The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine the relationship between the conflict management styles among senior pastors and the perceived organizational servant leadership tendencies in their churches. This study should help senior pastors to understand how their conflict management styles and servant leadership behaviors may relate to the organizational servant leadership tendencies in their churches so that they may improve the congregational health and effectiveness of their churches. This research presented theological foundation about servant leadership by extracting biblical principles from two Old Testament and six New Testament passages: 1 Samuel 15:22, Micah 6:8, Matthew 5:1-12, 20:20-28, Mark 9:33-37, John 12:20-26, 13:1-35, and Philippians 2:1-11. It was followed by a detailed discussion on the theoretical foundation of servant leadership and the Organizational Leadership Assessment (OLA) instrument (Laub 1999) for measuring organizational servant leadership tendency. A theological foundation of conflict management and a discussion on the Rahim Organizational Conflict Instrument II (ROCI-II) (Rahim 2001) for measuring the level of the five interpersonal conflict management styles (integrating, obliging, dominating, avoiding, and compromising) were also provided. The research instrument was a Web-based composite survey that consisted of (1) a 9-item demographic questionnaire, (2) the 28-item ROCI-II Form-C, and (3) the 66-item OLA. The research population was limited to the senior pastors of the 44,848 member churches of the 1,182 associations in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). With this population, a minimum response rate of 381 surveys was needed for this study to achieving a 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of ±5%. Cluster sampling on the 1,182 SBC associations was used to obtain a smaller but sufficient sample frame of 2,562 churches. A total of 406 usable responses were collected and analyzed. Pearson r was used to analyze the collected data in order to answer the research questions. It was found that (1) there existed a statistically significant, positive, and weak correlation between the level of organizational servant leadership tendency of a church and the integrating style (r = 0.314, p = 0.000); (2) there was no statistically significant correlation between the organizational servant leadership tendency of a church and the obliging style (r = 0.064, p = 0.202); (3) there existed a statistically significant, positive, and very weak correlation between the organizational servant leadership tendency of a church and the compromising style (r = 0.106, p = 0.033); (4) there was no statistically significant correlation between the organizational servant leadership tendency of a church and the dominating style (r = -0.052, p = 0.292); and (5) there existed a statistically significant, inverse, and weak correlation between the organizational servant leadership tendency of a church and the avoiding style (r = -0.200, p = 0.000). The findings implied that as pastors embrace the integrating style and refrain from the avoiding style when handling interpersonal conflict in pastoral ministry, they model Jesus' character directly to the parties involved and indirectly to their congregations. This is discipleship at its core, and it has a positive influence on the servant orientation of their congregations.

This dissertation is a comparative analysis of selected pastors' personality profiles and their conflict management styles. As pastors understand their personalities, this will decrease conflict within themselves and with church members. This research presents three theological presuppositions. They are shared and examined by detailed biblical word studies and biblical examples. It was determined that this research presents the unique study of relationship using the DISC personality profile and Speed Leas' "Discover Your Conflict Management Style." Similar studies were examined and critiqued. The study involved 1,532 pastors in East Texas. The correlation coefficient Pearson (r) was utilized to examine relationships of pastors in their relationship of personality profile and conflict management style, along with scatter plots, and the Chi-square. The significance of the study is that there is a relationship between pastors' personalities and their conflict management styles. Pastors who are (D)ominance in personality tend to have a Persuade conflict management style. Pastors who are (I)nfluencing in personality tend to exhibit a Collaborate conflict management style. Pastors who are (S)teadiness in their personality tend toward a Collaborate style of conflict management. Lastly, those pastors who are (C)ompliance in personality tend to have a Persuade conflict management style. The research found that years in the ministry have little or no effect upon pastors' personalities. Those with less than six years experience and those with twenty-one or more years experience tend to be Collaborate in their conflict management style. All other pastors are inclined to be Persuade. Another significant finding of the research is that the more conflict a pastor faces, the more likely he is to be Persuade in his conflict management style. The education of a pastor affected his conflict management style if he obtained a doctoral degree, making him more likely than any other group to be Persuade. The research will be helpful to pastors to better understand who they are and how they respond to conflict. The research can serve as a resource for churches in leadership development. The research can provide valuable information for church pastor search committees. The committee could administer the survey to a prospective pastor, and together they could discuss his personality and conflict management style as it pertains to the needs of that church. The research can serve as a foundation for future research in this area. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

