Running head: STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 1

Strategic Mobilizer

Corey Langerveld

Azusa Pacific University

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 2

Strategic Mobilizer

Northouse (2016) is quick to point out in his book on the theories and practices of

leadership, that leadership has no universal definition. However, there is a level of universal

understanding that leadership exists to help bring about the achievement of some sort of goal,

objective, or process (Northouse, 2016). Therefore, leaders need to first be aware of the mission,

and secondly, leaders must facilitate the achievement of that mission. A leader is responsible for

the mobilization and guidance of others, so that all are contributing and moving towards the

same destination.

Mobilization can encompass many different aspects; however, successful leaders boil it

down to one main idea. The idea is this; each person and resource has a role to play in the

achievement of the mission, and the leader is responsible for determining what role suits each

person. How to determine one’s role is where strategy enters, in order to ensure the best

outcome.

There is an abundance of theories that shed light on how leaders mobilize, however, I

believe one theory in particular brings about significant understanding. This theory is the

situational approach to leadership. Northouse (2016) describes situational leadership in that a

leader must assess situations, adapting their own behaviors to the demands of each circumstance.

This theory can describe the process that a leader faces when mobilizing others. Individuals are

unique from one another, and a leader must identify the distinctions. Northouse (2016) discusses

that leaders must be aware of followers’ competencies and commitment, as these inform how the

leader can best interact and assist an individual. A person’s level of competency in a particular

situation dictates the level of responsibility a leader can give to them. Commitment reflects the

motivation of an individual. Essentially, situational leadership requires extensive knowledge of

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others, and this goes hand in hand with strategic mobilizing, as a leader must know the mission

and its demands, and how those around them can be utilized in the best way possible.

A leader who is a successful mobilizer understands that he or she must lean on others to

achieve the mission, as it is impossible to do it alone. Therefore, a leader cannot demand total

control. Rather, the leader puts together a strategy, which equips and prepares others, allowing

the leader to delegate responsibilities. This preparation, followed by delegation, is the process of

organizing, mobilizing, and empowering others to go out and fulfill their roles to bring about the

achievement of the mission or goal.

Interpretation of Knowledge

Prior to my enrollment into the MAiL program, the concept of mobilizing others made

sense, however, what it really meant and how to do it was unknown to me. If one was to ask me

before this program how a leader mobilizes others, my answer would have been along the lines

of making sure that everyone knows exactly what they need to do, and the leader tells them how

to do it. I would not have given much thought to the individual abilities and characteristics of

followers,. Therefore, I would have assumed that the more authoritative a leader was, the better

they “mobilized”.

What I learned early on, is that the authoritative tendencies of a leader do not equate to

mobilization, as there is far more that goes into the competency. Mobilizing requires knowledge

and understanding of people and resources. Specifically, mobilizing requires a leader to not fill

the role of a dictator, rather, to fulfill the role of support. Support for each person can look

significantly different, which is what the situational approach that I discussed above, is all about.

It puts the leader secondary, as he or she does not expect others to react to them, rather, he or she
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expects to react to others. Once a leader finds where an individual is at, the leader can begin to

strategize as to how that person can best contribute to the mission and goal.

With this new understanding, I have been able to look critically at leadership in various

areas. I have seen countless examples of leaders who believe they are doing a good job of

mobilizing; however, they are falling short of their mission. Based on the education I have

received in the program, I believe that the issue is with the leader, as they have put people in the

wrong roles. In some instances, it is the leader’s inability to understand individuals (their

competencies and commitment), while in other instances the leader holds tightly to control,

trying to do far more than is possible. The more burden leaders try and carry, the less likely that

the mission will be achieved.

On the other hand, I have been able to analyze leaders who are doing a good job of

mobilizing others. These leaders demonstrate a knowledge of the people around them, knowing

the roles that individuals will thrive in. These leaders disperse responsibility, trusting that others

are prepared to a point in which micromanagement is unnecessary.

Application of Knowledge

In my time since joining the MAiL program, I had the opportunity grow in my

understanding, as well as put my learning to the test. This past year, I entered my final season as

a basketball player here at Azusa Pacific. For the second straight year, I was named a team

captain. A team captain is voted on by teammates and coaches. As the season began, I had a few

weeks of leadership classes under my belt, and I was consciously thinking about what mobilizing

others would look like on my team.

What I realized was that I could bring organization and order to the team, by making

sure guys knew when and where we had to be, what we had to do, and how to do it. Since it was
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 5

my fifth year in the program, little surprised me or was unknown. I constantly approached

workouts, practices, games, traveling, team meetings, and all other elements of the program, with

an eye towards getting everyone organized and on the same page. This allowed others to get

comfortable in the program, and figure out what their roles were on the team. In a post-game

interview following our final game this past season, two of my teammates spoke about my

leadership, in that I constantly organized and kept the team moving forward (WOUWolves,

2018). To hear my teammates talk about my leadership in such a way meant a lot to me, because

they not only recognized what I did, but they saw it as one of the main reasons our team was

successful. As a leader, that is exactly what one wants to hear.

Another opportunity I had in developing my own ability to mobilize others, was during

my research methods class in the program. I had the privilege to work with four other classmates

who were tremendous students. The project we had was rather daunting, as we were seeking to

interview and survey an organization in order to obtain data for a final report (see Appendix A). I

took upon the role of organizing the group, as I sought out ways for us to best complete the

project, meet deadlines, divide responsibilities, and so on. Each of us took turns taking the lead,

giving us each an opportunity to work on our mobilization. What I discovered is that it is

impossible to take responsibility for everything, and therefore, I had to trust my classmates. At

the end of the semester, I was able to look back and see that I had grown as a mobilizer. My

professor commended my leadership efforts, commenting that I was a good leader with the group

(see Appendix B). This was just another instance in which I was able to take the concepts,

theories, and ideas from the program, and actually put them into practice.

Creation of New Knowledge

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 6

I am currently working in the Sports Information Department at Azusa Pacific. As of

right now, I am second in command in the office, as we have a Sports Information Director

whom I report to. However, my boss has given me the opportunity to take the lead on many

projects and responsibilities, and this serves as a great opportunity for me to build on the

knowledge and experience I have gained while in the MAiL program. I have been tasked with

looking over the student workers that are employed by the Sports Information office. Student

workers have a wide range of potential jobs, such as office work, athletics marketing, game day

operations and much more. With the concept of strategic mobilization in mind, I can set goals to

bring about growth and improvement in this area.

The goal I want to set is this: for the months of October and September, each home

athletic event will be fully staffed, with individuals that have received training in the role they

are assigned. This is crucial because without student workers, we are unable to run successful

home events. Mobilization of workers is crucial because there are times in which myself and the

boss are unable to meet all the demands and responsibilities, and therefore, we rely on the

abilities of our student workers to step up and meet certain challenges. Therefore, the training

component is the first step. This will be done by a weekly workshop on Mondays, in which I will

walk student workers through the various responsibilities on gamedays. This will help students

learn what they need to do, and how to do it. Then, I will make a list of the students and in what

areas they have been trained, so that I can assign them to roles that they are prepared for. From

there, I will go game by game and put students in positions in which they have been equipped

and prepared for, and delegating the responsibilities in that area.

The best way to measure this goal is to have post-game reports, in which the workers,

coaches and administrators give a brief recap of the game, by completing a brief survey
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 7

regarding the event. The survey will offer a 1-10 scale, in which respondents will give a score for

the event, which will then be used to evaluate whether or not I had mobilized people in the best

way possible, or if I need to get back to the drawing board. After a month, I will gather all of the

game recaps together, and evaluate whether or not I had made improvements from one game to

the next. This will not be an easy mission, but I believe that these goals are certainly attainable

and will serve as a valuable experience in the pursuit of improving my competency in this area.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 8

References

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

WOUWolves. (2018, March 11). Retrieved September 06, 2018, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuLNHRgcacQ
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 9

Appendix A

Running head: FINAL ACTION RESEARCH REPORT

Final Action Research Report

Eddie Aguayo, Corey Langerveld, Yuchen Qiao, Henry Sanchez, Sophia Hernandez

Azusa Pacific University

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 10

Table of Contents
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................................... 12
Final Action Research Report ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Introduction and Significance ..................................................................................................................... 13
Description and Analysis of the Setting ...................................................................................................... 14
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................ 15
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 15
Motivation & Influence, Literature Review ........................................................................................ 15
Motivation ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Transformational Leadership .............................................................................................................. 16
Leadership Behaviors.......................................................................................................................... 19
Motivational Theories ......................................................................................................................... 21
Faith and Ethics................................................................................................................................... 23
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 24
Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 25
Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................................. 26
Table 1. Initial Themes from Surveys and Interviews (Q1=question 1) ................................................. 27
Results ................................................................................................................................................. 29
Discipleship......................................................................................................................................... 30
Faith & Calling ................................................................................................................................... 30
Organization’s Leadership .................................................................................................................. 31
Ministry ............................................................................................................................................... 31
Relational Connection ......................................................................................................................... 32
Growth ................................................................................................................................................ 32
Personal Experience ............................................................................................................................ 33
Completion of Tasks ........................................................................................................................... 33
Leadership ........................................................................................................................................... 33
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................. 34
Interventions ............................................................................................................................................... 35
Research Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 36
References ................................................................................................................................................... 37
Appendix A .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 11

Survey Questions ....................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Appendix B .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Interview Questions ................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Appendix C .................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Coding Process........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Step 1 - Identified topics, organized into themes ................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Step 2 - Organized themes from most present to least present .............. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Step 3 - Direct quotes categorized by themes ........................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 12

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gain insight into employee motivation and its

relationship to leadership in a Christian organization. Through our literature review we found

there to be a lack of research pertaining to this topic. With employee motivation being such a

foundational topic on the study leadership, it was our aim to gain further insight and make

connections to existing conceptual frameworks. We began our research with a literature review

that helped us to narrow our focus on the various frameworks relating to employee motivation

and Christian leadership. We then proceeded to collect data using surveys and interviews from

individuals of a well know Christian organization. After reviewing and coding our data, we

found nine themes to be present relating to motivation and or leadership. In conclusion, we found

that discipleship, faith and calling, organizational leadership, and ministry are the most

significant elements of employee motivation.

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 13

Introduction and Significance

As students in the MAiL program at Azusa Pacific University, we have had the

opportunity to discover the value of leadership in both theory and practice. Drawing upon

coursework, personal experience and Christian principles, we have learned how to identify

effective leadership and the impact it has on both the organization and individuals. For this

study, we have decided to focus on employee motivation in a faith-based organization.

