democratic process. Otherwise, members will occasionally drop out of the group or "drag their feet" and inhibit group effort, saying that they did not really agree with decisions made.

The group purpose may dictate a particular type of decision as absolutely necessary. Some group purposes might not appear to require such unanimity, but some might, such as those dealing with personal values or physical risk.

Learning to Carry Out Decisions

A lot of groups make decisions and then do not carry them out. Therefore, it is important that your group takes its decisions seriously and either implements them or decides to abandon them. More successful groups do not waste time making meaningless decisions. If your group decides to stay with someone through a painful divorce, or to help until a group member has gained suitable employment, or to witness to everyone's closest friends, then your group should stick with it to the end (or at least consciously drop the decision rather than slowly lose steam and give up).

Next, let's look at the group's responsibility to have a sufficiently wide range of activities and/or responsibilities to meet the needs of all group members.

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