Recommended Resources
It is my belief that the spiritual gift of adminstration has too often been seen as merely those good at paperwork and other clerical tasks. This powerful and important gift embraces the complexities of organizational development, management and leadership models (to name a few aspects), which ultimate help define the "DNA" of the organization. If you feel called and/or are passionate about this kind of ministry with YWAM, these resources are for you.
The list of resources I have listed here is not what you would commonly find on a recommended reading list of missionaries. However, while not for the faint of heart, these books represent some of the richest wisdom about orginizations and leadership that you will out there today. If you can plow through, "translating" these works into Christian /YWAM paradigms, I think you will find yourself, your ministry, and possibly all of YWAM, better for it. Enjoy!
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't"
by Jim Collins, HarperBusiness (October 1, 2001)
Based on a five-year research project, "Good to Great" answers the question: "Can a good company become a great company, and, if so, how?" This very practical, readable and comprehensive book has a lot to teach YWAM leaders about how to see our ministry centres, programs, schools, etc. reach their fullest potential. Again, beware of being put off by so called "secular" terminologies. There is too much good stuff at stake to NOT work through the "language barrier.
Other books:
"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies"
by Jim Collins with Jerry I. Porras, New York: HarperBusiness, 1994
"The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization"
by Peter M. Senge, Currency (January 15, 1994)
Senge carefully integrates "personal mastery", "mental models", "shared vision" and "team learning" into a framework for creating learning organizations, something YWAM already is, but needs to be so more intentionally. Bringing together concepts from science to spirituality, he shows that learning organizations matters, provides a summary of his management principals, offers tools for putting it into practice, and shows what it's like to operate under this system. Still one of my all time favourites.
Other books:
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith, Currency (June 20, 1994)
The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations
by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, George Roth, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith
Currency; 1st edition (March 16, 1999)
Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education
by Peter M. Senge, Nelda H. Cambron McCabe, Timothy Lucas, Art Kleiner, Janis Dutton, Bryan Smith
Currency (September 12, 2000)
"Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future"
by Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, J. Jaworski, Betty Flowers, Society for Organizational Learning (March, 2004)
"Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future gives the reader an intimate look at the development of a new theory about change and learning. In wide-ranging conversations held over a year and a half, Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski, and Flowers explore their own experiences and those of one hundred and fifty scientists and social and business entrepreneurs in an effort to explain how profound collective change occurs. Their journey of discovery articulates a new way of seeing the world, and of understanding our part in creating itas it is and as it might be." (from the books website, www.presence.net).
Perhaps the most intensive and challenging read of all the books I've recommended here, again, it is well worth it. The theory they refer to can be seen through a theological parallel to baptism (and thus, resurrection). Not an easy (or cheap) book, but again, well worth for those passionate about organizational development.
"Birth of the Chaordic Age"
by Dee W. Hock, Berrett-Koehler Publishers (November 1, 1999)
Few words could better describe the nature of YWAM as the word "chaordic". However, what YWAM has become (partly by chance, but largely through God's leading), has been explored and articulated powerfully in this book. The book recounts the formation of the Visa credit card company, which was designed to function under the ideals of the chaordic values (though has long since abandon them). Again, it is a great source of wisdom on how we can become more intentional within YWAM to practically apply our values.
The list of resources I have listed here is not what you would commonly find on a recommended reading list of missionaries. However, while not for the faint of heart, these books represent some of the richest wisdom about orginizations and leadership that you will out there today. If you can plow through, "translating" these works into Christian /YWAM paradigms, I think you will find yourself, your ministry, and possibly all of YWAM, better for it. Enjoy!
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't"
by Jim Collins, HarperBusiness (October 1, 2001)
Based on a five-year research project, "Good to Great" answers the question: "Can a good company become a great company, and, if so, how?" This very practical, readable and comprehensive book has a lot to teach YWAM leaders about how to see our ministry centres, programs, schools, etc. reach their fullest potential. Again, beware of being put off by so called "secular" terminologies. There is too much good stuff at stake to NOT work through the "language barrier.
Other books:
"Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies"
by Jim Collins with Jerry I. Porras, New York: HarperBusiness, 1994
"The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization"
by Peter M. Senge, Currency (January 15, 1994)
Senge carefully integrates "personal mastery", "mental models", "shared vision" and "team learning" into a framework for creating learning organizations, something YWAM already is, but needs to be so more intentionally. Bringing together concepts from science to spirituality, he shows that learning organizations matters, provides a summary of his management principals, offers tools for putting it into practice, and shows what it's like to operate under this system. Still one of my all time favourites.
Other books:
The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith, Currency (June 20, 1994)
The Dance of Change: The Challenges to Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations
by Peter M. Senge, Art Kleiner, Charlotte Roberts, George Roth, Rick Ross, Bryan Smith
Currency; 1st edition (March 16, 1999)
Schools That Learn: A Fifth Discipline Fieldbook for Educators, Parents, and Everyone Who Cares About Education
by Peter M. Senge, Nelda H. Cambron McCabe, Timothy Lucas, Art Kleiner, Janis Dutton, Bryan Smith
Currency (September 12, 2000)
"Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future"
by Peter M. Senge, C. Otto Scharmer, J. Jaworski, Betty Flowers, Society for Organizational Learning (March, 2004)
"Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future gives the reader an intimate look at the development of a new theory about change and learning. In wide-ranging conversations held over a year and a half, Senge, Scharmer, Jaworski, and Flowers explore their own experiences and those of one hundred and fifty scientists and social and business entrepreneurs in an effort to explain how profound collective change occurs. Their journey of discovery articulates a new way of seeing the world, and of understanding our part in creating itas it is and as it might be." (from the books website, www.presence.net).
Perhaps the most intensive and challenging read of all the books I've recommended here, again, it is well worth it. The theory they refer to can be seen through a theological parallel to baptism (and thus, resurrection). Not an easy (or cheap) book, but again, well worth for those passionate about organizational development.
"Birth of the Chaordic Age"
by Dee W. Hock, Berrett-Koehler Publishers (November 1, 1999)
Few words could better describe the nature of YWAM as the word "chaordic". However, what YWAM has become (partly by chance, but largely through God's leading), has been explored and articulated powerfully in this book. The book recounts the formation of the Visa credit card company, which was designed to function under the ideals of the chaordic values (though has long since abandon them). Again, it is a great source of wisdom on how we can become more intentional within YWAM to practically apply our values.