Specifically, we would like to gain further insight on the relationship between Christian

leadership and employee motivation. We have chosen this topic because we found there to be a

lack of definitive research within this field of study and our review of existing literature has

allowed us to shape our research proposal accordingly. As students in the MAiL program at

Azusa Pacific University, the study of motivation has proven to be a foundational topic when

identifying effective leadership; therefore, we believe this study on employee motivation to be

significant for leadership development.

For this study we will conduct research on the leadership behaviors and practices of a

non-profit Christian organization through interviews and surveys regarding employee

motivation. Through personal connections, we have gained access to employees in a well-known

organization with a rich leadership history across many countries. This study is significant

because our findings will provide insight into employee motivation we can connect with existing

theoretical frameworks for further insight. We will also share our findings with the organization

participating in this study with the hope it will benefit their leadership behaviors and practices. In

addition to these reasons listed above, we believe this study will make way for additional

research in the comparison of employee motivation in Christian vs. secular organizations. In

making comparisons between the two, researchers will be able to identify which aspects of

motivation are exclusive to Christian organizations and which are not.

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Description and Analysis of the Setting

This study aims to explore how employees are motivated within a non-profit Christian

organization. Our selected organization is a non-profit Christian organization passionate about

helping students come to know Jesus, grow in their faith, and then go to their families,

communities and all over the world to share God's love. This Christian organization was founded

in 1951, and has expanded its focus from primarily youth to include adult professionals, athletes,

and high school students. In 2011, this organization had over 20,000 missionaries in about 200

countries, and holds active communities on many academic campuses. Since our target Christian

organization is distributed over the world, this study will focus on one ministry of the

organization as the sample ministry to discover employee motivation. This ministry has around

20 employees on the West coast, and employees work with athletes and coaches who are

preparing to use the platform of sport to help people around the world with questions of faith.

As a non-profit Christian organization, it successfully expanded worldwide and has had

many employees work for the organization for many years. The salary is similar with other non-

profit organizations, which presents a somewhat uncompetitive and unattractive atmosphere for

employee hiring. However, this organization boasts a great employee retention rate. Employees

work for the organizations for many years, and have strong motivation for what they do

according to our data collection. Also, employees have a significant contribution and high

outcomes to the organization seen through varying campus activities where employees

successfully influenced students in developing a relationship with Christ and become new

believers. This strong motivation and high outcomes in this organization demonstrate employees

have other factors to motivating them than purely monetary. Non-monetary factors such as

leadership styles, leadership behaviors, and intrinsic motivators usually play a more critical role

in non-profit and faith-based organizations. In our study, we will uncover the premise of
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 15

employee motivation and gain an in-depth understanding of employee motivation in this non-

profit Christian organization.

Literature Review
Introduction
Motivation & Influence, Literature Review
In order to build a strong foundation of conceptual frameworks relating to leadership and

employee motivation, we have decided to conduct a literature review covering a wide scope of

secular and faith-based organizations spanning multiple industries. Our accumulation of

literature suggests leadership is a major factor in determining the success or failure of an

organization due to its impact on employees. We also found there are distinctions to be made

between Christian and secular leadership. In our initial research, we have decided to focus on the

varying factors of employee motivation with hopes of making connections to indicators of

leadership effectiveness. Throughout our review, we will cover conceptual frameworks

pertaining to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, influence, transformational leadership, leadership

behavior, faith, and stewardship.

Motivation
To explore how employees are motivated, we need to first understand what motivation is.

Motivation can be broadly defined as what moves people to act, or the processes that causes

these behaviors. Employees are motivated by many factors which can be defined as intrinsic

motivation and extrinsic motivation. Studies have shown that through effective leadership,

employees can be motivated in various ways using intrinsic or extrinsic methods. External

motivation is comprised of external factors such as, compensation, fear, and peer evaluations that

ultimately influence effort, and behavior. Intrinsic motivation suggests individuals are internally

drawn to tasks, and are satisfied by completion of the work and goal in and of itself (Rockmann

& Ballinger, 2017).

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 16

According to the research in a faith-based non-profit organization, researchers indicate

that the majority of nonprofit organizations pursue a social mission; people seek to accomplish

deep-rooted meaningful values that relate with the organization’s activities. Moreover, the

extrinsic motivation in non-profit faith-based organization focused more on work consequences,

such as in the form of verbal rewards, performance rewards, satisfaction, and impact (Bassous,

M., 2015). This shows leaders and organizations play important roles in employee motivation.

Research also suggests leadership behaviors can increase levels of intrinsic motivation amongst

their followers. For example, a study on employee creativity in the workplace showed intrinsic

motivation was the top predictor of employee creativity (Jaskyte, 2006). This study is a prime

example of the influence leadership can have by challenging and empowering employees to be

creative in their work. The self-determination theory also shows that leaders can motivate

employees by having awareness of both intrinsic and external motivating factors (Elqadri,

Priyono, Suci, & Chandra, 2015). In doing so, the self-determination theory claims that

leadership behavior is most effective when considering followers intrinsic and extrinsic

motivational factors.

Transformational Leadership
One of the most influential frameworks we discovered regarding employee motivation

during our research was transformational leadership. According to Avolio, (2004),

transformational leaders enhance employee motivation, improve organizational effectiveness and

performance, and also increase employees’ proficiency. Transformational leaders not only

identify needs of employees and the organization, but also seek to satisfy higher needs of

employees and create incentives to motivate. The main component of the transformational

leadership style is the leader’s ability to motivate employees to accomplish more than what the

follower planned to accomplish (Elqadri, Priyono, Suci, & Chandra, 2015).

