Assignment:
A. As one of the three major Western religious traditions, Christianity draws upon the historical and Biblical traditions of Judaism as revealed in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Thus, common ground can be identified between the two religious traditions, yet, significant differences exist between both.
1) Ethical principles are core elements of many religious traditions. What similarities can you detect between the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17; - Fisher, p. 271) and the following passage from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:43 - 45): "You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor [Leviticus 19:18] and hate your enemy [Deuteronomy 23:6].' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.". What differences can you detect between the Ten Commandments and the passage above from Matthew? Is such a commandment to love your enemy possible?
2) How does the Seventh Commandment ("You shall not commit adultery" - Exodus 20:14) compare with the following from Matthew 5:27-28: "You have heard that it was said ‘Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" and is such a standard realistic?
B. As the "youngest" of the three major Western monotheistic religious traditions, Islam shares a number of historical, doctrinal and ethical features with both Judaism and Christianity. Yet, numerous significant differences also are apparent regarding history, doctrine, ethics and scripture. In the following questions, consider the foundation of absolute monotheism as a core historical and doctrinal element of Islam that has shaped much of Islamic thought and culture.
1. According to the textbook, what are the three levels of meaning within the Qur'an? Do you think that this approach toward understanding the meaning of sacred scripture can be positive? How can such an approach toward scripture influence a Muslim's daily life?
2. The Prophet Muhammad is quoted as follows: "The best Islam is that you feed the hungry and spread peace among people you know and those you do not know." Can you identify parallel ethical principles in other religious traditions that we have studied? How would acts of charity contribute to an individual's sense of the "meaning and purpose of life?" How would acts of charity contribute to an individual's experience of the "enhancement and affirmation of life?"
3. Why do you think the "Greater Jihad" is the foundation and the necessary starting point for the "Lesser Jihad?" (Fisher, 423, 424). Do you think that non-Muslims face a similar struggle? What do you think some of the threats to "safeguarding one's life, faith, livelihood, honor and the integrity of the Muslim community (or any religious tradition) might be?
C. "Building a Project Team"
- Referring to the team roles provided in Section 8.1.1 of the textbook, identify and describe yourself or someone you know that participated on a project. Determine who did not meet or add value to the overall project team.
- As the project faces unk-unks, determine the skills that you would need to develop as a project manager and a project team member.
D. "Sensemaking"
Unk-unk mind-set requires a culture of mindfulness and the ability of the project team to cope with fundamental changes without losing orientation and morale. Think of a project team experience that you personally know about or one that you heard about that will help you complete the following tasks:
- After summarizing the project, identify the problems that caused the team breakdown.
- Determine how sensemaking contributed to the social cohesion. If it was not used, how could it have resolved the breakdowns?
- As a project manager, discuss how you foster an unk-unk mind-set.
E. "Infrastructure for Planned, Learning, and Selectionist Projects"
- Organizations use managerial systems to help project teams collaborate to work through unforeseeable uncertainty. Using a project from your local community or state, determine how you would respond to the discussion below (be sure to reference your selected project):
- In reviewing the five areas of management systems, select one of them and answer the associated question(s) as described.
F. "Motivation and Incentive Systems"
- Determine how managers can utilize an evaluation and incentive system to motivate project teams of selectionist (sub) projects.
- Describe one of the three principles that can be used in the integration of (sub) projects and relate it to your own project experience or to a project that you know about through current readings.