Johan Beukes is a seasoned Leadership and Business Coach and registered Psychometrist. He has an MDiv in Theology, an MPhil in Leadership, and a PhD in Educational Psychology. He previously served as the CEO of In Harmonie, developing and leading the Harmonie Journey for thousands of leaders from more than 60 nations. He has fulfilled senior roles at various multinational companies and macro churches, is a board member of Mergon and Echurch, and actively coaches CEOs and high-profile leaders.
We live in a pluralistic, complex world
As Christians, we might yearn for a world that operates according to the Christian worldview. A world where Christian education, Christian institutions, Christian businesses, and Christian leaders are at the forefront of a flourishing society. We might prefer a ‘simple’ world, yet we know that we live in a pluralistic one (consisting of many different types of people, with different beliefs, opinions, and needs), and one that is becoming more and more complex. A world where it is not enough to tolerate diversity, but where we have to know how to engage diversity.
The reality is that we cannot escape this world – we live in it. As Jesus prayed in John 17:15–18, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth – your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” The apostle Peter also cautioned fellow believers, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life in your neighbourhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.” (1 Peter 2:11–12 MSG).
Christians have always had to navigate a complex world
A pluralistic and complex world is not a new idea. For example, the apostle Paul did not live in a simple world. Working in ancient cities such as Corinth and Ephesus was a pluralistic experience, with different religions, different rulers, and different business models. In reading his letters to the Corinthian church, we realise that the new converts brought into their fellowship all the hostility and misunderstanding that can possibly arise from differences in race, wealth, and values.”[1] It was an incredibly diverse community, coupled with a dramatic failure of leadership after Paul left to continue on his travels. In this respect, Paul’s greatest missionary success created his greatest challenges.
In addressing these, his advice to live out the values of love, sacrifice, and communal well-being is straightforward in principle – yet incredibly demanding in practice. They are deeply countercultural. Above all, they require the right sort of leadership, where Christian leaders guide their communities in navigating pluralism with depth, sensitivity, and courage.
How can we engage a pluralistic, complex world today?
So how can we flourish in a pluralistic, complex world as Christian business leaders?
Pluralism necessarily involves a deep questioning of ourselves, of our neighbours who are different from us, of how we are going to live together. Pluralism is the process of creating a society through self-critical encounters with one another – acknowledging, rather than hiding, our deepest differences. Pluralism involves the commitment to be ‘present at the table,’ with our beliefs.[2]
It is a real challenge. Ronald Heifetz[3] identifies two types of challenges: technical and adaptive. Technical challenges are those that can be solved by the knowledge of experts, whereas solving adaptive challenges requires new learning. Flourishing in a pluralistic, complex world is an adaptive challenge – we need new frameworks of learning, and new learning. We need to be able to make sense of a world that keeps changing.
This necessary leadership skill of ‘sense-making’ can broadly be described as the process of giving meaning to something, especially new developments and experiences. By giving us a mental structure for the unknown, it enables us to turn the ongoing complexity of the world into a “situation that is comprehended explicitly in words, and that serves as a springboard into action”.[4]
Making sense of complexity in business
A useful tool to make sense of complexity is the Cynefin Framework (pronounced kuh-nev-in).[5] This framework was developed to help leaders better understand their challenges and the intertwined factors that influence their actions, in order to make better decisions and has been used in almost every sector.
By distinguishing between the different subsystems in which we operate, it helps leaders to distinguish between what is really complex and what is not, and to respond accordingly. The aim is to enable business leaders to not waste energy in overthinking the routine, while also not trying to make what is complex fit into standard solutions.
Consider the following possible responses to cashflow problems in a business:
Complexity leadership theory recognises that dynamic interactions take place both within organisations and within their environments. Rather than responding to challenges by developing standard procedures and establishing autocratic control, this type of leadership prioritises network interaction and the solutions that come from engaging diverse viewpoints.