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 17

Transformational leaders motivate and transform employees by communicating a detailed

vision and specific goals, which encourage employees to move beyond their own interests for the

sake of the organization (Webb, K., 2007). In that way, employees will feel satisfied about their

higher accomplishment and their increased intrinsic motivation. Moreover, according to Webb

(2007), inspirational motivation and idealized influence are also important components of

transformational leadership. Simply put, inspirational motivation expresses an appealing vision

for the future, demonstrating optimism, and speaking with enthusiasm and encouragement

regarding things that need to be done. Through effective transformational leadership, employees

are motivated by inspirational motivation, which causes employees to have increased admiration,

respect, trust, and appreciation toward transformational leaders and are motivated to provide

extra effort. Transformational leaders are able to enhance employees’ intrinsic motivation to

work because the leader is able to motivate workers to higher levels of personal expectation and

individual commitment (Webb, K., 2007).

Taking a closer look at transformational leadership, according to Avolio, Waldman, &

Einstein (1988) and Bass (1990), transformational leadership initially was understood as a sort of

charismatic leadership in which intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration served

at the forefront of empowering and developing employees. Additional research clarified the

components of transformational leadership to be: inspirational motivation and idealized influence

(Barbuto, 1977: Hunt, 1999). What is then, the facilitating factor that transformational leadership

provides in order to encourage employee development and empowerment? Guzman (2008)

found that providing followers with more opportunities for autonomous decision making and

self-determination lead to higher commitment levels within a given organization, thus effectively

leading to more engaged behaviors, individual initiative and individual personal development.
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This demonstrated knowledge sharing, a desirable psychological behavior in which the employee

becomes a part of the larger ‘whole’, encouraged by the leader through individualized

consideration and support, psychologically and tangibly.

This also includes implementing active idea facilitation which encourages employees to

perform in whichever way they best see fit, essentially providing them the autonomy necessary

in order to increase individual empowerment. Transformational leadership is not only the root

cause of increased employee performance, as Elgelala and Noermijatib (2015) found, but is also

done through increasing motivation through appropriate salaries and benefits of the employee.

They found the dominant indicator measuring transformational leadership to be intellectual

stimulation encouraging employee development and empowerment, which transformational

leaders provide through differing encouragement actions. Here, leaders must be able to facilitate

employee work completion in varying manners as well as providing rewards, providing a

positive and measurable impact on employee performance. Elgelala and Noermijatib (2015)

determined within their research that transformational leadership significantly impacts employee

performance, motivation and job satisfaction, thus encouraging employee development and

motivation.

Throughout our study of both Christian and transformational leadership, we have been able

to identify many similarities between the two conceptual frameworks. Rooted in biblical

principles, Christian leadership places an importance on the empowerment and development of

followers, as does transformational leadership. We also find many examples of transformational

leadership demonstrated in the life and teachings of Jesus. Even though transformational

leadership theory can be viewed as a secular leadership behavior, we will continue to use this

framework to draw comparisons within the business realm.

STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 19

Leadership Behaviors
A common theme across existing literature regarding the motivation and influence of

employees by organizations and their leadership is the actual behavior of the leadership. The

literature spans across many different viewpoints, studies, and investigations of these behaviors

and their relationship to the motivation of the employees. Some of the most important research

that has been done has suggested there is indeed a significant relationship between leadership

behaviors and the employees’ motivation.

In a study by Mikkelson, York, & Arritola (2015), the communication competence and

behaviors of supervisors in various organizational settings were observed. These behaviors were

assessed as either effectively or ineffectively influencing their employees in various ways. In this

study, it was found that effective communication (which was defined by the employees

surveyed), was positively related to employees’ job satisfaction, motivation, and commitment.

The study also found that particular leadership styles, such as task-oriented leadership, as well as

relational-oriented leadership, were positively related to employees’ job satisfaction, motivation

and commitment. In a similar study by Elqadri, Priyono, Suci & Chandra (2015), it was found

that leadership style and motivation were strongly correlated with employee performance. This

study looked at a sales department staff, and used documentation and questionnaires to collect

data, which ultimately led to the finding that leadership behaviors (styles and motivational

practices), do in fact, have a positive impact on their employees. What both of these studies seem

to have found was that to some extent, the behaviors of leadership do impact the motivation of

employees. While these studies are not the end-all, be-all, they do call for further investigation

into determining just how strong the relationship between leadership behaviors and employees’

motivation is.
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In addition to previous literature’s concern with the relationship between leadership

behaviors and motivation, there is also a substantial amount pertaining to what exactly are the

leadership behaviors within organizations. Since the purpose of this study is to delve into a non-

profit Christian organization, it was important the literature gathered and reviewed took into

account the behaviors of leadership in Christian organizations. Before looking into Christian

organizations specifically, there is valuable information from literature pertaining to

organizations in general.

Lazaroiu (2015) summed up the basic pursuits and behaviors of workplace leaders.

Lazaroiu (2015) believes organizational leadership’s purpose is to guide employees to meet the

ever changing performance and production standards required by management/ownership.

Therefore, in the standard business setting, the leadership behaviors of management must

promote and serve the purpose. There is a wide variety of how management can behave, with

countless research studies citing multiple leadership theories as being either effective or

ineffective. One of the most common behaviors by organizational leadership, according to Bono

& Judge (2004), is transactional leadership. Transactional leadership is “aimed at monitoring and

controlling employees through rational and economic means,” (Bono & Judge, 2004, p. 902).

