CURRENT ISSUE
g

From the Editor
Bruce E. Winston, Ph.D.

Welcome to Volume 14, Issue 1 of Emerging Leadership Journeys (ELJ). This issue contains qualitative and quantitative research articles produced by students in the School of Business & Leadership's Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership program. These articles provide excellent examples of the type of work our students produce during their program of study.

[ DOWNLOAD FULL ISSUE ]

Biblical Followership: An Exegetical Examination of the Call, Costs and Rewards of Followership
Kenneth P. Gërhart

The present study is an exegetical study of the call, costs, and rewards of following Jesus using socio-rhetorical criticism (Robbins, 1996). The specific dimensions of sociorhetorical criticism used in this study include inner texture, intertexture, and sacred texture analysis. Biblical followership from Jesus' call to follow me, to the leadership development of his followers is richly depicted in scripture. In a divine play on words, he called ordinary fishermen to become fishers of men. The journey from followers to early church leaders is recorded in scripture during the three-year earthly ministry of Jesus. The findings of this study show that the socio-rhetorical criticism elements of inner texture, intertexture, and sacred texture analysis can be used to answer the research question: What does it mean to become a biblical follower of Jesus? Each of these facets of followership provides fertile ground for further research.

Keywords: followership, discipleship, apprenticeship, follower development
| article pdf |

Group Type Differences and the Dimensions of Group Cohesion
Matthew B. Thrift

Group cohesion has four dimensions that assess how individuals feel about their role in a group socially and their role in accomplishing the group's task (Carron et al., 2002). Arrow et al. (2000) found that groups form differently based on the forces which drive group formation. Externally driven groups generally have a task focus, while internally driven groups typically focus on the group members' needs. Previous researchers have treated both types of groups as equivalent in their group cohesion studies (Casey-Campbell & Martens, 2009). The literature review also suggested that group tenure may play a part in group cohesion. Using an adapted version of Carron et al.'s (2002) Group Environment Questionnaire, 257 adults based in the United States shared their views about a group to which they belonged. I conducted an ANCOVA with group type as the dependent variable and group tenure as the covariate for each of Carron et al.'s (2002) four group cohesion dimensions. The results found group type did not affect the levels of Carron et al.'s group cohesion dimensions.

Keywords: group environment questionnaire, work group, club, social group
| article pdf |

Mindfulness and Choosing the Good Portion: An Exegetical Research Analysis of Luke 10:38-42
Angela Nicholas

This paper presents an exegetical research analysis to contrast the choices made by Martha and Mary and demonstrates how Mary's choice supports the concept of mindfulness. Specifically, I examined Luke 10:38-42 according to Robbins's (1996) sociorhetorical analysis. I examined the social and cultural concepts of hospitality, kinship, and honor-shame to answer the research question, how did the social and cultural values influence the decisions made by Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42? This study also aimed to answer what role did mindfulness play in the decisions made by Martha and Mary? The socio-rhetorical analysis revealed that social and cultural values influenced Martha's actions and decisions. The analysis also revealed that Mary practiced mindfulness by being attentive to the teachings of Jesus Christ. This exegetical research study will help inform Christian leaders of the importance of practicing mindfulness to overcome frustration and anxiety, improve social interactions, and strengthen their relationship with Christ.

Keywords: spirituality, meditation, socio-rhetorical analysis
| article pdf |

Servant Leadership and Job Satisfaction in the AMITA Health System
Jorge Flores

This study investigated the relationship between the variables of job satisfaction and servant leadership among nurses from the Millennial Generation, Generation X, and the Baby Boomer generation in the AMITA Health system in Illinois. This study also sought to understand the differences in internal and external measures of job satisfaction and perceptions of servant leadership by generational groups. Job satisfaction is a crucial variable in the healthcare industry because the nursing profession reports high rates of staff turnover. Servant leadership theory has been offered as a leadership and managerial approach to improve job satisfaction amongst nursing staff. The study found that servant leadership was positively correlated with intrinsic and extrinsic measures of job satisfaction across all generational cohorts. The results of the one-way ANOVA analysis did not find significant differences with measures of intrinsic job satisfaction. However, the one-way ANOVA analysis indicated significant differences with measures of extrinsic job satisfaction and perception of servant leadership among all generational cohorts. Given the high turnover rates in the nursing profession, this study provides valuable insights on levels of job satisfaction and servant leadership as reported by nurses from the Millennial generation, Generation X, and the Baby Boomer generation.

Keywords: Leadership, service, job satisfaction, nurses.
| article pdf |

Regent University School of Business & Leadership | © 2021
1000 Regent University Drive | Virginia Beach, VA 23464 | 757.352.4550 | editorelj@regent.edu | ISSN 1941-4684