By: Mary Pandiani on March 19, 2015
In the early 1980s, the iconic video game, Pac-Man, hit the arcade scene. The little consuming Pac-Mac swallowed up dots to sustain life, needing to either avoid the enemy or eat power pellets in order to change its capacity to eat the enemy (their names – Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde).[1] While I’m not much…
By: Dave Young on March 18, 2015
I live in a world of religious commodification and it has birthed the fruit of abstraction and ultimately spawned fragmentation. In my world, ‘community’ has become ‘community groups’, following Jesus has become ‘service projects’ and knowing God has become an hour on Sunday. It’s as though some malevolent force said, “Let’s rethink church” that thriving…
By: Travis Biglow on March 18, 2015
Consumed Un-assumed March 17, 15 Starting off with Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, I want to talk about two areas the stood out to me. One was how culture has a way of transforming religious beliefs and two the media and religion. It is a shame that some of the…
By: Travis Biglow on March 15, 2015
Correlating Academic theory with Management March 14, 15 In Caroline Ramsey’s two articles Provocative theory and a scholarship of practice and Narrative: From Learning in Reflection to Learning in Performance, I was able to learn that there are many things that go with learning. Some of the principles pointed out that were important to me…
By: Mary Pandiani on March 13, 2015
Words convey ideas, concepts, meaning. Word choices elicit an evocative response that brings an experience beyond the explicit message. In Dr. Ramsey’s two articles, “Management Learning: A Scholarship of Practice Centred on Attention?” and “Provocative Theory and a Scholarship of Practice,” she uses words that stir the reader to respond, creating an opportunity for a…
By: Dawnel Volzke on March 13, 2015
Ramsey’s article, Management learning: A scholarship of practice centred on attention?, discusses the practice of learning and how this can help managers and leaders do their work better.[1] Reading Ramsey’s article, I reflected on my own journey to become a more effective manager and leader. Ramsey shares project experience from which she learned and gained…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on March 12, 2015
Caroline Ramsey in her inquisitive papers, “Provocative theory and the scholarship of practice” and “Management learning: A scholarship of practice centred on attention” continues her impressive work in the field of management and organizational learning. Ramsey brings further thought, experimentation, and quantification from her research and learning journey of a scholarship of practice. As I…
By: Brian Yost on March 12, 2015
In her articles Management learning: a scholarship of practice centred on attention? And Provocative theory and a scholarship of practice, Caroline Ramsey poses questions regarding the development of managerial theories and practices and considers how we learn. Due to the academic nature of the articles, it can be a little tricky to get to the…
By: Nick Martineau on March 12, 2015
I remember early on in my college years taking a Business Management course. The professor was a successful businessman but said he had enough of the corporate world and wanted to teach. I was eager to take his class and learn from someone that had “been there.” I remember my professor sharing with the class…
By: Dave Young on March 11, 2015
I had initially found myself distressed over Dr. Ramsey’s article on “Provocative Theory and a Scholarship of Practice”; the scholarly language was making the meaning difficult for me discern. Yet with the encouragement of my cohort, I read it with a British accent and that cleared it up perfectly. On a serious note, why choose…
By: Jon Spellman on March 11, 2015
Leadership and scholarship, do they co-exist? Are they complimentary? Adversarial? Perhaps both? Is it possible for a leader — a business or ministry practitioner — to, at the same time, engage in scholarly thinking about her work while attending to the busy-ness of her leading? These are the kinds of questions I find myself considering…
By: Jon Spellman on March 6, 2015
For me or for the masses? Sometimes we do things for the greater good, in support of a cause that reaches farther than our own little “first place” environments. Other times, we do things simply because it’s what we want to do, because it makes us better or, at least, to feel better. So, while…
By: Travis Biglow on March 6, 2015
Counter culture to the Cave March 5, 15 I am in love with the “Rebel Sell” it reaches the reality of what some people think about the normalcy of how things are done. It is amazing how it is so easy to accept the way things are done and how things are handed to you.…
By: Dawnel Volzke on March 6, 2015
Potter and Heath’s book, The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, takes an interesting look at North American culture. The authors argue, “Decades of countercultural rebellion have failed to change anything because the theory of society on which the countercultural idea rests is false.” [1] In other words, they assert that there is…
By: Brian Yost on March 5, 2015
In their book The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can’t Be Jammed, Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter address some of the myths surrounding the countercultural movement. They state, “traditional political activism is useless”[1], giving numerous example of how the very attempt to force the system or cultural to change actually became part of the system…
By: Dave Young on March 5, 2015
I imagine Heath and Potter may have lost some of their left-leaning friends as they attempted to expose how the anti-consumerism, counter-cultural movement since WW2 didn’t live up to its billing and in fact likely added to the furtherance of consumer capitalism. It’s important to understand their thesis: “. . . that counter cultural movements…
By: Mary Pandiani on March 5, 2015
Today, starting with the first of three field research interviews this month, I start with an introduction in order to ask a question, “When I was young, I wanted to look older. Now that I’m older, I want to look young. Why does it feel so good to have someone tell me, ‘Oh my, you…
By: Nick Martineau on March 5, 2015
While in South Africa I was determined to bring home some good gifts for my family. With the Waterfront Shopping Center just a couple minutes walk away I knew I would have plenty of options. During my first walk through the Waterfront I was amazed to see all the similar stores that I’d find back…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on March 5, 2015
While Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter tell an entertaining tale of the emergence and ultimate reverse-effect of the Counterculture and anti-mass society movements of the 1960’s thru today, it seems many a cheap shot was taken at those who have actually been on the playing field, addressing and attempting great social change, by a couple…
By: Travis Biglow on March 2, 2015
The Spirit and Ethic of Greed March 1, 15 As a pastor I have been able to be around a lot of great Christians leaders. Many of them are straight shooters. But many of them are motivated by greed and money. It is so sad to say but it is true. I have found that…
