How should organizational leadership balance work and life? How does a Christian-biblical worldview perceive work-life differently than other worldviews?
RESPOND TO THE 3 STUDENTS, DEANNA, JUSTIN, AND ROBERT BELOW SEPARATELY WITH 200 WORDS EACH TO THE FOLLOWING ORIGINAL QUESTION THEY ANSWERED WHICH IS:
How should organizational leadership balance work and life? How does a Christian-biblical worldview perceive work-life differently than other worldviews?
USE AT LEAST 2 REFERENCES EACH WHEN RESPONDING TO EACH STUDENT. DO NOT USE UK, BRITISH, OR LONDON REFERENCES.
REFERENCES:
Morrison, Elizabeth Wolfe. 1997. When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological contract violation develops. The Academy of Management Review, 22, no. 1: 226-256. (31 pages)
Stewart, D. Friedman, Perry Christensen, and Jessica DeGroot. 1998. Work and life: The end of the zero sum game. Harvard Business Review, (Nov-Dec): 119-130. (9 pages)
Nielson, Troy R., Dawn S. Carlson, and Melenie J. Lankau. 2001. The supportive mentor as a means of reducing work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior 59, no. 3 (Dec.): 364-381. (18 pages) [Available in the Science Direct database]
MAKE SURE THAT WORD IS IN THE UNITED STATES SPELL CHECK ENGLISH AND NOT UNITED KINGDOM ENGLISH.
DEANNA ORIGINAL POST:
Hello everyone,
This is a challenging topic for me, one I struggle with personally because as I advanced up my career ladder my personal life fell apart with my marriage falling apart and me raising three boys on my own. As I read the course materials for this week, I find myself reflecting back on my personal situation but also on my staff members and how I help them cope with a work-life balance. Readings aside, it comes down to doing the right thing and at the end of the day the right thing to do is to take care of your staff members. As leaders and mentors, it is vital for organizational success that we are connected with staff members and take their personal lives into account. Nielson, Carlson and Lankau (2001) relay that mentors have a positive impact on an individuals career progress and promotion rate and state although important from a career perspective, such rapid skill development, increased responsibilities may cause the protg to spend more time at work and experience greater levels of stress, which may result in the protg feeling higher levels of work-family conflict (pp. 367-368). Friedman, Christensen, and DeGroot (1998) highlight three principles that have proven beneficial to not only the organization but to the employees as well, the principles are first: clarify what is important, second: recognize and support their employees as a whole person, and third: continually experiment with the way work is done (p. 120).
Scripture reminds us Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord (Romans 12:9-11). Do you have any suggestions on how to mentor someone through work-life stress?
References:
Friedman, S. D., Christensen, P. and DeGroot, J. (1998). Work and life: The end of the zero sum game. Harvard Business Review, (Nov-Dec): 119-130.
Goldsmith, M., L. Lyons, and A. Freas, eds. (2006). Coaching for leadership: How the world\’s greatest coaches help leaders learn. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.
Morrison, E. W. 1997. When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological contract violation develops. The Academy of Management Review, 22, no. 1: 226-256.
Nash, Ronald H. 1992. Worldviews in conflict. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Nielson, T. R., Carlson, D. S., and Lankau, M. J. 2001. The supportive mentor as a means of reducing work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior 59, no. 3 (Dec.): 364-381
JUSTIN ORIGINAL POST:
Many leaders have found it hard to balance work and personal life. Researchers of workfamily conflict have stated that due to changes in the workforce (e.g., downsizing and dual-career couples), organizations need to establish policies and practices that offer support for both work and family demands and that help employees reduce the stress and strain caused by the juggling of work and home responsibilities (Nielson, Carlson, & Lankau, 2001, p. 364-365). As research has shown, mentorship is not necessarily the answer to helping balance work and home life. While leaders or other organizational members can offer social support to lessen pressure and interpersonal struggles for an individual, focal rationale of a mentor role is to further the mentees work success and to mature an organizations executive and managerial talent (Nielson et al., 2001).
For the employee with a Christian worldview, a job is more than running a business or making a living to support your family. With a believer that walks in the Spirit, they will make a commitment to developing high quality products for customer benefit, giving authentic service, keeping their word, maintaining their home in balance, and thoughtful about the well-being of followers (Kim, McCalman, & Fisher, 2012). Worldview affects all aspects of life, especially decisions related to career and home life. So what can a leader with a Christian worldview due to when approached with a follower that is having marital problems due to work schedule?
References
Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D. (2012). The Sacred/Secular Divide and the Christian Worldview. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(2), 203-208. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1119-z
Nielson, T. R., Carlson, D. S., & Lankau, M. J. (2001). The supportive mentor as means of reducing workfamily conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 59, 364-381. https://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2001.1806
ROBERT ORIGINAL POST:
When organizational leaders are placed in management and supervisory positions they inherit the enormous responsibility of balancing work and life, not only for themselves, but also their employees. Peddy (2001) gives us a great work-life, or work-family, example with Alicias work-family conflict (pp. 162-174). This situation presents for the organizational leader the position that nobody lives in a vacuum, and we all bring our challenges to work (Peddy, p. 167). Organizational leaders must keep this in mind.
Having this in mind will help leaders balance work and life being aware to recognize and support the whole person, giving this kind of attention to their employees (Friedman, Christensen, & DeGroot, 1998, p. 123). However, accomplishing this task is not easy for some organization leaders especially with the flurry of other challenges in the work place. On the other hand, leaders can realize success by making a sincere effort to acquaint themselves with the personal life of employees by sharing their personal life with them which results in building a level of trust that translates to the work place (Friedman, et al., p. 122).
Considering the Peddy (2001) example, Nielson, Carlson, and Lankaus (2001) study states that if proteges who feel that their mentors share their views and priorities regarding work-family issues may experience a greater sense of fit or compatibility with their mentors and the organization. This sense of fit and compatibility translates well from a Christian-biblical worldview because our faith has important things to say about the whole of human life (Nash, 1992, p. 20).
Christian-biblical worldview events of work and life are recorded in the Book of Genesis with Gods creation efforts and in the Garden of Eden which other worldviews do not recognize (Nash, 1992). How can your Christian-biblical worldview filters fend of challenges with psychological contract violations?
References
Friedman, S. D., Christensen, P., & DeGroot, J. (1998, Nov-Dec). Work and life: The end of the zero-sum game. Harvard Business Review, 119-130.
Nash, R. H., (1992). Worldviews in conflict: Choosing Christianity in a world of ideas. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.
Nielson, T. R., Carlson, D. S., & Lankau, M. J. (2001, Dec). The supportive mentor as a means of reducing work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior 59(3), 364-381.
Peddy, S. R. (2001). The art of mentoring: Lead, follow and get out of the way (2nd ed.). Houston, TX: Bullion Books.
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