Prospectors & Defenders

Miles & Snow describe four basic archetypes – overarching categories – of how organizations tend to function. Defenders value stability and tradition. Their market focus is narrow and deep, surviving through price or product quality. Structure is formal with centralized control. They are avoiders of change. Prospectors are at the opposite end of the spectrum. They value innovation, creativity, and risk-taking. They thrive in their markets through new constantly developing new products. Structure is flat, open, informal. They are initiators of change. Analyzers are in the middle. They balance stable product/service lines with an emphasis on research and development. They are slow but willing adopters of change. Reactors, the fourth type, have no identifiable structure at all, but rather are constantly reacting to every little thing that comes along.

It is interesting to look at churches and Christian NFP orgs through the lens of these archetypes. How many churches fall into the ‘Defender’ category and how many into that of ‘Prospecter’? The early church were Prospectors as are many churches outside of the US.

Further reading

DNA of Biblical Leadership

Some thoughts on church leadership dynamics concerning the roles of preacher and pastor. Ephesians 4 names five “offices” or roles that...