Chapter 21 – Organizing – Knowing Your Resources

Organizing – Knowing Your Resources

Beyond Numbers

How many people does it take to screw in a light bulb? This common joke format highlights our tendency to question group effectiveness. Behind the humor lies a fundamental management question: Is more better? Does having a larger workforce provide an advantage or create a burden? How much does the composition of that workforce matter?

The Bible offers unique insights into these questions through its detailed attention to counting, census-taking, and resource management. While biblical text is known for its brevity – Moses’s prayer for his sister’s healing was just five Hebrew words, “Please Lord, heal her now” (Numbers 12:13) – it devotes considerable space to multiple censuses of the Israelites. This emphasis suggests that understanding organizational resources was critically important to biblical leadership.

The Bible records six major censuses:

1. At Mount Sinai, four months after leaving Egypt: 603,550 men of military age (Exodus 38:26)
2. In the second year in the desert: 603,550 men (Numbers 1:1-46)
3. Before entering the Promised Land: 601,730 men (Numbers 26:51)
4. During King David’s reign: 1,300,000 men (2 Samuel 24:9)
5. Solomon’s census of foreigners: 153,600 workmen (2 Chronicles 2:17-18)
6. After the return from Exile: 42,360 people (Ezra 2:64)

These repeated countings provide valuable management lessons about resource identification, organizational structure, and the balance between quantitative and qualitative approaches to human resources.

The Purpose of Organizational Census

The first biblical census mentioned in Exodus 30:11-16 served dual purposes. While it provided Moses with population information, its primary function was fundraising—each person contributed a half-shekel toward building the Tabernacle. This indirect counting method established an important principle: people should not be reduced to mere numbers.

The second census (Numbers 1) focused on military readiness, identifying men of fighting age by tribe. With an organization of potentially several million people, Moses needed accurate information about his resources to effectively plan for the conquest of Canaan.

These early censuses illustrate the organizational benefits of systematic resource assessment:

1. Strategic planning – Understanding available resources before undertaking major initiatives
2. Organizational design – Creating appropriate structures based on organizational composition
3. Resource allocation – Distributing responsibilities effectively based on capabilities
4. Identity formation – Reinforcing tribal/group identity through formal recognition

The Tabernacle building project (Exodus 35-36) further demonstrates Moses’s resource management approach. Rather than commanding participation, Moses issued an open call for volunteers and donations. The response was so abundant that Moses eventually had to tell the people to stop bringing contributions (Exodus 36:6-7). This overabundance created a different management challenge – how to handle surplus resources—but demonstrated the power of inspired, voluntary participation.

People, Not Numbers: The Value of Individual Identity

The census described in Numbers is distinguished by a specific instruction: count the people “by number of the name” (Numbers 1:2). This phrasing emphasizes that while numerical data was needed, the individuality of each person remained paramount.

This principle reflects a core biblical value – people are not interchangeable units but unique individuals with names, histories, and distinct contributions. When organizations treat employees as mere statistics, they lose the human element that drives engagement and excellence. As Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests, understanding individual motivations is essential for helping employees reach self-actualization.

The half-shekel used in the first census carried symbolic significance. By contributing half a coin, each person symbolically acknowledged their incompleteness as individuals and their need for community. This powerful metaphor suggests that organizational effectiveness requires both individual contribution and collective unity.

The Lord’s displeasure with King David’s census (2 Samuel 24) reinforces this principle. David’s direct counting of his fighting men, apparently motivated by pride in military strength, resulted in divine punishment. This story suggests that when leaders focus exclusively on numerical strength rather than qualitative factors or divine assistance, they risk organizational hubris and failure.

Organizational Structure: Tribal Configurations

The various tribal listings throughout Numbers reveal that organizational structures should be fluid rather than rigid. The tribes were arranged differently depending on the purpose:

1. Administrative leadership (Numbers 1:5-14) – Arranged to reflect how the land would be divided
2. Military capability (Numbers 1:20-43) – Led by tribes with the strongest warriors (Reuben, Gad, Simeon)
3. Travel formation (Numbers 2:1-31) – Organized to protect the Tabernacle during movement
4. Tabernacle consecration (Numbers 7:12-83) – Following the travel formation order
5. Final census (Numbers 26) – Reflecting changes in tribal strength after 38 years
6. Moses’s blessing (Deuteronomy 33) – Emphasizing future tribal roles and responsibilities

These varied arrangements demonstrate an important management principle: organizational structure should be purpose-driven rather than tradition-bound. Different contexts require different configurations of the same resources. Effective leaders adapt their organizational structures to meet changing circumstances and objectives.

The four-directional camp arrangement (Numbers 2) provides particular insight into strategic organizational design:

• Eastern tribes (Judah, Issachar, Zebulun): Known for scholarship and wisdom, they led the formation
• Southern tribes (Reuben, Simeon, Gad): Known for military prowess, they provided protection
• Western tribes (Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin): Known for tenacity, they faced the stormy Mediterranean
• Northern tribes (Dan, Asher, Naphtali): Considered the weakest tribes, they followed behind

This arrangement placed different tribal strengths where they could be most effective. Modern organizations similarly benefit from the strategic positioning of teams based on their particular capabilities and the challenges they face.

