Problem Statement
The specific problem to be addressed is the possible failure of Christians within the business sphere to realize the true essence of their working purpose resulting in the possible inability of entrepreneurs to serve God responsibly and not to forget about the true source of power.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative study is to evaluate entrepreneurs’ perceptions of their power and connect their opinions with Christian dogmas to find out whether business owners’ attitudes to their working purpose correspond to serving God responsibly. One of the central reasons for performing this research is the close relationship of religious beliefs to business decision-making, which, as Grimes and Bennett (2017) note, is a characteristic of many entrepreneurs. Therefore, revealing the connection between individual perceptions of power and real implications for the practice of serving God is a relevant topic to study.
Qualitative research methodology is optimal for obtaining the necessary data from the involved participants in the study. To answer the research questions posed, a survey will be conducted among the members involved. It is expected that from 20 to 30 business owners will be engaged as participants, and relevant questionnaires will be sent to them by email to avoid direct contact and meet the risks caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic. The survey will include 20 questions regarding respondents’ leadership behaviors and focus on both ethical decisions and operational nuances that require appropriate responses. According to Cailing (2018), human work cannot be compared to that of God due to its distinctive scope and significance. Therefore, individual perceptions of the power displayed in the workplace by business leaders will be assessed to identify specific trends and draw conclusions regarding the alignment of their work practices with biblical values. Data analysis will be performed based on a comparison among the responses received, and recommendations will be made regarding changes in leadership behaviors to direct entrepreneurs on the true path of serving God.
Significance of the Study
The importance of the proposed study is due to the potential prospect of identifying specific trends in entrepreneurs’ leadership behaviors and determining which models of perception of individual power diverge from Christian dogmas about true service to God through work duties. Mabey et al. (2017) mention various leadership actions that are used to achieve desired results but contrary to existing ethical and religious norms, for instance, “lying, competition for status and power, jealousy of our peers, blaming others,” and some others (p. 761). The planned study may help find out whether participants support any of these workflow approaches to achieve their goals or whether they condemn such practices. In addition, the study will help reveal members’ attitudes towards the Bible since, according to Spangenberg (2017), not everyone perceives the Scripture as a set of objective rules. As a result, several crucial aspects will be analyzed through this qualitative research.
In addition, the findings of the study will help reveal the unique views of the participants involved on the phenomenon of power and its manifestation in the work process. As Rhodes and Pullen (2017) remark, from both Christian and ethical perspectives, business power should not be unlimited and has specific boundaries. The findings of the planned study will contribute to highlighting relevant frameworks from entrepreneurs’ individual perceptions and will allow drawing conclusions regarding the extent to which people with the right to control and manage are able to control their powers. Keller and Alsdorf (2014) mention the approaches that are highly undesirable for personnel management, particularly coercion and guilt. Thus, the planned study will cover additional unethical and non-Christian practices to avoid.
References
Cailing, R. M. (2018). Fear God and keep his commandments: Foundation for a relationship with God.Review & Expositor, 115(2), 254-263. Web.
Grimes, M. A., & Bennett, R. H. (2017). Christ-centered leadership: God-honoring leadership for committed Christians. Journal of Biblical Integration in Business, 20(1), 24-35.
Keller, T., & Alsdorf, K. L. (2014). Every good endeavor: Connecting your work to God’s work. Penguin.
Mabey, C., Conroy, M., Blakeley, K., & De Marco, S. (2017). Having burned the straw man of Christian spiritual leadership, what can we learn from Jesus about leading ethically? Journal of Business Ethics, 145(4), 757-769. Web.
Rhodes, C., & Pullen, A. (2017). Critical business ethics: From corporate self‐interest to the glorification of the sovereign pater. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 483-499. Web.
Spangenberg, I. J. (2017). Is God a ventriloquist and is the bible God’s dummy? Critical reflections on the use of the bible as a warrant for doctrines, policies and moral values.Scriptura: Journal for Contextual Hermeneutics in Southern Africa, 116(2), 208-223. Web.