OPEN Source Leadership
What happens when you stop telling people what the vision is and allow them the opportunity to help create it? What happens when leaders stop doing and start listening, observing and empower the masses to make a positive impact? Results! That’s what happens. Look at some of the most influential innovations of the last 5 years:
The iPhone-A small device combining a phone, web browser and mp3 player. Platform: OPEN allowing 3rd party developers to create apps for the platform. The iPhone has revolutionized the phone and has forced cell phone manufactures to follow suit just to try and compete.
Wikipedia- An OPEN source web encyclopedia that just doesn’t provide answers but allows users to contribute understanding of topics as well.
WordPress- An OPEN source web publishing platform that serves 10 million users to date. The platform is open allowing developers to create widgets, modules, plugins and more to help shape the platform.
Facebook-If Facebook was a country it would be the 7th largest country in the world. It has an OPEN API allowing developers and users to create applications to the social networking site making the site an extension of their communication.
The Church- Mostly a CLOSED platform (that is changing). While the church differs in form, it’s function is very similar to the innovations mentioned above in that it exists to serve a community. Yet by in large it has not figured out, actually, I take that back I don’t think it really has valued the idea of an open model or platform yet but when it does the impact will be amazing. An OPEN source model will allow it to focus on empowering their community to contribute and reshape their faith. This means relinquishing the style of leadership that assumes one should have some degree of control over every part of the church. This kind of leadership is exhausting and ultimately does not nurture a climate of momentum, empowerment, innovation and ownership.
I’m seeing a generation that has realized that they do not need titles and positions to influence culture. They are hungry to see lives change and the message of God’s grace told. They are self organizing and the momentum being built is astonishing. A large part of this is being developed outside of traditional church models. Our responsibility is to make room for them and that may mean a different approach to church leadership.
Just sayin…
Beautiful post! You know I am behind you on this. It seems like I was just talking with someone about this very subject. =)
Seriously though, people need to get over the fear of giving things away for free and the myth that open source means immature or under developed. If anyone were to run the numbers on the development hours spent on OPEN source projects that have made them best on market, they would be shocked.
Ben
Thanks for commenting! I agree people need to get over the fear and I think stats are showing that products can be flat out awesome in Open community settings. The whole “nobody is smarter than everybody” mantra works.