The development of cross-cultural leadership in multi-ethnic churches

The growing ethnic diversity of churches provides rich, and often untapped, resources for the mission of the church. Leading an ethnically-diverse congregation is a new and daunting experience for many Australian Christian leaders. This study sought new knowledge about developing cross-cultural leadership within churches that harnesses their cultural diversity to enhance overall capacity. The research issue addressed was: 'How does leadership develop in multi-ethnic churches?' Specific questions included: (1) How are leadership and leadership development viewed in multi-ethnic churches? (2) How do the leadership practices of senior pastors and others influence the development of leadership in multi-ethnic churches? (3) What theoretical understanding of leadership development emerges from the study and how does it extend existing knowledge of leadership development in multi-ethnic churches? A theological-qualitative multiple case study strategy provided a research methodology to gain a deep understanding of the dynamics involved in leadership development in multi-ethnic churches. Baptist denominational leaders identified three multi-ethnic churches for the case studies that they believed were effective in developing cross-cultural leadership. Two churches comprised multiple ethnic congregations in addition to culturally-diverse English services. The third church chose to have a single inclusive congregation to reflect God’s desire for unity in worship. The case study churches were from different Australian capital cities. They also varied in size, age, ethnic composition, and the ethnic background of the senior pastor. Thirty leaders were interviewed. The findings across the three churches were very similar. The critical elements of the cross-cultural leadership strategies included a situated leadership development process based on participation in strategic leadership roles in the church. The strategies entailed a clear focus on Jesus Christ as Lord of the church who is considered the premier role model for leadership and leadership development. The strategies were led by a Christ-focused senior pastor with a community–mission emphasis, with the support of a strong cross-cultural leadership community. Each leadership community comprised several exemplary cross-cultural leadership role models and provided personal assistance for leaders. These elements were supported by a unified and supportive church-wide culture, with shared views of the significance of Jesus Christ, and the nature of the church and leadership. The multi-ethnic churches varied in their commitment to developing leaders of other ethnic groups which linked to the values of the senior pastor and other leaders. Strategies were identified in the case study churches to address this limitation that could further develop the capacities of each church. The study’s unique contribution is to highlight, first, the elements of a situated leadership development strategy located in a cross-cultural church setting that can produce context-specific leadership capabilities. Second, the study identifies the supportive context required for this development strategy, namely, the shared values especially the centrality of Jesus Christ, and leadership community that includes cross-cultural leadership role models, and is led by a Christ-focused senior pastor

The Global University: The Role of Senior Managers

Contributors address the role of senior managers in relation to internationalisation, globalisation, and sustainable development and share how these often overlapping challenges can be addressed. Consideration has been given to a range of potentially competing demands including the relationship between what Paul Luker describes as the 'core mission and values of HE' and what Caruana and Hanstock describe as 'marketisation discourse'. The Global University: The Role of Senior Manager is written by higher education institution senior managers, for HEI senior managers. Supported by HEFCE Leadership, Governance and Management Funding, 'The Global University: the role of senior managers' is a companion publication to 'The Global University: the role of the curriculum'. Many of the contributors are regarded as critical champions of internationalisation in the UK as well as thoughtful strategists in the process of affecting sustainable university-wide change. To provide further food for thought, in addition to the UK contributions, a case study on university-wide approaches to the development of global citizens at the University of British Columbia and a perspective on the barriers affecting the process of internationalisation in Latin American Universities have also been included. Contributors address key concepts from a variety of perspectives and what will quickly become apparent is that the terms are not always translated in quite the same way (a way of seeing is also a way of not seeing) but in spite of this, collectively, considerable insight for moving the agenda forward is provided. At the very least, the publication will serve to inspire debate on what should constitute the vision, mission and values of a global university, within the context of global society. Given the global footprint of universities and the ability of our graduates to influence change in global society, the publication maintains that universities cannot ignore their corporate and social responsibilities: senior managers have a critical role to play as leaders of this agenda and of change that results in positive benefits for a wider stakeholder group

Leadership and capability development and deployment in the New Zealand State Service

This article describes the design during 2013 of a model and implementation principles of a leadership and capability development and deployment (LCDD) model for the state services system. In this process, an initial prototype model was developed to describe a desired future state. It was informed by the best traditions of state services leadership development, together with models used by the world’s best companies, such as Procter & Gamble, for leadership development (Filipkowski and Donlon, 2013). The model was then enhanced based on our research in other jurisdictions, including Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom, and co-creation with stakeholders. This is further discussed in the article. Dr Mike Pratt is Professor of Leadership and Sustainability at the University of Waikato, and a professional director and business adviser. Dr Murray Horn is a former Secretary to the Treasury of New Zealand and bank chief executive, and a professional director and business adviser

The Global People toolbook: managing the life cycle of intercultural partnerships

This Toolbook has been designed for those who are planning and running international projects and who feel a need for guidance. It has its origins in a major educational project, the eChina-UK Programme, that created new collaborations between UK and Chinese Higher Education Institutions around the development of e-learning materials. The rich intercultural learning that emerged from that programme prompted the development of a new and evidence-based set of resources for other individuals and institutions undertaking international collaborative projects. Although the main focus of the work is on intercultural effectiveness in international contexts, we believe that many of the resources have a more general value and are useful for those planning collaboration in any situation of diversity – national, regional, sectoral or institutional

A knowledge based system for linking information to support decision making in construction

This work describes the development of a project model centred on the information and knowledge generated and used by managers. It describes a knowledge-based system designed for this purpose. A knowledge acquisition exercise was undertaken to determine the tasks of project managers and the information necessary for and used by these tasks. This information was organised into a knowledge base for use by an expert system. The form of the knowledge lent itself to organisation into a link network. The structure of the knowledge-based system, which was developed, is outlined and its use described. Conclusions are drawn as to the applicability of the model and the final system. The work undertaken shows that it is feasible to benefit from the field of artificial intelligence to develop a project manager assistant computer program that utilises the benefit of information and its link

The Changing Role of the Middle Manager in Research Libraries

published or submitted for publicatio

Moving Ahead: Factors contributing to successful transition of people with intellectual disabilities from congregated to community-based residential options in two regions in Ireland

This report details the findings of a research project entitled Moving Ahead. The project aimed to examine factors that contribute to the successful transfer of people with intellectual disabilities from congregated to community-based living in two regional areas in Ireland. It was undertaken by a team of researchers from Ireland and the UK, led by Dr. Christine Lineha

Creating learning solutions for executive education programs

Executive education is both a growing and increasingly competitive industry. The traditional business school, once a dominant player in this space, now faces competition from sophisticated and focused consultants and for-profit training specialists offering a variety of face-to-face and on-line instructional vehicles. An abiding question has become ever more prevalent for business schools – are executive education clients getting meaningful, long-term value for their significant investments? Demonstrating value and building capabilities is different for a generic, open enrolment course than for a custom program. This paper proposes a solutions-based approach to the development and implementation of customized executive programs, arguing that the tailored customer focus and the operational rigor of a solutions perspective leads to sustainable and measurable client value both at the individual and corporate level. A case study involving a global high technology company is used to demonstrate the steps required to apply a solutions roadmap. The results show that a solutions approach – carefully and collaboratively undertaken in selected settings – can provide considerable benefits to both client and provider. Further research is proposed to validate and develop the learning points