By: Telile Fikru Badecha on November 8, 2013
While reading through Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, the discussion on Leadership and Cultural Context in chapter 13 resonated with me the most. One of the things that the authors, Mansour Javidan, Peter W. Dorfama, Jon Paul Howell, and Paul J. Hanges, highlighted in their discussion is how societal and organizational culture can shape the implicit leadership theory.…
By: Julie Dodge on November 8, 2013
I have been involved in leadership throughout much of my life, both formally and informally. I have been a volunteer leader and a professional leader, an executive and a senior manager. I have trained leaders, and I have coached leaders. I have enjoyed significant success, and fallen flat. As I read through this week’s…
By: Ashley Goad on November 8, 2013
On the plane ride to London, I had the great pleasure of watching Monsters University, the sequel to one of my all-time favorite Disney movies Monsters, Inc. Yes, of course, this is a movie directed at children, but after my “Hakuna Matata” post, I thought this was only appropriate! In spite of Disney’s commercialization of…
By: Bill Dobrenen on November 8, 2013
One factor that leadership theory, contemporary social theory, and theology all have in common is that writers in these particular fields do not always agree. Also, these fields do not contain all the answers to all the big questions. This is refreshing for me. Mark Zupan says in his article “An Economic Perspective on Leadership”…
By: Deve Persad on November 7, 2013
It’s a childhood game that many of us have played. It is transferable to any culture, age and language: Follow the leader. The premise is relatively simple. The first person, the one designated the leader makes a movement, that movement is then replicated by the next person to the best of their ability, the next…
By: Liz Linssen on November 2, 2013
Several months ago I was walking through a small shopping centre in a town in Wales, UK, when I heard something that stopped me in my tracks: the song, “Kangnam Style” by South Korean pop star, Psy. Just the previous week, I had heard this same song on the other side of the globe in…
By: Raphael Samuel on November 2, 2013
Anthony Elliott The World is shrinking, that is what I heard often in the 1980’s . Not anymore, the world has shrank, we have become connected in so many ways that some prefer to see the world as a global village.Thanks to technology, super highways, rail, and air travel we have become the most connected…
By: Stefania Tarasut on November 1, 2013
Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction By: Anthony Elliott I have to admit that I was frustrated with the first chapter of this book, and I think that my frustration kind of overshadowed the rest of the reading. I want to start off by saying that I might actually be wrong in my thinking, so I’m…
By: Miriam Mendez on November 1, 2013
After a few weeks of reading about theology, I found myself wanting more of the same. I guess you might say I’m a creature of habit! However, as I began to read, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, by Anthony Elliott, I was immediately captured by the story of Natalie. The question, “to which society does…
By: Michael Badriaki on November 1, 2013
“You have a heart for missions. You love to be part of the action. On the ground. In the thick of ministry. Serving where you can. THIS IS FOR YOU” There is a chance that anyone who has been at the airport or on a plane and certainly a church mission trip,…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on November 1, 2013
Contemporary Social Theory by Anthony Elliott offers great insights to the current issues that we are facing in our time. What I appreciated about this book is that the author does not only present different social theorist arguments but he also discusses how those theories translate into everyday people’s lives. His discussion on society and…
By: Carol McLaughlin on November 1, 2013
In Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction Anthony Elliott takes the reader for an expansive overview. Someone may liken it to a plane ride from the vantage point of an open-air cockpit. Another may feel as if they have been on a thrill ride where you only have a limited view of what is ahead. In…
By: Julie Dodge on November 1, 2013
I am a social worker. We social workers are pragmatists; we recognize that part of what we do is read and study the theories of many other disciplines and strive to apply them in the social context. I am also, by personality, drawn first to concepts, and then identify the pieces which contribute to the…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on November 1, 2013
I approached the subject of contemporary social theory with much interest, but also with much hesitation. My past education deals with, well that of education, biology, theology, cultures, and missiology. Though I know I must have traveled through the realms of social theory I must have done it indirectly and never did so directly. This…
By: rhbaker275 on November 1, 2013
At the outset of his book, “Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction,”[1] Anthony Elliott indicates that he will cover the spectrum of social concepts (of which he list thirteen to name a few) and the “significant assessments of society – of the complex ways in which we live” (p.8). I could relate to Elliott’s story-line as…
By: John Woodward on November 1, 2013
For me, venturing into Anthony Elliott’s Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction was like going to London for my first face-to-face with my LGP4 cohort. I had heard the names of Marcuse, Adorno, Bathes, Foucault and Derrida for years and read about them in hundreds of books and articles. But they were merely names attached to vague…
By: Richard Volzke on October 31, 2013
I have to admit that this week’s book by Anthony Elliott, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, did not resonate with me and I found it difficult to follow what the author was trying to say. Elliott’s attempt to define society was intriguing, but I have to wonder if he, and we, are making this issue more…
By: Bill Dobrenen on October 31, 2013
“It’s all about networking.” Do you want a job? Network. Do you want some open doors? Network. Do you want to be successful? Network. Do you want to be better equipped for life? Network. Is the old concept of networking still valid in 2013? What do we mean by networking? Are we talking about people…
By: Ashley Goad on October 31, 2013
Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction is a complex read, to say the least. While I am sure author Anthony Elliot is an expert in social theory, his ability to express concepts in a succinct, simple manner is wretched. His wordy, verbose statements sent my thoughts into a tailspin; however, if I were reading this over…
By: Deve Persad on October 31, 2013
A child is standing in the middle of a fair ground. Around her are the smells of hotdogs, sounds of laughter, stuffed animals hang low and are waiting to be won, there are rides and there are games. It’s an adventure waiting to be engaged. None of these experiences are unfamiliar. She’s read about them,…
