Prospectus Abstract

I will not post the entire 13 page prospectus here, but in case you are interested here's the abstract.

Working Title: What does it mean to organize and lead in chaotic times? Interpreting The Apocalypse through hermeneutic phenomenology

The chaotic times of the 21^st century make the traditional forms of organizing and leading obsolete because the ontological and epistemological assumptions of these forms are undermined. Consequently, the fundamental problem for 21^st century organizations and their leaders is the rediscovery of meaning.

Faced with this crisis of meaning, scholars and practitioners turn to symbolic interpretive and postmodern ontology and epistemology, as reflected in Chaos Theory and theories of spirituality, to make sense of their world. Unfortunately, there is not a philosophical framework for leading in chaos to guide scholars and practitioners in appraising and developing theory and practice. This study proposes one way of defining a philosophic framework in relation to the research question.

“What does it mean to organize and lead in chaotic – even apocalyptic –times?” This research question confronts The Revelation to John, also known as The Apocalypse, through hermeneutic phenomenology as developed by Paul Ricoeur.

Ricoeur’s work is well suited as a methodological framework for this study. His emphasis on metaphor, narrative, and understanding of hermeneutics as “the art of deciphering indirect meaning” (Kearney, 2004, p. 1) works well with the literary nature of The Apocalypse. Ricoeur’s four characteristics of text and social action offer the possibility of discovering spirituality in the text that is not dependent on The Apocalypse’s status as a religious text. Ample examples of Ricoeur’s application of hermeneutic phenomenology to biblical texts serve as guides in the research process. Significantly, this methodology offers a way to link, within the hermeneutic process, the meaning of the text with the meaning of social actions of organizing and leading.

This study has scholarly, practical, and personal significance. It builds on growing organizational leadership research streams in chaos and spirituality. However, this research uniquely uses The Apocalypse for instruction in organizational leadership. It also appears to stand alone in its concern for establishing a philosophic framework for leading in chaos. The fruit of this study will be practical insights concerning organizing and leading effectively in chaos. Additionally, it offers anyone a useful method to explain and understand any organizational text or organizational action. At the personal level, this research offers the chance to master the philosophic discipline of hermeneutic phenomenology. The topic is likely to be a major concern for organizational leaders throughout my lifetime. Thus, it prepares me well to serve as a leader, consultant, teacher, and mentor.

I believe the Bible “has God for its author . . . and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter” (Southern Baptist Convention, 2000). However, in this study I do not appeal to The Apocalypse as sacred text. Neither do I want to render an interpretation that has meaning only within the Christian faith. Rather, I propose to fashion the study so that any scholar or practitioner can judge its fidelity to what the text says about itself in relation to the research question. In doing so, I intend to open the possibility of any person taking action on the truth they find there.

References

Kearney, R. (2004). On Paul Ricoeur: The owl of Minerva. Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited.

Southern Baptist Convention. (2000). The Baptist faith and message. Retrieved June 5, 2004, from http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp