Thematic Integration of Faith and Learning

Introduction

In the 21st century, the business world has become very competitive and difficult. Businesses focus on improving their performance in order to maintain their place in the marketplace. Businesses that have high-performance rates are gaining more market share. Businesses have various types of departments and a lot of senior leaders who try to manage their team. More specifically, leaders are working hard to reach their organization's long-term goals. In this sense, coaching has become a critical study of the field for business.

One can infer that major businesses are using coaching for improving their employees' performance rates. Also, coaching improves organizations' leadership developments. In this sense, this paper focuses on a course overview that defines the course as an academic study of the field, and it concentrates on organizational and executive coaching approach analysis. More specifically, it discusses arguments that integrate the concepts from the Keller and Alsdrof (2012) text into a cohesive understanding of why organizational and executive coaching is significant for advancing God's purposes for business on earth.

Overview

First of all, at the end of the 20th century, the coaching approach came into literature, and businesses started to hire coaches for improving their business performance and leadership developments. One can suggest that within 30 years, organizational and executive coaching became a significant study of the field for businesses because it manages to create better communication between employer and employees. Also, in the 21st century, the coaching industry has 1-2 billion dolor yearly revenue because it became popular, and it proved the efficiency of its methods by providing good results.

In this direction, course topics include organizational and executive coaching approach that is one of the academic fields of study for businesses. Therefore, course content's significance to business is critical because one can learn and implement this field of study to their works. The overview of course content includes organizational and executive coaching approach and its qualifications. The course topic also combines this field study with a theological basis that identifies individuals' work dignity and ethics.

A brief overview of the course topic includes explaining coaching approaches and their implementations to businesses. More specifically, this paper aims to provide facts that make the coaching field significant to businesses. In this sense, organizational and executive coaching benefits from other scientific fields. For instance, one can relate coaching to psychology because coaching uses a psychological basis to understand coachees' behaviors and emotions (Underhill, McAnally, & Koriath, 2007). In other words, coaching methods use psychology for basing scientific facts that increase the method's efficiency. Eventually, coaching aims to provide good results to organizations or clients.

The main purpose of hiring coaches to an organization is to fix performance problems, retrain talented employees, improve leadership development and career development programs. Organizational and executive coaches work with the organization's senior leaders. In this sense, the organization's senior leaders get help from coaches to evaluate and improve their employees' performance. Another main purpose of coaching is to retrain talented employees.

More specifically, coaches help senior leaders of the organization find talented employees and promote them to the right position that suits them. The coaching process is also critical for measuring employees' talents and skills, specifically when these employees are being promoted to a leadership position. In this sense, coaching is an important variable for businesses, and it allows organizations to promote the right talents to the right positions. One can argue that coaching is one of the most important fields of study for businesses because it provides good results by increasing an organization's performance and efficiency. More specifically, organizations can use both external and internal coaches for their requirements. External coaches work with the organization's leaders and implement employee leadership development and career development programs for fixing performance problems or increasing motivation. In both coachings, external and internal coaches are valuable assets of the organizations because they evaluate performance rates and track talented employees.

Internal coaches are the organization's executives, and they organize employee coaching programs that allow employees to be part of the solution processes. Also, internal coaches use their effective communication skills for implementing coaching processes to their team. One can highlight that the coaching mindset includes coachee to coaching processes, and it aims to create an opportunity for developing coachees' talents, skills, and performance. In this sense, the coachee's coachability and lack of coachability are critical variables for the process because lack of coachability can create barriers between the coach and coachee.

On the other hand, coachable coachees can provide good results because they are open to communication and want to develop their talents and skills for themselves. In this sense, they become active participants in the coaching processes that start with opportunity and continue with reflection and feedback, eventually ends with action planning (Hunt, Weintraub, 2017). One can infer that this coaching method is a significant field study for businesses because it allows creating an action plan to improve the organization's performance. Also, an action plan organizes through employees' reflection and feedback that allows employees' to be part of solutions. More specifically, this method measures coachees learning processes for providing them a better program in the future.

According to the theological course content, understanding work dignity and ethics are critical for human nature because God demands good intentions and goodwill at work. Also, the bible states that humans are the reflection of God. Therefore, human motives for work should be based on good intentions. More specifically, individuals should work and earn as much money as possible, and they should be generous while spending it. In this sense, individuals should help others while working, and they should work hard to fulfill God's demands and be a good individual.