Essentially, this kind of leadership is an exchange of needs, as an organization needs production

and the employee needs compensation. Therefore, when an employee produces, the transactional

theory calls for them to be compensated. While this is characteristic of many organizations, there

is also literature pertaining to the leadership behaviors of Christian leaders and organizations

specifically.

Lawrence (1987) looked at the ways in which Christian leaders are distinctive from other

leaders. The essence of Lawrence’s argument is that Christian leadership is dependent

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completely on God. A leader must be fully submitted to God, understanding they are a follower

of Him first, who then empowers and allows certain people to lead and hence be leaders. From

this understanding, Lawrence (1987) believes leaders will behave in a way that is honoring and

pleasing to God. Essentially, Lawrence’s ideal leader is a servant leader. The theory of servant-

leadership is one in which it flips the usual hierarchy of leadership, in that it places the followers

first, and then the leader.

Lee (2015) expanded further on Christian leadership, particularly its role in the business

world. In this article, Lee (2015) also identified a Christian leader is distinctively different, as

Christian leadership is, “a partnership with God, who is the center of our being,” (p. 6). Both of

these articles describe the behavior of a Christian leader should be inspired by God and honoring

Him, as their concern is not solely of worldly profit. However, Lee (2015) distinguishes that a

Christian leader does not dismiss business excellence, including profits, growth, or advancement.

Instead, excellence should be pursued as it serves as an opportunity for Christians to glorify God

in thriving with the positions and skills He has blessed leaders with. Essentially, differences in

leadership behaviors boil down to the why of the behavior. What is the driving force behind a

leader’s approach and practices, and why do they seek to motivate and influence employees?

According to Lawrence (1987) and Lee (2015), the why of a Christian leader is to serve God and

help others reach their God-given potential, while non-Christian organizations lead to increase

profit and production. An important framework that can help bring clarification and potential

answers to these questions is transformational leadership.

Motivational Theories
With the emphasis of the study being on employee motivation, previous literature

pertaining to motivational theories gives extensive insight and provides a foundation for this

study. More so, with the specified interest of this research being nonprofit Christian
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organizations, Bassous (2014) conducted a study on motivational factors in faith-based,

nonprofit organizations, and defined the specific theories applicable to the current research.

Bassous (2014) identified that the nature and realities of nonprofit organizations lead to

nonmonetary and intrinsic motivations of employees. To get a better understanding of the

organizations, Bassous (2014) highlighted motivational theories such as McGregor’s

management approach and Donaldson and Davis’ stewardship theory. McGregor’s theory is

made up of two distinct theories, Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that employees are

lazy and lack initiative, as they seek to receive external rewards, while Theory Y believes

workers to be capable of doing good work, and want to do their work for intrinsic desires and

motivation (Bassous, 2014).

In addition to McGregor’s theory, Bassous (2014) identified Donaldson & Davis’

stewardship theory. The central idea behind this theory is that employees are pro-organization

and want to contribute to the organization’s vision (Donaldson & Davis, 1991). Employees are

not seeking the standard system of rewards; rather they seek to satisfy intrinsic needs such as

growth, achievement, affiliation and self-actualization (Bassous, 2014). Many of these intrinsic

needs are tied to being a part of something bigger than one’s self, and in non-profit, faith-based

organizations, there is not the standard monetary motivations or corporate ladder that lead to a

more individualized culture.

Both of these theories, according to Bassous (2014), highlight the motivations of those

within non-profit, faith-based organizations. Each of these theories places the emphasis on

intrinsic motivation factors, as well as the belief that employees want to contribute to an

organization’s mission and vision. These frameworks were confirmed in Bassous’ (2014) study,

and therefore, these theories will inform our own study.

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Faith and Ethics

In researching Ethics and Faith, the definition for ethics in the workplace according to

Osibanjo, Akinbode, & Oludayo, (2015) notes, “ethics is derived from the Greek word "ethos"

which means character or custom”(p.109). Implementing business standard of values, conduct,

and character for employees to abide by and also sets the rule of what makes employee behavior

right or wrong in an organization. In addition, a strong ethical standard enhances the ability of

how employees perform in their business and organizational settings. In regards to ethics and

performance according to Osibanjo, Akinbode, & Oludayo, (2015), “when it is strong, it

promotes an excellent performance of the job, but if otherwise, there will be poor performance

result either in the short or long run” (p.111). Employees with strong ethics in the workplace are

motivated to do their job and produce at a higher level because of their ethical standard.

In observing how Ethics and Faith influences employee motivation in a non-profit

organization or faith based organization, there are benefits to establish Christian values in the

workplace. According to Beckwith (2016), “such benefits are fairness, equity, social

responsibility and the idea that work is good. Faith should call Christian leaders to do all they

can to build community within and outside their organizations and to empower employees with

honorable work” (p. 18). Christian business ethics has a positive impact on employees to

empower and motivate employees to perform in their place of employment which is honorable

and established on Christian values. In regard to Christian Ethics, Rossouw (1994) states,

“Christian ethics is not in the first place a morality, but a response that follows on seeing the

reality through faith, It is a consequence of seeing through believing the meaning of life” (p.

