Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Careers, Workplace and Religion
Getting past “order” vs. “sin”: How to reinvent management

Getting past “order” vs. “sin”: How to reinvent management

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 12:10 pm by Oikonomia Network

Getting past “order” vs. “sin”: How to reinvent management 2015-03-03T12:15:22-05:00 Oikonomia Network

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By Randal Franz

This article is adapted by the author from “An Exercise in Theological Imagination,” which appeared in the Journal of Biblical Integration in Business.

Even before the recent Great Recession prompted many to rethink our current economic models, some leading management scholars and business titans were calling for the reinvention of management. I agree with them, but as a Christian business scholar I contend that we need to rethink our management models not simply because the context has changed around us – globalization, technology, etc. – but because at a deeper level our management models are out of sync with fundamental aspects of reality. There are some missing theological principles that have profound implications for management.

For the past 100 years, most management models have been designed for a world characterized by an implicit order that is imposed by power through hierarchical structures, within which opportunism, guile, and apathy (i.e. sin) are endemic. Order, power, hierarchy, and sin – these core theological truths form the bedrock of the managerial worldview. They describe the reality within which we live and therefore frame the kind of organizations we create.

Systems built upon these assumptions are effective because they do map onto important aspects of reality, but they are not the whole story. As Christians, we know that this picture of reality is missing some profoundly important theological considerations. We believe that the world is also inherently relational, personal, communal, and redemptive.

What can businesspeople glean from a theological anthropology that could reshape how they manage? From scripture, we know people were made to relate. We are persons in relationship. We find our identity and meaning in community. And we live in a world that is full of potential and is in the process of being restored by, and reconciled to, its Creator. This is a very different picture of reality than the model that shows us only order, power, hierarchy, and sin. To ignore these missing dimensions seriously misconstrues the object of our managerial attention; as a result, we incorrectly specify the systems and structures that we create to organize and control our world.

How would management and organizations be different if they were designed for a reality that is personal, relational, communal, and redemptive, as well as ordered, powerful, hierarchical, and sinful? As a management scholar, I have found the exercise of rethinking some managerial models in light of these missing theological constructs very enlightening.

Personal and Communal Structure: “Membership”

The normal understanding of organizational structure is as a social system of interacting positions and procedures designed to accomplish a productive purpose. How would an organization be structured if it embraced the fundamentally communal nature of reality? In contrast to merely contractual employment, “membership” resonates with a more communal orientation. Membership is more than paying dues or formally “joining” a club or church; it represents a level of involvement and identification with a collective enterprise. There is a sense of common purpose that engenders a close connection with the group. Members view themselves (and their interests) as part of the collective enterprise, such that they are willing to look beyond their narrow job descriptions and self-interest to do what it takes to help the organization succeed.

The notion of membership also resonates with the tendency to view organizations today as comprised primarily of volunteers. The experience and feeling of being a member can be encouraged and facilitated, but it can never be coerced.

A communal conception of membership would be based in shared interest and a common good. As a member of a club or organization, I assume some responsibility for the whole – I might pay dues, hold office, attend meetings, support activities, etc. I also expect to share or participate in certain collective benefits, such as friendship, camaraderie, outings, recognition, accomplishments, and success. Membership organizations will be characterized by more participative and/or democratic processes, requiring heightened levels of internal transparency so people can make informed decisions (e.g., engagement/participation, “open-book” management). To ensure that all members share in the fruits of their collective efforts, they may also employ profit-sharing compensation plans or even shared-ownership models such as stock options, employee stock ownership plans, and/or cooperatives.

Membership promotes a stewardship mindset, a communal orientation, and commitment to shared outcomes where participants become “keepers of the commons” for all their colleagues. We see some of these methods practiced in many companies. Theology provides a unifying framework and compelling justification for why such practices are effective and how they can be combined to create structures and systems that resonate with people’s fundamental nature.