The dissertation presents an institutional perspective on the role of values and meaning for organizations focusing on the institutional logic of religion. At its core are Chapter III, a conceptual paper, and Chapters IV and V, empirical papers based on an in-depth two-years long ethnographic case study on the founding process of the first Islamic Bank in Germany. They are framed by an introductory chapter and a conclusion that address the overarching research question of how diverse institutional demands are managed within and beyond the boundaries of organizations, as well as a general literature review chapter that embeds the papers within the wider institutional theory literature. Chapter III presents a conceptualization that integrates religion, specifically Islam, with entrepreneurship along three interconnected pillars: the entrepreneurial, socio-economic/ethical and religio-spiritual; and outlines how Islam shapes entrepreneurship at the micro-, meso- and macro-level. It suggests the institutional logics perspective to further analyze the impact of religion on organizations, which the subsequent papers build on. Chapter IV extends theory on organizational hybridity by outlining polyphony and polysemy as two mutually reinforcing organizational responses, that allow competing logics to coexist without structurally separating or blending them, and that produce elastic hybridity, showing how hybrid organizations can accommodate competing logics that are both central and incompatible. Chapter V shows how organizations collectively and dynamically co-generate and co-resolve institutional complexity through four combinatory mechanisms: pushing, pulling, clarifying and tolerating. These are subsequently integrated into a framework based on their desired versus required and actual versus perceptual nature. Overall, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of how organizations manage diverse institutional demands including religion.

by Samuel Ng Ka Chiu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-66). / Abstracts in English and Chinese, questionnaire in Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.viii / Chapter CHAPTER 1 - --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Religious population and church's community involvement --- p.2 / What is religious coping --- p.2 / Religious coping styles and coping outcomes --- p.4 / Factors contributing to religious coping styles --- p.5 / The Need for a theoretical framework to study religious coping styles --- p.10 / Transactional model of stress and coping --- p.10 / Objective of the present study --- p.18 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 - --- METHOD --- p.19 / Participants --- p.19 / Measures --- p.20 / Procedures --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 - --- RESULTS --- p.25 / Internal consistency of the measures --- p.25 / Descriptive statistics of the participants --- p.25 / Relationship between religiousness and religious coping styles --- p.27 / "Relationship between internal control, God-mediated control, optimism and religious coping styles" --- p.30 / Predictive power of dispositional factors on religious coping styles --- p.32 / Manipulation check and differential use of religious coping styles --- p.36 / Mediational role of situational control appraisals --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 - --- DISCUSSION --- p.48 / The role of dispositional factors in religious coping styles --- p.48 / Situational variation of religious coping styles --- p.52 / Interaction between dispositional and situational factors --- p.55 / Implications for psychotherapy --- p.57 / Limitations of the present study --- p.59 / Future research direction --- p.60 / Summary --- p.62 / REFERENCES --- p.64 / APPENDIX --- p.67

Faith-based development initiatives often experience difficulties with efficiency and sustainability. While there are a number of reasons for this, one of the more common reasons is poor management. This study therefore presents a contemporary approach to management, the Management Process Approach, and discusses its relevance for faith-based development work. Because Christians sometimes resist the idea of applying management principles and practices, some of the reasons often given in resistance are addressed. It is acknowledged, however, that secular theory cannot be applied unquestioningly. The extent to which this theory allows for the actualisation of the Christian principles of love, justice, stewardship, humility and dignity is suggested as a useful measure by which the appropriateness of management theory for faith-based development initiatives can be determined. This study investigates four real faith-based development initiatives in relation to the four processes in the Management Process Approach. These processes are planning, organising, leading and controlling. In addition, a fifth process, financing, is included, since this is such a vital and often problematic issue in development work in general that it requires special attention. No empirical data is presented since no hypothesis is being tested. Rather, this study introduces and illustrates the possibility of using management theory to increase the effectiveness of faith-based development initiatives. However, some general suggestions and recommendations, drawn from the theory and case studies, are presented in the final chapter. The ultimate conclusion states that while management theory certainly does have much to teach managers of faith-based development initiatives, a Christian manager should never become so concerned about following the rules set out in management textbooks that he neglects the God whom he serves, and thus fails to uphold Christian principles in his daily interactions with people. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