Quality Over Quantity: The Value of Individual Contribution

While many ancient kingdoms emphasized sheer numbers as a measure of power, the Bible presents a contrary perspective. Deuteronomy 7:7 explicitly states that God chose Israel not because of its size – “for you are the fewest of all people” – but for other qualities.

This perspective challenges conventional thinking about organizational size. Throughout biblical history, small forces repeatedly overcame larger ones through superior strategy, commitment, or divine intervention. Examples include:

• Gideon’s 300 soldiers defeating the Midianite multitude (Judges 7)
• David defeating Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
• The Maccabees overcoming the much larger Seleucid army (though not in the Hebrew Bible)

The Bible repeatedly demonstrates that a small number of committed individuals can achieve more than large groups lacking purpose or cohesion. As the Talmudic saying states, “He who saves one soul saves an entire world” (Sanhedrin 37a), highlighting the immeasurable value of individual contribution.

This principle applies directly to modern management. Organizations often chase growth for its own sake – assuming that bigger means better. However, as Peter Drucker noted, finding the right size for an organization is critical – too small may lack necessary resources, while too large may become inflexible and unresponsive. Moses’s initial reluctance to lead may have stemmed partly from recognition that managing millions of people required different skills than leading a small group.

The Bible suggests that optimal organizational size depends on:

1. Purpose – What the organization is trying to accomplish
2. Leadership capacity – The leaders’ ability to manage complexity
3. Internal preparation – The systems and structures in place
4. Environmental factors – External conditions affecting operations

Strategic Implications of Population Changes

The comparison between the second and third censuses reveals important demographic changes during the 38 years in the wilderness. While the overall population declined only slightly (from 603,550 to 601,730), individual tribal populations shifted dramatically:

• Major decreases: Simeon (-37,100)
• Major increases: Manasseh (+20,500), Benjamin (+10,200), Asher (+11,900)

These changes reflect varying impacts of the wilderness experience on different tribes. Some thrived despite adversity while others struggled. This pattern resembles organizational behavior during challenging periods – some divisions or teams demonstrate resilience and growth while others decline.

The relative stability of the overall population despite individual tribal fluctuations demonstrates another management principle: organizational systems often maintain equilibrium even as their components change significantly. Effective managers monitor both system-level stability and component-level changes to identify emerging strengths and weaknesses.

Resource Identification Beyond Internal Assets

Solomon’s census of foreigners (2 Chronicles 2:17-18) illustrates the importance of identifying all available resources, not just those within the core organization. By counting the 153,600 foreign workers in Israel, Solomon expanded his resource pool for building the Temple.

This approach suggests that managers should look beyond traditional organizational boundaries when assessing resources. Potential assets might include:

• Contractors and contingent workers
• Strategic partners
• Customer co-creators
• Community resources
• Volunteer contributors

The mixed multitude that left Egypt with the Israelites (Exodus 12:38) represents a similar resource that could either strengthen or challenge the core organization. Moses needed to consider this population in his planning even though they weren’t counted in the formal census.

The Role of Visual Identity in Organizational Cohesion

While the censuses categorized people numerically, Numbers 2:2 mentions that each tribe had its own flag or banner. These visual symbols reinforced tribal identity and provided rallying points during travel and encampment.

Modern organizations similarly benefit from visual symbols that reinforce shared identity. Logos, team colors, office layouts, and even dress codes can serve as modern equivalents to tribal banners, helping employees connect emotionally with organizational purpose and culture.

Deliverables

• Count people meaningfully – Track numbers for planning purposes but remember employees are individuals, not statistics.
• Know your resources – Maintain detailed awareness of your organizational capabilities and look beyond traditional boundaries for additional assets.
• Structure for purpose – Adapt your organizational design to meet specific objectives rather than maintaining rigid traditional structures.
• Find optimal size – Seek the right organizational scale for your mission rather than pursuing growth for its own sake.
• Balance individual and collective – Recognize unique individual contributions while fostering shared identity through symbols and unified purpose.
• Monitor at multiple levels – Track both organization-wide metrics and unit-level changes to identify emerging strengths and weaknesses.
• Inspire, don’t just command – Create compelling purpose that motivates voluntary contribution rather than mere compliance.

Discussion Questions

1. Why would you not want to count the numbers of employees you have versus why would you want to count them?
2. In today’s technical society do numbers still matter? How do qualitative factors balance quantitative measures?
3. Why do you think King David was punished for conducting a census? What other option could he have undertaken?
4. Do you think it matters how the tribes are listed in the various countings in the Bible and why or why not?
5. In your experience, when is organizational growth beneficial and when is it detrimental?
6. What symbols, practices, or traditions in your organization serve as modern equivalents to tribal banners? How effective are they at creating cohesion?