God Organizes People for Effective

¶ … God Organizes People for Effective Action

The Environment of Organization

The principle means by which God organizes people for effective action is through an individual and a corporate context, both of which enjoy a reciprocal relationship in which these processes are mutually beneficial to one another. The individual context, of course, is the assignment of authority to certain people in a managerial or supervisory role in which they aid others in the carrying out of specific tasks endemic to a particular job. In a corporate context, individuals are assigned job functions in a method that is highly organized and which enables certain goals to be reached. The end result of this process is an identification of the work, workers and the areas in which they are to labor in (Mitchell 2010, 1) which allows for a unified continuity of progression towards achieving goals.

It should be noted that such a designation of authority and of assigned tasks based on both an individual and a corporate context comprise what is known in contemporary times as job design, a concept that is not dissimilar to the practices of mercantilism that were particularly popular among European powers in the 18th century, around the time the United States was established. Mercantilism is the inherent proclivity of a nation to utilize its resources and strengths to its advantages, whether such advantages may be ascertained in commerce, economics, or even in terms of social hegemony. Similarly, job design is the notion that work should be divided up amongst the people most capable of carrying it out so that the potential of the class of laborers is maximized for efficient production. More specifically, job design "refers to the way that a set of tasks, or an entire job, is organized. Job design helps determine what tasks are done, how the tasks are done, how many tasks are done, and in what order tasks are done. It takes into account all factors which affect the work, and organizes the content and tasks so that the whole job is less likely to be a risk..." (No author 2002). Therefore, alignment of certain individuals in managerial roles to supervise and aid in the corporate context of organization is an integral part of the environment most conducive for the mobilization of people into effective action.

Furthermore, these principles have been observed and recorded in the scriptures in numerous instances, further bolstering the validity of this method of organization. An excellent example of this fact may be cited in the New Testament and can be illustrated in Jesus' attempts to conduct his primary objective: the dissemination and the teaching of the Gospel as God's word to the surrounding legions. The following quotation demonstrates how Christ conformed to the notion of utilizing organization within an individual and a corporate context to provide a suitable environment for his work. "And he appointed twelve (whom he named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach" (Mark 3:14). This quotation illustrates the way in which Christ stratified the division of labor that would be undertaken to spread the Gospel. His initial move was to assign certain individuals into a supervisory role that had two primary objectives, the first of which was to actually go out amongst the people and spread the word of God. By utilizing the individual context of organization, these men would be able to directly affect the corporate environment necessary for efficacious action. Of equal importance, however, was the fact that these individual apostles would also "be" with Jesus -- quite literally and figuratively -- which further reinforces the notion that they were individuals placed in a managerial role to help organize the process of disseminating Jesus' will, which was essentially God's. This notion is reinforced in Acts 4:13, in which Peter and John were recognized because "they had been with Jesus."

It should also be understood that God's organization is most useful, natural, and effective when it is founded upon relationships. The primary purpose of such relationships and the ultimate boon they deliver to the organizational environment may be idealized when "each of the elements exists and thrives in a mutual interdependence" (Mitchell 2010, 5). Such an interdependence also contributes to the concepts of job design by having workers placed with those who they are most familiar with, most comfortable with, and who they able to labor with in an environment that is conducive to productivity. The history of such divisions of labor may be evinced in the following quotation from the Old Testament, which indicates that organization founded upon relationships was one of the principle methods with which God was able to lead Moses and Aaron out of the wilderness in Sinai after a period spanning at least 40 years. "Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named, and on the first day of the second month, they assembled the whole congregation together, who registered themselves by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names from twenty years old and upward, head by head, as the Lord commanded Moses" (Numbers 1: 17-19). This quotation indicates that not only did God organize Moses and his followers according to individual and corporate context -- which was demonstrated in the fact that the men were divided into the 12 tribes which were headed by the leaders of those tribes -- but that the relationships between those people, which were based upon familial ties, were the basis for the division of the organization. This quotation proves that there is a historical and even a spiritual basis for using the order of organization upon relationships.

There are a number of other important principles that should be taken into consideration when attempting to induce an environment that is advantageous to proper organization and effective action that is similar to how God has done so. Many of these principles may be found in the notions discussed by Mitchell in his grouping of "four dryads" (5). The most important of these may be indicated by the concept of grace which allows for an autonomy and flexibility in leadership that may be able to accommodate a variety of circumstances and challenges -- not all of which are planned. By allowing operatives of an organization the capacity to take initiative and anticipate confrontational situations before they arise, people may more effectively prepare themselves for proper organization and leadership. Another noteworthy point made by Mitchell is the importance which he places on administration, which is defined as "the process that implements the intention of the institution through effectively utilizing the instruments that facilitate that order" (6). While this description may appear somewhat vague, this fact is solely attributed to the wide variety of tasks that administration can encompass. The key principle, of course, is that administration is secondary to and supportive of overall organization, and is the means by which organization and effective action can be achieved.