562). As Christian employees live out an ethical standard and develop a Christian worldview

which is connected to their faith, it motivates them to have a responsibility to care for

community, the world, and living out their faith in Jesus Christ.
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In addition, in a faith based non-profit organization an employee’s motivation is connected

with their faith. According to Bassous, M. (2015) states “Faith-based intrinsic motivation stems

from the worker’s faith—how a worker is trying to live according to his or her beliefs such

individuals would apply their faith to everyday living” (p. 364). In addition employees live out

their faith in the workplace which is a motivator in setting the ethical standard that aligns with

their faith. Ghazzawi, Issam A; Smith, Yvonne; Cao, Yingxia (2016) state, “Ethics Model

postulates that personal religious commitment influences an individual’s perceptions of

situations, alternatives, and consequences of business decision making. Tests of the model

suggest that personal religiousness does influence an individual’s ethical decision-making

behavior” (p.4). As employees work in a non-profit or business organization their ethical

standard is influenced strongly by their faith in making decisions, serving others, and living a

God honoring life style in a workplace or organization.

Conclusion
In closing, our literature review has been very informative on the study of leadership

effectiveness and its impact on employee motivation. We have developed a better understanding

of the conceptual frameworks and have also gained insight and inspiration for further research.

Upon conducting this literature review, we have also concluded that there is a need for further

insight into how employees are motivated. We found sources that conducted comparative

research on organizations within the same industry, doing so would help us further identify and

define Christian leadership and employee motivation in the business realm. Looking ahead to our

research design, our sample will consist of participants from a non-profit faith based

organization. We will begin by using existing data sets and evaluating the data that are available

to us. This will allow us to decide how to collect further information through surveys and

interviews. Once we have collected a significant amount of data, we will classify our data and
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arrange it into patterns and networks. Given the design of or study, we will also need to identify

concept and role ordered displays within our data collection and evaluation.

Methods
To answer our research question, we selected a non-profit, Christian organization. The

sample consisted of employees at the regional level of the organization. There were two regions

that were represented in this study. There were six respondents from the Southern California

region, and two respondents from the Northwest region. The sample was selected at a conference

in which request of participation forms were passed out and signed by those interested in

participating. There were 15 respondents that stated they would be willing to participate.

However, only eight people responded to either the survey or the interview, even after multiple

requests and reminders were sent. This research contained primary and secondary data, including

a review of existing literature pertaining to motivation and influence, leadership in Christian

organizations, which includes the various leadership styles framework (Zareen, M., Razzaq, K.,

& Mujtaba, B., 2015), motivational theories, and ethics. The review of existing literature gave us

a better understanding of potential components of our study pertaining to motivation. The

existing literature gave us a guide as we designed interview and survey questions to collect

primary data on the organization.

Our design was primarily a qualitative study, which makes it difficult to identify and define

specific independent and dependent variables in our study. However, there were some variables

found in previous studies that are applicable to our own study. Within Deschamps, Rinfret, Lagace,

& Prive (2016), there was an investigation of various leadership styles and how it affected the

followers (or employees). In this particular study (Deschamps et al., 2016), the independent

variable was that the leaders would either act in a way characteristic of a transformational leader,

or a leader would act in a way not reflective of transformational leadership. The dependent variable
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 26

was the productivity of the employees, in that the study wanted to see the effect certain leadership

behaviors had on employees. In Elqadri, Priyono, Suci, & Chandra (2015), the independent

variable was various different leadership styles and incentives, with the dependent variable being

the “performance of employees.” Bassous (2014), identified variables pertaining to motivation in

non-profit, faith-based organizations. The independent variables were non-monetary and monetary

incentives, leadership, and organizational culture, while the dependent variable was the

motivational levels of employees. These studies help us identify some variables we can observe

while conducting a qualitative study.

To collect data, we relied on open-ended surveys questions administered to employees.

These surveys contained five questions, with each pertaining to the topic of motivation. The

employees’ responses were then categorized and grouped together to articulate the ways in

which employees were experiencing motivation. We also used personal interviews (either over

the phone or via google forms) in an open format, allowing those within the organization to

freely discuss their thoughts and experiences. Once we received responses to the surveys, we

analyzed the data we obtained, and begun to formulate questions that would elaborate on the data

collected from the surveys. Once we finalized our questions, we conducted the interviews. The

final interview protocol included eight questions, five being the original from the survey, with

three new questions. The interviews were done with organizational employees at the regional

level, as this allowed for us to see the experiences and perceptions of employees in relation to

motivation.

Data Analysis
Eight respondents participated in our multiple data collection methods. Two people

responded to our initial survey, while six responded to an interview. All of the data was in

textual form, which allowed the group to utilize the Taylor-Powell & Renner procedure of
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coding. First, responses to all eight questions, from both surveys and interviews, were made

visible to the group. Each response to the eight questions were then read, and re-read, in order to

gain familiarity with the data. The next step was creating an orderly document in which to code.

Due to the significance and intention of each question, the questions were divided and broken

down individually in the coding process. For example, we started with question #1, “How would

you define motivation in your work?” Each participant’s response to that question was then

copied and pasted into the same document, in the order in which they were submitted. This was

repeated for each question, with participants’ complete responses to the specified question.

