{"id":22825,"date":"2019-05-09T16:16:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-09T23:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=22825"},"modified":"2019-05-09T16:16:09","modified_gmt":"2019-05-09T23:16:09","slug":"diversity-is-a-key-to-gen-z","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/diversity-is-a-key-to-gen-z\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity is a Key to Gen Z"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diane Zemke holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, with a focus on enacting congregational change. Zemke, in Being SMART About Congregational Change<\/em>, <\/em>writes about the tools and resources necessary to enact, embrace and encounter congregational change.<\/p>\n

Zemke provides an easy to read but insightful book that is laid out in three sections. Section one covers her understanding of how congregations\u2019 function and imagine themselves as a group of people and as individuals within the group. The second section discusses theories of change, such as \u201cadaptive change,\u201d which was developed by Ronald Heifetz. The third section and final section is deals with self-care for change agents.<\/p>\n

One of the most simple but powerful observations Zemke makes is that \u201cno two congregations are the same\u201d and cites \u201cculture\u201d as the determining factor.[1]<\/a> On the surface, this is neither a positive nor a negative but merely a statement of truth. One quick positive aspect of this observation is that it speaks to the diversity of the big C church. On the other hand, as Zemke points out, if the congregation is founded upon a common bond<\/em>, then the diversity of the local congregation is slim to none.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I point out diversity because as I continue my research into Gen Z, diversity of cultures is a significant factor in this generation. Globalization and connectedness have enabled individuals to experience the world and its varied cultures without leaving their environments. In this way, they are exposed to the diversity that exists in unfamiliar places and populations; however, as postmoderns, they determine the meaning of what they find individually and are free to redefine it to their liking.<\/p>\n

With boundaries and distance dissolved and people more connected than ever before, the culture as shifted toward complexity. The acronym VUCA<\/em>, coined in 1987 and derived from the leadership theories of Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus, stands for \u201cthe volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of general conditions and situations.\u201d[2]<\/sup><\/a> Within the VUCA framework, C <\/em>denotes complexity, which \u201crefers to the interconnectivity and interdependence of multiple components in a system.\u201d[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>For the purposes of this blog, components are people. With people comes diversity, and with diversity comes complexity. According to recent statistics, Gen Z is the most diverse generation to date, with 52 percent being \u201cnon-Hispanic whites.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a> Again, although diversity is neither positive nor negative in and of itself, it can either help or hinder a particular system\u2019s desired outcome. Erin Meyer states, \u201cIf your goal is innovation or creativity, the more cultural diversity the better, as long as the process is managed carefully. But if your goal is simple speed and efficiency, then monocultural is probably better than multicultural. Sometimes, it is simply better to leave Rome to the Romans.\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

In complex systems, knowing the desired outcomes or time constraints is helpful but not necessarily determinative, because complexity can typically be resolved in more than one way. Inherent in diversity is a plurality of perspectives, which requires a different set of questions leading to various solutions. As Jennifer Garvey Berger says, \u201cThe complexity of the world requires that we understand the grays, that we resist black-and-white solutions, that we ask different questions about unexpected and tangential options.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Simply put, for all leaders and pastors, it is important to know your congregation\u2019s culture to enact change,[7]<\/a>. Moreover, we need to begin to understand Gen Z\u2019s culture as they are not next but now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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——————————-<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Diane Zemke.\u00a0Being SMART About Congregational Change<\/em>. (2014) location 79.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u201cVolatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity,\u201d Wikipedia<\/em>, acccessed April 9, 2019, https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Richard Fry and Kim Parker, “Early Benchmarks Show ‘Post-Millennials\u2019 on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet,\u201d Pew Research Center, November 15, 2018, https:\/\/www.pewsocialtrends.org\/2018\/11\/15\/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet\/.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Erin Meyer, The Culture Map: Decoding How People Think, Lead, and Get Things Done Across Cultures<\/em>, international edition (New York: PublicAffairs, 2015), chap. 3, Kindle.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Jennifer Garvey Berger, Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity<\/em> (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2019), chap. 1, Kindle.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid., 109<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diane Zemke holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, with a focus on enacting congregational change. Zemke, in Being SMART About Congregational Change, writes about the tools and resources necessary to enact, embrace and encounter congregational change. Zemke provides an easy to read but insightful book that is laid out in three sections. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[1525,1466,1322],"class_list":["post-22825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure-mystery-sci-fi","tag-diane-zemke","tag-gen-z","tag-lgp9","cohort-lgp9"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22825"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22825\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22831,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22825\/revisions\/22831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}