The theological understanding of human nature is important for business because it creates an environment based on dignity and ethics. When theological understanding unites with the modern study of fields, it creates good organizational development and employee improvement. Eventually, it becomes a significant study of the field.

Discussion of Questions

This part of the paper focuses on eight questions that are critical to demonstrate a student who completes this course can synthesize the key concepts in organizational and executive coaching and formulate the strengths and weaknesses of stated approaches to coaching. In this sense, the first question is why coaching become a critical position for businesses? One can relate to this question by examining coaching's nature because coaching aims to develop organizational performance. More specifically, its purpose is the strength of the approach. Also, it is one of the key concepts of organizational and executive coaching.

The second question is, what are the main elements of organizational and executive coaching? One can answer this question by examining the communication between coach and coachee because the coaching process includes interaction between coach and coachee. Therefore, the coaching process's main elements are communication, leadership development programs, and employee development programs. The elements in the coaching process are the strengths of the approach because it helps individuals. There is not any weakness in coaching elements.

The third question is, why should coaches not use performance fix programs all the time? One can argue that coaches should not implement performance fix programs for all employees because it can negatively affect high-performance employees. On the other hand, performance fix programs should be used when necessary. Also, it should concentrate on a group of employees who are showing low performance in the organization. In this direction, the performance fix is a strength when it is used to the right group. However, it can be a weakness when it is applied to the wrong group.

The fourth question is why leadership development programs are critical for organizations? One can suggest that leadership development programs improve team leaders' skills and qualifications. More specifically, leaders affect their team's performance, and leaders who have good communication skills can make a difference in the organization. In this sense, leadership development programs are critical because they provide a better understanding of leadership, and these programs allow leaders to improve their skills and qualification in the organization. Another importance of leadership development programs is that low-performance leaders can benefit from the program to increase their performance. In this direction, leadership development is a strength of the coaching approach.

The fifth question is why employee development programs are critical for organizations? One can infer that a business's most valuable assets are its employees. In this direction, employee development programs are important because these programs focus on employees. Also, employee development programs increase employees' performance and motivation. Therefore, employee development programs are one of the key concepts of organizational and executive coaching. Eventually, employee development is a strength of the coaching approach.

The sixth question is why employee retrain is an important part of coaching? One can highlight that employees retrain one of the most important coaching approaches because it evaluates employees' skills and talents. Also, it aims to find talented employees in the organization. After finding talented employees, it provides opportunities to these employees for getting promoted the right role in the organization. In other words, employee retrain is an important part of coaching because it evaluates employees' skills and talents and promotes them to the right positions that suit their talents. Eventually, employee retrain is a strength of the coaching approach.

The seventh question is how to match the coach and coachee in coaching processes? One can infer that coach and coachee matching can be made in two ways. Firstly, matching can be done by choosing. In the first method, coachees are allowed to pick one of the coaches in the organization. This method bases on free will. Secondly, matching can be made by appointing coaches to coachees. More specifically, this method is useful for coaching processes because coachees are working with random coaches in the organization, and this creates a better environment for the coaching process. Eventually, matching the coach and coachee is the strength of the coaching approach.

The eight-question is how to create an effective action plan? The nature of the action plan bases on reflection and feedback from employees. In this direction, for creating an effective action plan, coaches should take a closer look at employees' reflection and feedback because their feedback creates a background and a solution for implementing an effective action plan in the organization. The action plan is one of the most important coaching methods because it is one of the strengths of the coaching approach. Also, a detailed look at reflection and feedback will create cornerstones for an action plan. Eventually, an examination of these variables will shape the action plan and its effectiveness in the organization.

Theological Discussion

Keller and Alsdorf (2012) concentrate on defining theological backgrounds to work. More specifically, Every Good Endeavor focuses on answering three main questions. These questions are, why do we want to work? (That is why do we need to work in order to lead a fulfilled life?) Why is it so hard to work? (That is why is it so often fruitless, pointless, and difficult?) How can we overcome the difficulties and find satisfaction in our work through the gospel? (Keller, Alsdorf, 2012) These questions provide a theological understanding of individuals' work motives in the 21st century.