Once the document with each question and all responses was put together, we went through

each response noting the topics. On the document, a comment was added to a line, or collection

of lines, signaling the perceived topic. For example, for question #1, there was a consistent topic

of purpose and living out one’s calling. Once the process of finding themes was complete for all

the responses, a list of all the topics found was created. Please refer to Table 1 on the following

page, which contains all the topics from each question:

Table 1. Initial Themes from Surveys and Interviews (Q1=question 1)

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8
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STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 29

Once this table was completed, topics were categorized according to similar themes, by

using various colors, across all questions. Once similar topics were clustered together, an overall

theme was found in each grouping. The themes that resulted were discipleship, faith and calling,

organization’s leadership, ministering, personal connection, personal growth, personal

experience, task & goals completion, purpose, and the act of leadership. Next, a table was

created in which each of the themes were on the left column, while the topics, or sub-themes,

pertaining to each main theme were placed in the right column. From there, another table was

created in which the nine main themes were listed. With the document in hand, we went back

through the responses, and placed each line under the theme in which its topic pertained to.

Following this, there was deliberate investigation into each theme, looking back at the raw

textual data and seeing the similarities and differences between participants’ responses to the

questions.

Results
The extensive and deliberate process above allowed the group to obtain an understanding of

what the complex textual data was showing. From the textual data, there were nine themes that

emerged as elements that contributed to the employees’ perception and experience of motivation.

While some themes were present more often than others in the data, every theme provided the

group with valuable insight in the topic of employees’ motivation in their work. This section will

be divided into the nine different themes that were found in the data.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 30

Discipleship
The theme of discipleship came up in responses to four different questions from the survey

and interview. Discipleship, according to the responses collected, is the practice of meeting with

people and helping them grow in their spiritual life. When respondents were discussing

discipleship, they often stated that it is a common part of their job as they lead those they meet

with through various books of the Bible and provide tools to strengthen their relationship with

God, while also teaching them how to live their life. Phrases and words used by respondents in

relation to discipleship were “people’s transformation,” “other’s growth in their faith,” and

“personal growth of others.” The constant theme of discipleship highlighted these employees

were constantly practicing discipleship, and it was something they looked forward to and was

motivating for them in terms of doing their job.

Faith & Calling

Another theme that emerged from the responses was participants’ discussion of their

individual faith and calling. Due to the fact that the organization studied is a non-profit, faith-

based ministry, it is important that employees are people of faith. The data showed this is the

case, at least among those that were a part of this particular research project. For the respondents,

a key element to their motivation was the fact they had a personal relationship with God and He

had guided them to this particular organization and work. The guidance from God is their

calling, in that they feel their job is what they are supposed to be doing with their life. Because of

their belief, they were motivated to follow their calling and do what God desired. One

respondent identified their faith as the foundation for all of his work. Others spoke to their faith

in that it gave them peace. Their peace comes from their belief in the sovereignty of God, and at

the end of the day all is subject to His will. This is motivating for employees in that they are

doing meaningful work and at the end of the day, God will use it how He desires.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 31

Organization’s Leadership
All but one of the respondents identified their organization’s leadership as being central

to their motivation. Specifically, multiple respondents identified their leaders’ abilities to care for

individuals beyond just the performance aspect of the job. Whether they were having financial

troubles, discouragement, family emergencies, or other stressors, many respondents felt

leadership would help in any way they could. Because of their personal needs being taken care

of, they were more motivated to do their job for the organization. Also, some respondents

identified their leaders’ ability to discuss their own shortcomings and failures. Through this

vulnerability, employees felt motivated by learning from the lessons of their own leaders’

experiences, and implementing this knowledge into their work. Finally, employees were

motivated by the resources that the organization’s leadership provided to employees. For

example, at the organization’s bi-yearly conference, respected public-speakers are brought to the

conference and they share information with the employees. These kinds of resources show that

the organization is investing in the employees’ development, and this is another motivator for

employees.

Ministry
The organization itself is a ministry, and therefore, it made sense a theme in the data

pertained to the action of doing ministry. Ministry, as defined by respondents, is the practice of

sharing the gospel with those not of faith, and meeting the needs of others through service.

Something that stuck out to the group was how many of the respondents talked about ministerial

work with the same kind of language and described similar experiences and situations that they

find themselves in. For some of the respondents, they found time spent sharing the gospel and

caring for others as the most satisfying part of their work. Since the purpose of the organization
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 32

is to spread the gospel and care for others, this is an important finding, in that it identifies that to

some extent, that purpose is being achieved.

Relational Connection
Another theme present in the data was the relational aspect some respondents identified

as being a source of motivation. For these employees, they enjoyed building relationships with

others, whether it is those they were ministering to, fellow employees, or their leadership. The

nature of their work requires them to interact with others, and this can result in lifelong

friendships and unique relationships. For one particular participant, he identified a motivating

factor for him was that his job has forced him to step outside of his comfort zone. For most of his

life, he had considered himself to be an introvert. However, as he continued in his job, he has

found an ability to be far more social than he ever thought he would, and he has come to enjoy

the relationships that have resulted. This is a similar experience for others, in that there is

potential for them to meet new people.

Growth
While respondents identified it differently, growth was another theme that emerged from

the data. For some, growth meant gaining an ability to minister more effectively, for others; they

experienced more of a personal growth. Despite the differences in how employees identified

growth, their experiences were motivating. This motivation was due to the belief that their work

was stimulating positive changes, either from a personal standpoint, or an increase in their skills

and abilities to better perform in their job. For example, one respondent identified that through

her time working for the organization, she had grown in her emotional intelligence. Her

perception of this growth served as a source of encouragement for her, and she was driven to

continue growing in this way. Another employee experienced growth in his ability to share the

gospel with others. Previous to working with the organization, he was unsure as to how he
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 33

should share his faith. However, once he joined the organization, he learned from training

sessions and observed other employees, which helped him become able and comfortable sharing

his faith and spreading the gospel. While these two examples identify two distinct types of

growth, they both had the same effect on the respondents, in that they could point to tangible

evidence of growth, and their desire to grow more motivates them in their organization and

work.

