Between Multiculturalism & Creativity

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual link between cultural diversity in work teams and creative learning. The principle sources used in the preparation of this theoretical analysis include published literature on the topic of diversity in the workplace and personal observation. A primary outcome of this paper is that leaders may be able to harness the creative potential of multicultural teams to develop learning organizations. The development of perception as a social and cultural phenomenon is presented as the conceptual link between culture and creativity. To take advantage of cultural diversity, leaders are encouraged to develop an integrating corporate culture, stimulate learning through dialogue, value individual contributions to group learning, and develop a philosophy of synergy. It is hoped that these recommendations may serve as a means of assessing the organization's capacity to use cultural diversity in the generation of innovative ideas and thereby promote the learning organization.

What would our church structures look like if they took into account the random and unpredictable nature of life? Current organizational thinking about emergent organizational designs such as "the learning organization" and "chaos theory" may help us to visualize how the early church functioned and how the church today may become more responsive to the accelerated changes and unexpected events that we face daily.

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By Greg Waddell

The purpose of this article is to identify the major innovations that have influenced the Bible College movement and then to peer into the future at a possible next response to today's changing environment. I am limiting my comments to the Bible College Movement that is directly related to the churches associated with the Restoration Movement. These innovations have appeared in three forms: theological, institutional, and social.

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to church leaders on how to lead change in the local church. The paper takes as its outline Kurt Lewin’s classic depiction of change as a three-stage process of (a) unfreezing, (b) transitioning, and (c) refreezing.¹ Lewin's model will be used as the lens through which to view current organizational theory as it relates to the challenge of leading change in the local Christian congregation.

Look Out: Here Come the Millennials!

By Greg Waddell
    "We better get ready; something's coming and it looks big!" These were my mother's words in 1974 just before the largest tornado ever recorded wiped out my home town of Xenia, Ohio. Somebody should be standing at the door of Christian colleges today saying the same thing. What is coming is not a tornado, but it could have the same impact for those who are not prepared. On the other hand, for those who are prepared, it could mark the start of the most exciting and fulfilling period of your institution's history.

Prepare a Department Plan

Occasionally I want to include in this blog site posts of a more practical nature. At MSCC, we are at the stage in our annual planning process when all department heads need to prepare their department-specific plans (DSPs). This is a system I developed for the college to help create a culture of continuous improvement. The time has come to develop our annual department plans.

This can be a stressful time for administrators as they not only have to continue their normal responsibilities, but on top of these, they must think and think hard about the steps they plan to take in the coming year and beyond. As the deadline approaches for completing these plans one may feel like the cartoon damsel in distress tied to the railroad track with a speeding train headed your way. Where to begin? That is always the question.

I wrote this article for just such an occasion. I don't know about you, but when I have a large task, I like to break it down into smaller steps. Following is one approach to developing a department plan. These steps were developed with a non-profit educational institution in mind; it is general enough, however, that it should also be adaptable for other kinds of planning.

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This article is dedicated to the Directors of Christian residential childcare organizations whose responsibilities are diverse and daunting. If you are responsible for the leadership of such an organization, I hope that the following will providing useful insights into how you can help your team enjoy a long-term and fulfilling ministry. The topic of the article is burnout, a problem that is particularly prominent among foster parents. The article will look at the need to help residential childcare workers deal with the stress of their jobs and will point out some ways you can create a work environment that protects your staff from the threat of burnout.

If you are an American, charged with leading a team in Latin America, you may be unaware of the rules that govern how people interact in that culture. This unawareness can lead to misunderstandings that may hinder the successful launch of your international project (Adler 71; Schermerhorn and Bond; Ashkenas, Ulrich, Jick, and Kerr 266). As a missionary in Uruguay and Argentina, I fell prey to these cultural traps myself; I have also observed how Americans in general often seem oblivious to the impact that their cultural ignorance can have on the people they are working with. Too often aspiring global leaders work under the assumption that all people play by the same rules and their cultural perspective is the only perspective (Kiely). If you approach your Latin American assignment with this assumption you may find yourself blinded to the real issues of intercultural misunderstanding.

The missionaries’ hearts sank as two members of the church stood up angrily and declared: "If that's the way it's going to be, then we're leaving." It was obvious that this display of opposition had been rehearsed, but it nevertheless left the group in shocked silence. This was only one sad event in a long and tragic spiral downward as a church—the fruit of ten years of missionary efforts—eventually self-destructed. I was one of those missionaries and today, as I look back at that experience, I believe that the situation may have been averted if we had been aware of the concepts presented in this chapter when we first arrived to Argentina fourteen years ago.

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Western culture, for the most part, has segregated Jesus Christ to the religious realm, denying him entrance into the world of organizational management. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that--apart from of one's religious view of Jesus--his life exhibits all the global leadership attributes discussed in Marquardt and Berger's book, Global Leaders for the 21st Century.

His example as a leader provides valuable insights that can be incorporated into one's work life today.

What is Action Learning?

This document seeks to provide the reader with a brief description of AL. The paper begins by looking at the biblical support for AL. This is followed by a definition (or definitions) of AL, the conditions necessary for AL to be successful, some objectives of AL, and finally a description of the core elements of AL. The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence that AL is both appropriate for Higher Education and consistent with the goals of an institution designed to prepare Christians for effective full-time Christian ministry.