Foundation of org behavior

4.1 Assignment. Devotional- The Good Builder – Part 4

Getting Started

The middle parts of Genesis tell us about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and plenty of intriguing stories about children, obedience, blessings, and a fair amount of conflict. While we could continue to find good builder themes threaded throughout those stories, we are going to skip to Genesis 37 where we are introduced to Abraham’s great-grandson – Joseph. He is the central character for the remainder of Genesis.

During this devotional reflection, you will consider the importance of humility and how we use power over, with, or for those we lead. 

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Recognize strong leadership skills through leaders in the Bible.

Background Information

Read or  listen(new tab)  to  Genesis 37:1-11(new tab)

As you read the passage about Joseph and his dreams, what are your impressions of Joseph? Did he strike you as humble? Or discreet? Certainly, we could interpret the passage as Joseph simply being honest about what he was dreaming. However, even if he was being honest, it does not appear that he was being very tactful. Those around him are not impressed by his dream-telling. Actually, they are quite upset about what he is saying.

In the ancient near east, birth order was very important. Specifically, the first-born son was celebrated. Nations and states as we have come to experience them were not the norm in those days. While we might read of people groups (such as Canaanites) in the Bible, rarely did that group name represent a highly organized country of cities and citizens. Rather, patriarch-led families, clans, and tribes were the foundation of communities. Tribes might cooperate with each other, but the family tribe was the primary unit. Within that context, the first-born son represented the hope of the family continuing into the next generation. All the property that had been accumulated from the past had an avenue to be retained in the family name through that son. First-born sons were sometimes referred to as the strength of the father (the patriarch) for that reason. The firstborn was the patriarch-in-waiting, next in line to take control of the tribal unit.

Successive children, particularly sons, were viewed as adding to the richness and to the protection of the tribe. In other words, if something happened to the firstborn, having additional heirs was good insurance. But make no mistake, the order was important, and those further down the line were expected to defer to their more prominent (in birth order) siblings.

Joseph was not the firstborn… or second-born… or third born… or (keep going). Joseph was number 11 in line. Let’s say that another way – he was not ever going to be the patriarch of the family. He needed to mind his place.

One thing that Joseph had going for him was that he was the first, natural-born son to Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. For that reason, he did hold a special place in his father’s heart. “Now Israel (another name for Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his sons…” (New International Version Bible, 1973/1984, Genesis 37:3). That favoritism did not sit well with sons number one through ten, as it appeared to thwart the natural order of things. Even worse, son number 11 (Joseph) starts telling these dreams about the brothers (and even his father and mother) bowing down to him in submission. The passage also makes it clear about how everyone responded to Joseph’s dream telling with phrases such as hated him and rebuked him.

Because we know the end of the story (we’ll talk more about that in later devotionals), we also know that Joseph was right. His family would eventually bow down to him. He would provide authority over them. But, it will become clear to everyone in the future that Joseph’s position of prominence will be to serve and protect his family. Right now, in the midst of the dreams and dream-telling, a seventeen-year-old, brash, spoiled kid (re-read the story), seems full of himself. He is viewing his future leadership of the family (via the dreams) from a ruling not a serving perspective. In other words, he is thinking (they are too) about power over… not power with... or power for... others as the heart of leadership. Joseph is not very humble – at least not yet.

After you have read the passage, consider the following prompts:

1. As you think about leadership, do you think of it through power over lens or power with and power for lens? What have been your experiences with leaders that contribute to your perspectives about power? What have been some of the outcomes (compare/contrast) of leaders who have exercised power over versus power with/for?

2. How have some of your leadership attitudes and actions demonstrated power over? Or power with? Or power for others? Or humility? Or not?

3. If you have a perspective different from a Christian worldview, what does that perspective suggest about power, serving, and leadership?

4. What are the implications or connections to organizational behavior themes can you make?

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Review the  Genesis 37:1-11(new tab)  and prompts provided in the Getting Started and Background sections. 

3. Write a one-half to one-page reflection paper (Word document; @250 words double-spaced = one page) that shares your thoughts/perspectives on the themes of this devotional and submit it using the Assignment submission page by the end of the workshop week. Be sure to apply APA formatting guidelines.

· Feel free to utilize the APA formatting resource, Academic Writer in the  IWU Resources(new tab)  page, by creating your account which will give you access during this course.

1. You do not need to “answer” each of the prompts. Rather, use them to stimulate your thinking. Then, write a meaningful discussion of the important insights or even questions that emerge during your reflection.