Personal Experience
Multiple respondents, when asked how they first became acquainted with their

organization, responded that they were ministered to by employees of the organization at one

point. As a result of being ministered to, these respondents stated that it led them into a passion

and desire to join the organization, resulting in them making it a full-time job. They are

motivated by the chance to reach out and help those who are in the same position that they once

were, and due to the transformation in their own lives, they want others to experience the same

thing. The organization could turn this into a strength, if they are able to bring in employees who

have a personal history with the organization.

Completion of Tasks
While there was only a small amount of data pertaining to the theme of task completion, it

was still present. Two respondents talked about their ability to check off daily tasks as a source

of motivation. Either by creating a to-do list, or having a plan for the day, these respondents

measure a successful day at work by their ability to accomplish tasks. It allows for them to have

tangible goals that allow for them to measure their productivity.

Leadership
One respondent identified opportunities in which they are able to lead as a significant

source of motivation in their job. These opportunities include caring for employees on a personal

level, and seeking out resources for the organization to improve and succeed. This particular
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 34

respondent talked about how his abilities and position to carry out actions of leadership serve as

a key motivator in his work, in that it his responsibility to not take for granted his position, and

do what is necessary to meet the needs of employees and the organization.

Conclusions
While we did not collect the full amount of data desired, the limited number of responses did

provide valuable insight pertaining to the research question of how employees experience

motivation in this particular organization. First, it is clear one of the key motivating factors for

our participants in their work is their own relationship with God. From this faith, there is a

foundation in that they are doing the work because they each feel called by God. This correlates

with the theme of purpose some participants talked about, as it gives them the drive and

determination to do their work. The work consists of discipleship, ministering and meeting with

others, and the purpose and calling pushes them to do it.

For the participants, a huge element of their motivation is that they not only know the vision

of their organization, but they also share in it. There is a future in which they are all working for,

and this future excites them. Also, the organization’s leadership seems to play a significant role

in the participant’s motivation. Nearly all participants identified leadership as a motivating

factor, as leadership cared for the individual beyond just work. This care was observed and felt

by employees through consistent communication, as well as the countless resources that

leadership provides the employees. Having leaders that took a genuine interest in their

employees, as well as shared their own shortcomings and struggles, motivated employees to

continue to work for the organization, as well as being accept struggle or failure, using these

situations as opportunities to improve moving forward. The results of this study serve as further

evidence to previous research done on non-profit, faith-based organizations. Bassous (2014)

found while both extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation factors play a major role for
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 35

employees, the extrinsic factors mainly consisted of verbal rewards, satisfaction and impact. The

intrinsic motivational factors were a social mission, and the desire to accomplish deep-rooted

meaningful objectives that fall in line with the organization’s purpose and vision. Each of these

factors was present, to some extent, in the data from participants in this study. Therefore, there is

strong evidence of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations that are experienced by employees of

non-profit, faith-based organizations.

Interventions
While this study is far too small to bring extensive ideas of change, the data did highlight an

area in which the organization can certainly continue to do well. It was clear most participants

were greatly motivated by the organization’s leadership. Therefore, it is important that leadership

continues to do what they are doing, and make conscious and directed efforts to be in tune with

their employees. This can be accomplished by continuing to invest in the lives of employees,

beyond just their performance. Currently, data shows employees feel their leadership is

connecting with them in different ways, and this is resulting in positive perceptions of leadership.

This is crucial because research shows that non-profit, faith-based organizations must have

employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision. Leadership can ensure this by

constantly connecting, guiding, and assisting employees as needed. Additionally, the

organization’s leadership should continue to place an emphasis on recruiting new employees and

seeking out those who have the same vision and passion as the organization. Many current

employees were once a part of the group in which the ministry was seeking to reach, and this

should continue to be the group in which the organization places an emphasis in when recruiting

new employees.

In terms of the organization’s willingness to implement these changes, it seems that they

would be open to them. In a few conversations with members of the organization, they talked
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about how their leadership is constantly seeking feedback, suggestions and ideas, and more often

than not, they implement new procedures, systems and operations based off of the feedback.

Since this study was done with employees of the organization, leadership would be interested in

the results. However, there is hesitancy to offer any real interventions due to the small sample of

data that was obtained. In order to propose significant interventions, a study with a much great

number of participants needs to be conducted.

Research Recommendations
There are a few research recommendations that stem from this study. First of all, it is

recommended a greater number of participants be studied. As mentioned, a small number of

participants greatly limited the legitimacy of the study, as the ability to make inferences on the

larger population is not possible when looking at such a small portion. Another recommendation

would be to study the potential ways in which motivation can be seen or observed. Currently,

motivation is mainly limited to one’s perspective, and it can be difficult to measure motivation.

However, if there were tangible ways in which motivation can actually be observed, it would

allow the conversation of motivational impact in various organizations to be understood even

further. For example, perhaps future research could look at the relationship between motivation

and productivity. Perhaps increased productivity would suggest higher levels of motivation

within an employee. If future research could offer a clearer explanation or description of

motivation, through providing a measurement of some sort, this could greatly assist

organizations in providing them with more information pertaining to the motivation of their

employees.
STRATEGIC MOBILIZER 37

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Appendix B
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