BUS 5202 - Faith & Co: Serving Employees

Course Description

Building upon the SPU produced film series, “Faith & Co: Serving Employees”, this continuing education course re-imagines (through the lens of Christian theology) how business ought to engage with employees. The course makes extensive use of evocative short story films, interviews with executives and subject matter experts. Students will be inspired to challenge (and rethink) some of the taken-for-granted assumptions about human nature that are built into our normal business practices. They will be challenged to “deconstruct” current management models and bring a theologically-informed mindset to the practice of managing people. This course encourages participants to live into the redemptive reality revealed in scripture.  It will highlight stories of practitioners who are implementing biblical truth in their companies.  Faith & Co films highlight practitioners who have thought deeply about some of these issues and wrestled with the practicalities of actually putting them into practice. 

Course Outline

Session 1: In Business for People: The Reality of Brokenness and Redemption...in business

Session 2: Finding and Hiring People: the Image of God (Imago Dei), Barriers to Employment, Living Wage and Systemic Brokenness

Session 3: Retaining and Motivating People: Whole People, Motivation & Compensation, Meaningful Work

Session 4:  Developing People: Coaching; Formation

Session 5: Designing Jobs Around People: Job-Design; participation, automation & transparency; role of corporate chaplains 

Session 6:  Crafting a Community of People: Creating culture; blue-collar work; obedience

Session 7:  Letting Go of People: Servant-Leadership; enacting values; humility & Sacrifice

Session 8:  Existing for People: Work/Life balance; employee-ownership; Course Wrap-up

Learner Outcomes

This course will:

• Encourage and equip students to make meaningful and practical connections between faith and the practice of business.
• Explore Christian theological ideas for business and its implications for employee practices.
• Provide practical examples of how faith-based values can be expressed in business.
• Develop the integration and synthesis of business experience and theological concepts
• Provide opportunities for self-reflection, discussion and the development of practical action plans.

Notes

WEEKLY FORMAT AND CONTENT:

1. Each week’s module will “unlock” on Monday morning at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time in the order listed the Schedule (see below).  You must sign on to Canvas and click “Modules” on the left column to access the modules. 

2. Students should complete the assignments for each week’s module by the following Sunday evening at midnight Pacific Standard Time.  Each module should take 60-90 minutes to view/read the content. (This does not count time for additional reading and/or writing assignments.) Students taking the course for-credit are responsible for all Additional Resources and have specific assignments to complete.

3. Each weekly module will include the following resources:

• Instructor Notes—Indicating the order of engagement, questions to discuss, and assignments.

• Films
  • “Stories” (8-10 minutes in length)
  • “Expert Reflections” by business leaders and subject matter experts (1-3 minutes in length)
• Reading
  • 1-2 short articles or chapters
• Interaction/ Community Discussion
  • 2-3 discussion questions in a forum format
• Writing/Journaling
  • A reflection on how one’s own beliefs can/should shape one’s employee practices.