Ph.D. / The aim of this study was to investigate how to integrate spirituality into leadership development in order to develop more ‘complete’ leaders or whole leaders equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century. The problem statement was as follows. There is growing evidence that current leadership development models, theories and practices are incomplete − there is, thus, a ‘missing ingredient’. As a result of this ‘gap’ leadership development, in general, is producing ‘incomplete’ leaders who are not equipped to deal with the organisational challenges of the 21st century. Based on this problem statement the following research questions were formulated:  Should dimensions of spirituality (or manifestations thereof) be integrated into leadership development, and if so,  What dimensions of spirituality should be integrated into leadership development?  How should such integration be accomplished? In other words, what “tool” should be applied to illuminate the way in which spirituality may be integrated into leadership development? For example, is it possible to construct a model based on what exists in the literature and on the insights gained from the experiences of leaders? Accordingly, a modernist qualitative research methodology casing was adopted and grounded theory employed. Appropriate qualitative guidelines were followed in order to ensure both a quality and an ethical study. Purposive sampling facilitated the selection of thirteen employees as research participants. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews. These interviews yielded rich, descriptive data which was then systematically analysed using grounded theory. After analysing the data, the participants’ first-order constructs were related to the abstract concepts of leadership and spirituality which had emerged from the literature. This, in turn, culminated in the development of a model which integrated spirituality and leadership development. The DUAL model presents an approach to developing leaders that integrates spirituality across all levels of leadership. The model is built on the first- and second-order constructs that emerged from the study. The model can be used to develop both what leaders need to know and do, as well vi as what leaders need to be. The DUAL model can be used to develop ‘complete’ or ‘holistic’ leaders as they journey through a process of: discovery, understanding, acceptance and ultimately love. Despite the shortcomings that were apparent in the study the aim of the study was realised with the study contributing to the development of theory on leadership and spirituality and also providing insights which may be applied practically in programmes designed to develop leaders. The dissertation concluded with recommendations for further study.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Managerial blind spots are business realities that impact the organisation and its employees adversely. Managers are susceptible to their prejudices and ignorance and are not aware that they are sometimes biased when making decisions. All humans have blind spots that impact their functioning. This paper describes the link between blind spots and a person’s conscious and unconscious behaviour. Blind spots are entrenched in the psyche and not easily dismissed. Cognitive dissonance, naïve realism, the introspection illusion and the unconscious role in non-rational behaviour argue strongly that it is not easy to eliminate blind spots. Though internal and cognitive processes are important in understanding the origin of blind spots, they also flourish in the environment. Factors that influence the formation of blind spots include managerial competence, fellow employees and information quality. There are numerous definitions of and approaches to spirituality. When considering the potential value of spirituality within a business context, specifically in relation to blind spots, it is necessary to define spirituality clearly. There is widespread consensus that spirituality is not a synonym for religion. Though there are numerous definitions for spirituality, it has been discovered there are common themes that can be distilled from all the definitions. The essence of spirituality can be described in six terms: love, authenticity, simplicity, silence, living in the present (now) and gratitude. Common spiritual themes include self-awareness, interconnectedness and wholeness. It is in these spiritual themes that managers could unlock the potential value to address managerial blind spots. Managers who are less self-aware are also more susceptible to blind spots. Through various spiritual practices, managers could grow in self-awareness and increase their mental health (e.g. mindfulness and meditation). Some spiritual practices focus on interconnectedness and wholeness which will increase the likelihood of eliminating prejudice and bias (e.g. practising loving-kindness). The leader who employs a spiritual approach to leadership will not only change himself, but will have a positive impact on fellow employees and the organisation. Various organisations where a spiritual approach has been implemented by the leadership have benefited and are considered success stories. The leader has a perfect opportunity to implement a spiritual approach to work, since it dovetails with the emerging paradigm and the future requirements of work. Seeing and implementing the opportunities offered by a spiritual approach, will not only help the leader to address his or her managerial blind spots, but will also benefit the leader, fellow workers, the organisation and society as a whole. