How Effective Managers Might Integrate Biblical Notions of Service into Managerial Work - Essay Example

Biblical Management Business is both an entity and an entity. The main purpose of the business is acquiring and using resources in a manner that increases the value of the desired goods and services. The business entity also avails the goods and services to the other people known as customers through trade (the process of exchange). Trade takes place since organizations and people are different, have different needs and interests, need a different combination of resources, and that they are generally different. Eventually, people try to look for ways of applying their skills and pursuing their interests most efficiently, and they barter in order to trade and fulfill their unsatisfied needs (Case, Susan and Smith 136) There are reasons as to why business is carried on and also why management is important and how managers should approach business management in the biblical notion of service and be effective and efficient. According to Cyril and Cross (415), there are several salient basic influences or assumptions that are related to the business discipline. The managers should understand that God is compassionate, just, and loving (Matthew 5:1-7:29). They should also recognize that God is the creator of everything and that all people and materials; all the ability to create, discovering, and using information, and all the capability of creating wealth. The managers must also consider the fact that people receive gifts from God in various ways, and people are gifted with different skills. Due to the sinful nature of people, the managers must understand that people are greedy, prideful, and selfish, and that they have similar set of basic needs for justice, grace, and love provided by God and the other people. This implies that the people may as well be motivated in different ways in their actions to satisfy the needs. Again, people are familiar with two fundamental purposes, that is, the short-term view and the long-term view (Nell 17-18). In the short-term view, there is no other purpose for people other than procreation, selfish pursuit of their self-interest, and survival. For the long-term view, the people are creations in the image of God, meant to love, please, and serve both God and the other people. The managers should understand that people have the desire of living and working in relationships of other people (West 81). Because of the natural state of God and the work He did, and due to the nature of people and their actions, the Christian business managers take part in the redemptive activity of God by encouraging and emphasizing their workers to practice the fundamental moral principles that are given by God. There may be a suggestion that the assumptions may be summarized into four simple phrases, that is, the managers should love God, love other people, be humble and be kind. The Creation Genesis account avails examples of the purposeful planning, leading, control, organizing, and decision-making of God (Genesis, 1-3). These are the functions of management that are commonly accepted today. The first set of commands of God gives the managers the foundation for the mission and purpose and, in addition, calls the managers to lead in the best ways. In Genesis 1:26, God gave the role of being masters over life, the birds flying in the sky, the fish living in the sea, and all the livestock, small animals, and small animals. In simple words, God instructs the people to manage the resources that He has availed. There are numerous examples from the history of civilizations, which exhibit astounding accomplishments. The building of empires, construction of great cities and temples, the conduct of battles and wars, the governance of large territories that are comprised of millions of people all needed coordination and management of efforts and motivating people for the purpose of accomplishing the established goals. The examples of best managerial traits that are in the bible include Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the disciples of Jesus. Abraham managed a big ranching enterprise covering a wide geographical area. Joseph was able to manage the distribution, storage, and collection of the agricultural products in an empire (Isaiah 1). Moses led and organized a large crowd of people from the slavery to a new land (Exodus 19-24). Before the start of their earnest missions for God, some disciples of Jesus were businessmen of various types, being fishermen who carried out the trade for their benefit as well as that of other people (John 14-17). Practicing management or being a businessperson is not a new vocation, and it does not cause or require the person to leave their faith in God. There may be the belief that the Christian faith is compatible with the basic ideas of the business, leadership, decision-making, or management. However, the self-centered and sinful nature of man may lead to misuse of abilities or misdirect the abilities of other people in sinful or improper ways. Being a manager or businessperson does not prompt that one to be immoral, unethical, or evil. Quite often, profit is the result of diligence. According to Walsh and Liam (312), God gave the promise of wealth and success to Hebrews in Israel. Abraham and his descendants accumulated property and wealth and prospered as a result of profit since God availed them the opportunity of doing so. Further, Jesus advised His followers regarding the acceptance of profit as the reward for diligence and gave a counsel regarding proper utilization of wealth and profit and property for just, loving, and holy purposes (1 Corinthians 1). According to Irwin (125), some managers make their plans in some ways for the long term and the short term, though some of them seem to have problems in planning for things like volume growth, cost control, market share, and future profits. Some of them have the thought that making plans and setting goals to accomplish some things of the future, which are important activities of practicing business and management, is not part of the directions that God gave human beings. It is very clear that the manager’s aim at making future plans, and that they should ensure that they include the purpose and will of God in their plans. The effective managers, just like Joseph, who followed the directions from God, make crucial plans of storing assets for the future (Deuteronomy 6, 14). The planning is very instrumental to the success of the business entity in the future. These managers, in their duties, realize that God created them with the ability of recognizing the needs, the capability of establishing goals of fulfilling the needs, and the skills of developing and implementing the plans and actions that assist in the satisfaction of the recognized needs. Planning is very crucial to the Christians who carry out businesses since it helps in achieving justice. Peter, as a good example to the managers, informs the managers that they should rejoice in their troubles while trying to make the decisions and plan for the future plans of the organization. He adds that it is due to the chains and a problem that he undergoes that he has become confident in whatever he does (Philippians 1-2). The managers who emulate the example of Peter end up being effective. As a manager, it is essential to recognize that it is not easy to carry out a task well without feeling the meaning of the task that is beyond the immediate requirement. Without the deeper purpose or meaning, it will not be easy for the person to maintain the interest in the matter at hand and to have the passion for having thoughts about it so that he may apply the knowledge later. Managers often face some challenges in their managerial work. However, they receive words of encouragement from Saint Peter in the book of Philippians. He strengthens them by beseeching them to know that all that happened to him helped him in advancing the gospel work. Since managerial work involves making decisions and planning on how to maximize the profits, the managers may fail to incorporate the biblical notions of service in their work. This is due to the way some people view profits to be against the Christian faith. The people of this opinion may rule out that profits lead to the business people taking unfair advantage of other people, and this implies that it is against the will of God. The profit resulting from injustice or greed is against Christian faith in the bible. This is written in the book of Amos 8:4-7. Though not all profit results from or is motivated by unfair advantage or greed, and, therefore, the managers may still inculcate the biblical notion of service in their managerial work. Work Cited: Cyril and F L. Cross. St. Cyril of Jerusalems Lectures on the Christian Sacraments: The Procatechesis and the Five Mystagogical Catecheses. Crestwood, N.Y: St. Vladimirs Seminary Press, 1995. Print. Walsh, Liam G. Sacraments of Initiation: A Theology of Rite, Word, and Life. Chicago: Hillenbrand Books, 2011. Print. Irwin, Kevin W. Models of the Eucharist. New York: Paulist Press, 2005. Print. West, Gerald. "Early Indications of the Bibles Place in Public Morality : the Batlhaping, William Burchell and the Bible." Scriptura: International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa. 82 (2003). Print. Case, Susan S, and J G. Smith."Contemporary Application of Traditional Wisdom." (2012). Print. Nell, Ian A. "Teaching Leadership and Administration at a Faculty of Theology : Practical-Theological Reflections." Scriptura : International Journal of Bible, Religion and Theology in Southern Africa. 113 (2014): 1-18. Print. The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments with the Apocryphal/deuterocanonical Books : New Revised Standard Version. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Print. Read More