One can suggest that Every Good Endeavor provides an explicit understanding to work dignity and ethics. Therefore, it reveals God's will about work. On the other hand, in the 21st century, it is hard to find these theological bases in the scientific field studies. For instance, organizational and executive coaching theory does not include theological understanding for defining employees' behaviors and motives.

In this direction, Keller and Alsdorf (2012) manage to tell why individuals should follow God's testaments in their works? In this sense, it provides explicit direction to serve God at work. For instance, for serving God, individuals should be honest at work, and they should help others at work. Also, individuals should support social justice at work, and they should create beauty at work.

One can highlight that these sentiments concentrate on the goodwill and good intentions. Therefore, Christian ethics, motives, and identity are critical points of view because they lead to better ethics and motives for work. Therefore, embracing Christian ethics and motivations can provide good results for the business. On the other hand, the organizational and executive coaching field only concentrates on increasing leaders' and employees' performance. In this sense, coaching theory does not include work ethics, and dignity for work. In other words, coaching theory does not concentrate on employees' personal beliefs and motivation, and it only bases its theory by using phycological understanding.

Organizational and executive coaching are related to organizational strategies, and they do not include any Christianity in it. Whether they are profit or non-profit organizations, the coaching approach does not include Christian beliefs and bible heroes. It is all about increasing the performance and effectiveness of work. However, in the 21st century, employees should have work dignity and work ethics to fulfill God's demands. However, coaching approaches can use bible heroes for implementing coaching processes. For instance, Samuel's narrative can influence employees to participate in coaching processes.

According to Samuel's narrative, he is one of God's spokesmen. He played a critical part in King David's reign. More specifically, Samuel was the first of Israel's great prophets and the last of the judges ("The Old Testament," 2020). He warned the nation about their evil habits. As the years passed, God asked Samuel to choose a king. He chose David, who was a shepherd. David represented God's will and power.

David fought with Goliath and won. He married King Saul's daughter. He loved God, and he was the rightful king of Israel. More specifically, Samuel's role in making David king is critical. For instance, one can relate Samuel to coaches because he followed God's demands, and he played a critical role in selecting Israel's rightful king.

Another bible hero is Moses that advocates God's will and purposes. Moses was born to Jochebed and Amram; both are from Levi's tribe when Israel's children lived in Egypt as slaves (Bernock, 2019). According to the Propet of Moses, God demanded Moses to rescue the Israelites from Egypt. Moses was one of the greatest heroes in the Bible. He received the Ten Commandments from God. He was a glorious leader who rescued Israelites from Egypt. In this direction, Moses's narrative can influence coaching methods because it shows great leadership. However, the coaching approach does not use these kinds of examples within its theory.

One can argue that Keller and Alsdorf (2012) provide a better understanding of God's purposes for businesses on earth. They use Samuel's narrative in their book, and they give examples of Samuel's statements on work. More specifically, they manage to provide an innovative approach to business on earth. In this direction, organizational and executive coaching is significant for advancing God's purposes for business on earth because the main purpose of coaching is to help employees and leaders. Eventually, the coaching approach does not include theological examples, but it is advancing God's purposes and will for business on earth.

Conclusion

To sum up, in the 21st-century business world includes different approaches and strategies for increasing organizational performance. Therefore, coaching approaches became a significant field study, and major businesses started to use coaching to improve their employees' and leaders' performance. In this direction, this paper focused on a brief overview of course content, and it analyzed the significance of course content. Also, it focused on analyzing eight questions that are critical for a student who completes this course. Eventually, it discussed Keller and Alsdorf (2012) findings significance for advancing God's purposes and will for business on earth.

References

Bernock, D. (2019, June 25). Who Was Moses in the Bible? Christianity.com. https://christianity.com/wiki/people/who-was-moses-in-the-bible.html.

Hunt, J. M., & Weintraub, J. R. (2017). The coaching manager: developing top talent in business. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Keller, T., & Alsdorf, K. L. (2012). Every good endeavor: connecting your work to God's work. Amazon. https://amazon.com/Every-Good-Endeavor-Connecting-Your/dp/1594632820.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview. Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online. https://bible-history.com/old-testament/samuel.html.

Underhill, B. O., McAnally, K., & Koriath, J. J. (2008). Executive coaching for results: the definitive guide to developing organizational leaders. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.