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Blinde kolle in die bestuurswêreld is ‘n realiteit wat die organisasie en sy werkers negatief beïnvloed. Bestuurders is bevooroordeeld en onkundig. Hulle besef nie altyd dat hulle besluite beïnvloed word deur hulle vooroordele nie. Alle mense het blinde kolle wat hulle funksionering beïnvloed. Hierdie studie beskryf die verband tussen blinde kolle en ‘n persoon se bewustelike en onbewustelike gedrag. Blinde kolle is deel van die psige en kan nie maklik mee weggedoen word nie. Kognitiewe dissonansie, naïewe realisme, die introspeksie illusie en die onbewuste se rol in irrasionele gedrag maak dit duidelik dat dit moeilik is om van blinde kolle ontslae te raak. Alhoewel interne en kognitiewe prosesse belangrik is vir die verstaan van die oorsprong van blinde kolle, is dit ook waar dat hulle in die onmiddellike omgewing floreer. Verskeie faktore beïnvloed die ontstaan van blinde kolle, soos ‘n bestuurder se vaardigheidsvlakke, medewerkers en die kwaliteit van inligting. Daar is verskeie definisies van en aanslagte tot spiritualiteit. Wanneer die moontlike waarde van spiritualiteit in ‘n besigheidskonteks oorweeg word, moet dit duidelik gedefinieer word. Daar is redelike konsensus dat spiritualiteit nie met godsdiens verwar moet word nie. Verder blyk dit duidelik dat, ten spyte van die vele definisies vir spiritualiteit, daar sekere temas keer op keer opduik. Die essensie van spiritualiteit kan in ses konsepte saamgevat word: liefde, egtheid, eenvoud, stilte, lewe in die hede (die nou) en dankbaarheid. Gemeenskaplike spirituele temas sluit self-bewuswording, interverbondenheid en heelheid in. Deur middel van hierdie spirituele temas kan bestuurders die moontlike waarde van spiritualiteit ontsluit om hulle blinde kolle aan te spreek. Bestuurders wat laer vlakke van self-bewuswording het, is meer geneig tot blinde kolle. Deur middel van verskeie spirituele praktyke kan bestuurders groei in hulle self-bewuswording en hulle geestesgesondheid (bv. deur meditasie) verbeter. Sommige spirituele praktyke fokus weer op interverbondenheid en heelheid wat vooroordele kan verminder. Die leier wat werk met ‘n spirituele aanslag benader, sal nie net homself verander nie, maar ook medewerkers en die organisasie as ‘n geheel. Verskeie organisasies waar leiers ‘n spirituele aanslag gevolg het, het daarby gebaat en kan as suksesverhale beskou word. Die leier het die beste geleentheid om werk met ‘n spirituele aanslag te benader, aangesien die ontluikende paradigma agslaan op spirituele waardes. Deur die geleenthede wat die spirituele aanslag bied aan te gryp, sal die leier nie alleen self daarby baat vind nie, maar ook medewerkers, die organisasie, en die samelewing in die algemeen.

The following treatise focuses on the ongoing conflict within the church regarding the issue of homosexuality. It is an important issue that has divided both churches and denominations and it continues to cause hurt in both the lives of Christians and non-Christians alike, both straight and gay. The popular position seems to be that the church, and Christians in general, are homophobic and believe that Christianity and homosexuality are not compatible. This research is a case study and focuses on a church in London. The research was carried out to discover whether this position, often portrayed by the media, was true of this church. It also sought to discover whether theories of conflict management and in particular John Burton’s theory of basic human needs could offer insight and alternative approaches in future discussions. The findings of this research offer hope in the situation in that they show this particular church is not homophobic, nor do the majority believe homosexuality and Christianity to be incompatible.

The purpose of this study was to determine managers' perceptions of the relationship between spirituality and work performance. The sample consisted of twelve senior managers from different organisations. Semi structured interviews were used to gather the data. The data was qualitatively analysed and themes were identified. The findings indicated that spirituality promotes the healthy development of individuals by assisting with their own self-awareness, helping them find inner peace and dealing with stress and depression. Respondents also felt that spirituality enhances teamwork and redefines the concept of success in terms of engaging in competition, having unselfish motives and encouraging honesty. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for practice and for future research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate the awareness of spiritual intelligence in the NGO sector. The study attempts to define the concepts of meaning, spirituality, spiritual intelligence and spiritual leadership. The research used as its basis questionnaires by Katz (2007) derived from the Zohar and Marshall characteristics of Spiritual Intelligence. A recent Gallup Poll showed that 45 percent of Americans talk about their faith at work, and this suggests that employers should not dismiss its motivating power. For most people faith and spirituality is a private matter. One can therefore pose the question, “What has the 'spirituality' of employees got to do with big business?” However, when the HR directors of Nokia, Unilever, McKinsey, Shell, Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Starbucks and the Cooperative Bank, some of the world's most successful companies talk about concepts such as 'spiritual quotient' and 'spiritual capital' one otherwise has to sit up and listen. Sir John Templeton, founder of the John Templeton Foundation, spends $16 million to $30 million a year funding research that explores links between science and God. He suggests that "No human being has yet even understood 1 percent of what can be learned about spiritual matters". It is initiatives like these and the growing number of professional presentations, journal articles, books and conferences devoted to the subject that confirms the new interest in spirituality. It seems that a consensus is emerging on the principal elements of spirituality for working people, which includes acknowledging God, the importance of prayer, other people and a sustainable world. Research further suggests that spirituality enables a businessperson to gain a more integrated perspective on their firm, family, neighbours, community and on themself. Sweeping social and economical changes, including downsizing, mergers, globalisation, the threat of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks, and corporate ethical scandals are all contributing to business’s spiritual awakening. In order to cope with increased stress and alienation, both managers and employees seek meaning and purpose in the workplace. The research in this study suggests that amidst these changes and associated challenges, there exists a high level of spiritual awareness in the organisations and the managers that participated in this study. The study report provides research examples and references to other case studies from across the world, including practical guidance for implementing and measuring workplace spirituality. The conclusions suggest that spirituality is a not passing fad but, an authentic movement based on universal spiritual principles. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om die bewustheid van geestelike intelligensie in die nie-regeringsorganisasie- (NRO-) sektor te ondersoek. Hierdie studie probeer die konsepte betekenis, spiritualiteit, geestelike intelligensie en geestelike leierskap definieer. Die navorsing het as grondslag die vraelyste van Katz (2007) gebruik, wat ontleen is aan die eienskappe van geestelike intelligensie soos gedefinieer deur Zohar en Marshall. ’n Onlangse Gallup-opname het getoon dat 45 persent van Amerikaners by die werk oor hulle geloof praat, en dit impliseer dat werkgewers geloof as motiveringskrag nie moet onderskat nie. Vir die meeste mense is geloof en spiritualiteit ’n persoonlike saak. ’n Mens kan dus vra: Wat het die ‘spiritualiteit’ van werknemers met groot sakeondernemings te make? Wanneer die menslikehulpbron-direkteure van Nokia, Unilever, McKinsey, Shell, Coca-Cola, Hewlett Packard, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Starbucks en die Co-operative Bank, ’n paar van die wêreld se suksesvolste maatskappye, egter praat oor konsepte soos ‘spirituele kwosiënt’, moet ’n mens goed na hulle luister. Sir John Templeton, stigter van die John Templeton Foundation, spandeer elke jaar tussen $16 miljoen en $30 miljoen om geld te voorsien vir navorsing wat die verband tussen die wetenskap en God ondersoek. Hy stel voor: “Geen menslike wese het nog ooit eens een persent verstaan van wat oor geestelike sake ontdek kan word nie.” Dit is inisiatiewe soos hierdie, sowel as die groeiende aantal professionele aanbiedings, tydskrifartikels, boeke en konferensies wat aan hierdie onderwerp gewy word, wat die nuwe belangstelling in spiritualiteit bevestig. Dit lyk of daar konsensus begin ontstaan oor die hoofelemente van spiritualiteit vir werkende mense, wat insluit die erkenning van God, en die belangrikheid van gebed, ander mense en ’n volhoubare wêreld. Navorsing impliseer verder dat spiritualiteit sakepersone in staat stel om ’n meer geïntegreerde perspektief op hulle firma, familie, bure, gemeenskap en hulleself te kry. Ingrypende sosiale en ekonomiese veranderinge, insluitende afskaling, samesmeltings, globalisering, die bedreiging van terrorisme sedert die aanvalle op 11 September 2001 en etiese skandale in die korporatiewe wêreld, dra by tot maatskappye se spirituele ontwaking. Om die toenemende spanning en vervreemding te kan hanteer, soek sowel bestuurders as werknemers na betekenis en doelgerigtheid in die werkplek. Die navorsing van hierdie studie impliseer dat daar te midde van hierdie veranderinge en meegaande uitdagings ’n hoë vlak van spirituele bewustheid heers in die organisasies en die bestuurders wat aan hierdie studie deelgeneem het. Dié studieverslag voorsien navorsingvoorbeelde en verwysings na ander gevallestudies van oor die hele wêreld heen, insluitende praktiese riglyne om spiritualiteit in die werkplek te vestig en te meet. Die gevolgtrekkings impliseer dat spiritualiteit nie net ’n verbygaande gier is nie, maar ’n outentieke beweging gegrond op universele geestelike beginsels.