Of course, this heightened level of membership commitment makes staffing decisions more difficult. It is harder to find and develop those who might be willing to join the community. Once they join, it becomes problematic to let them go if necessary. It is a simple decision to fire a mere employee, but membership is not so easily broken. As partners or even co-owners they have a very different stake in the enterprise of which they are a part. The purely instrumental calculus of human “resource management” becomes complicated – in a good way.

Personal Communication: “Voice” and “Dialogue”

Miscommunication and misunderstanding are so prevalent within organizations that good communication skills are vital in management. Rather than conceiving of communication as the effective transfer of information, what if we conceived of it as forging personal relationships and developing community? How do we manage when we respect the sacredness and appreciate the personhood of those with whom we interact?

A mutual awareness and availability to each other is a profoundly different encounter from the instrumental, impersonal transactions we often experience in organizations. Voice is the right to be heard and to have one’s concerns included, respected, and addressed by the whole. It does not guarantee one’s wishes will be granted, but it does ensure that one’s interests will be considered. Not everyone is entitled to voice; the right to voice is rooted in one’s connection to the enterprise and commitment to its success.

Being personal requires openness to the Other and disclosure of Self, both of which entail sharing information. Voice is an act of self-expression. It is a form of contribution – a gift of information often inaccessible to the Other. Voice is a form of engagement that expects a response. Indeed, Voice requires hearing and paying attention. Hearing someone respects their personhood.

Conversation and dialogue are key mechanisms by which organizational commitment and institutional change are fostered. Mutual Voice, or dialogue, is the medium of personal relationship. The day-to-day operation of the enterprise can be structured in such a way that a deep connection is built by respecting and responding to the voices of one’s stakeholders.

Relational and Personal Leadership: “Embodiment”

One task of a leader is to facilitate the establishment of personal connections with followers and mediate their connection to the organization. In this relational, personal reality, rather than maintaining a respectful distance, leaders strive for familiarity. Knowing one’s followers requires allowing oneself to be known. Authentic leadership demands leaders become persons for the people they are leading.

This affective, interpersonal dynamic resonates with transformational leadership, charismatic and visionary leadership, and trust. By connecting with people’s deeply held values, providing a compelling vision that captures their imagination, and connecting with individuals as persons such that they feel connected to the cause and/or their colleagues, leaders (and hence organizations) are able to foster strong bonds with their members. And once forged, such bonds are more likely to endure the vagaries of economic fluctuations and result in followers being willing to work hard and sacrifice for the leader (and organization).

Of course, followers can become too attached to a particular leader, such that their connection is with the person rather than with the enterprise. In these cases, the personal relationship overshadows their professional role. The interaction takes on a whole new character.

Since God is redemptive, communal, personal, and relational, and humans are a reflection of God, the organizations we create and the managerial systems we enact are poorer if we neglect of these realities. They are lonelier, meaner, more fragmented, and dysfunctional. Theology has valuable insights to contribute to the management conversation. The world needs new managerial ideas; it needs Christians to design and operate organizations that reflect the reality we know to be true.

Randall Franz is associate professor of management at Seattle Pacific University. This article originally appeared at the Oikonomia Network. Image: ON.

Faith and the Workplace

Previous Post

March 9, 2015

[VIDEO] A final encouraging word from the Faith@Work Summit

Next Post

March 11, 2015 God is in all of life: #1 of a series

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Audio posts Bible and Work Book Review Books Budgeting Calling Common Good Community Development Conferences Discipleship Economics Entrepreneurship Ethics Faith and Family Faith and the Marketplace Faith and the Workplace faith and work History of Work and Vocation Leadership Local Church Meaning New Blogger News Prayer Relationships Seminaries Theology of Work Uncategorized Video posts Vocation Worship Resources

Select a Month April 2026 October 2025 September 2025 July 2025 April 2025 January 2025 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 May 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 November 2023 August 2023 July 2023 April 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 May 2022 April 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 January 2020 December 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many men did Gideon initially gather?

Select your answer to see how you score.

10,000 32,000 20,000 15,000