Catalysts, Champions and the Decentralized Organization

For the past two weeks, we at International Teams Canada hosted a gathering of leaders from around the world for a series of planning, visioning and structure development outcomes.

To "cut to the chase" as they say, we had some profound outcomes ... what I would call a real breakthrough.

In our organization, we have a mix of ages, backgrounds and cultures and that can bring added colour and added challenges. However, we are bonded by our shared passion to see lives and communities transformed by the power of God.

The gathering of leaders from or Refugee Teams set a powerful example of shared learning along with shared passion. Later, CEOs and one of our Europe leaders "sat in" and listened to the visioning process. That process addressed how we could continue to grow our global work with refugees both in depth and breadth. As well, we want to be even more intentional in building effective partnerships with local refugee organizations/initiatives where our teams are located.

Our vision of a more decentralized organization found clarity and definition through the book "The Starfish and the Spider". I found a useful summary and added some questions that help our leaders envision roles like Catalysts and Regional Champions.

Our Leadership Team were impacted by the deep "buy in" and unity in the Refugee Leader's community-driven approach. Well done people! And, while I'm giving some recognition, let me mention that our team here in Canada (with an extended team of volunteers) did an amazing job of hosting all who participated. That hospitality helped create our greater sense of community!

Well done all!