Most Common Roadblocks

By Phill Butler

Any kind of collaborative Kingdom work – partnerships, networks, or strategic alliances always faces roadblocks. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it – successfully – right?

Here are a few of the most common reasons people don’t cooperate – or hold out as reasons why they can’t or won't try to work together.

1. Lack of long-term, resolute will to both the ministry objective and the process -- collaboration.
2. Concern over theological differences -- real or imagined.
3. Fear of loss of organizational or leadership identity.
4. The "you can do it alone" mentality.
5. Pride/ego
6. Fear of other agencies' intrusion on our turf.
7. Fear of change -- "We've never done it this way before."
8. The "not invented here" syndrome.
9. Fear our funding may be threatened -- we want to protect our income sources.
10. Sees collaboration as a waste of time -- sees no potential added value.
11. "We don't have the staff or time to spend on trying to work with others."
12. Institutional inertia, lack of flexibility, living in the past.
13. Fear of success -- how would we share credit with others?
14. How to explain our involvement to our Board or constituency.
15. Fear of exposure of our organization's weaknesses or idiosyncrasies.
16. Our work is so unique cooperation would have little/no value.

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