Making sense of spirituality in business
Around the world, business leaders (including Christian ones) are experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout, and much of this is due to trying harder and harder to cope in a pluralistic, complex environment. As a result their energy levels are decreasing, they are losing perspective, becoming ineffective in their work, and even become cynical about life.[6]
Amidst this burnout culture, people increasingly want more than ‘being used’ to maximise profit for shareholders. They long for something authentic and worthwhile. This is a time of searching for a larger, nobler vision to sustain our efforts and engage our souls. It is therefore not surprising that there are calls for spirituality to have a greater place in our lives, our work and in our world.
As a result, ‘spirituality in business’ has been trending on different platforms for more than two decades already. In 2002 executives from a wide range of industries attended a seminar at Harvard Business School to discuss how their spirituality helps them be powerful leaders. The conversation was moderated by Dr Ronald Heifetz, founding director of the Center of Public Leadership at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Stanford University, Scotty McLennan spent 14 years as the Dean for Religious Life. During this time, he worked to create a campus meditative center where leaders can experience the benefits of spiritual practices such as quiet reflection. He is one of many who believe that leaders do not have to leave their religion at home as they go to work on Monday morning.
And in 2010, three out of seven global megatrends identified in business had to do with spirituality.[7] Many management books now include a chapter or two on spirituality at work. Business conferences invite executives on retreats to experience different interventions derived from spirituality in order to enhance their leadership capacity. And in some multinational companies, it has become common practice for leaders to make us of ‘quiet rooms’ during working hours, in order to cultivate solitude or mindfulness.
A call for Christian spirituality in mainstream business
Despite the increased mainstream acceptance of spirituality in business though, Christian spirituality is not featuring as much. This is a wonderful opportunity for Christian leaders in business, because on the one hand Christians are part of God’s love mission to a complex and pluralistic world, on the other people are searching for a deeper sense of meaning and fulfillment in their work.
Despite this, many Christian leaders are still experiencing discomfort when the word spirituality is mentioned as it envisages an esoteric, new age thing. Having a more wholistic definition of spirituality might help.
Spirituality has been described as that which “helps us in our struggle to determine who we are (our ‘being’) and how we live our lives in this world (our ‘doing’). It combines our basic philosophy towards life, our vision and our values, with our conduct and practice… It is our spirituality, providing as it does a deeper identity, which guides us as we chart our way through life’s paradoxes.”[8]
Christians believe in the theological doctrine of imago Dei, which means ‘the image of God’, and that we as humans have been created in His likeness, His image (our ‘being’). We also believe in the doctrine of missio Dei, which essentially means ‘the mission of God,’ and that we are part of His mission (our ‘doing’). Together imago Dei and missio Dei provide a uniquely Christian understanding of human nature, God’s original design, and the future of society – so that we can actually make sense of the pluralistic, complex world we live in, and of humanity’s deep desire for shalom (or wellness and wholeness).
Conclusion
The challenges we face as business leaders may sometimes feel overwhelming. But as Christians we can engage with diversity and complexity in a realistic and meaningful way. We can respond to these challenges by learning from others’ perspectives, by using new business tools and frameworks, and by bringing our spirituality into the workplace. We can successfully engage a pluralistic, complex world because we have been empowered to do so by the God who made this world.
[1] https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/paul-wrote-1-corinthians-community-middle-culture-war
[2] Council of World Mission and Christian Conference of Asia (2000). “Living Together in Peace in a Pluralistic Society.”
[3] Ronald Heifetz (2017). Leadership on the Line. Harvard Business Review Press.
[4] Weick, Sutcliffe & Obstfeld (2005). “Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking and Organizing.” Organization Science, 16(4), pp409–421.
[5] https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework/
[6] https://hbr.org/2023/10/whats-fueling-burnout-in-your-organization
[7] Patricia Aburdene (2010). Megatrends 2010:The Rise of Conscious Capitalism, Hampton Roads Publishing.
[8] Howard & Welbourn (2004). The Spirit at Work Phenomenon, Azure Books.
