{{2014_01_22_t1.jpg}} {{2014_01_22_t2.jpg}} {{2014_01_22_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2014_01_22|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_vi|| Topics Collection vi ]] ======Efficient and Good Management? ...====== Wednesday, Jan 22, 2014. A lot of things which cause troube these days come from an inefficient management. It seems on a layer below the content level. And it is. But management is nevertheless very important. {{2014_01_22.jpg }} **Struggle with Management ...** There can be struggle with management where ever we work - in a company, in a research institute, in a University, at home. Management means: what do we do when? When do we work? When do we pause? Who does what and when? It includes the question of quality of what we do; how thorough are we, what level of quality do we need and do we want? I am part of a scientific institution in the Government. This year, we do not have a budget for travel, since the Grand Coalition in Germany reopened budget negotiations. So no travel for half a year for scientists (in the main conference season) - that is really a stupid idea and throws us back for a year with quite some part of our work. It is a question of how we manage our central government budget, and the scientists are not the main focus of the government. But we are strongly affected by the decisions made centrally. And in the end the whole organization looses here. So good management is important! But similar things happen everywhere. In our University in the United Kingdom we have other problems: a budget freeze here or there, due to unwanted effects where last years spending was delayed into this years spending. Management matters, since this now influences what conferences we can organize and what progress we make scientifically. {{ 2014_01_22_2.jpg}} **The spiritual dimension of management ...** > There is a spiritual dimension of management. When we meet for worship or for bible study groups, we need the rooms, the light, the heating. If those of us who take care of it are frustrated, this will cause problems. If we do not have an efficient management fitting our needs, we are in trouble. I have seen people being frustrated, taking sabbaticals and leaving responsible positions just because the overall setup of the organizational component of a church did not work properly. Even in the early New Testament, the role of deacons was introduced since the elders were struggling with organizational issues! We should realize that management is an important part of our spiritual life. It needs to be taken care of. We might distribute the responsibilities, but we cannot neglect them or ignore them! We need to resolve the issues and make real progress - in our churches, but also in our government, our companies and our research institutes! (Roland Potthast) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_vi|... more texts]]