Becoming Colleagues: Women and Men Serving Together in Faith [Paperback]

Carol E. Becker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

Becoming Colleagues provides a powerful rationale for personal reflection and change, a call for systemic reform, and specific guidance for implementing change in the faith-based workplace. Through stories of mixed-gender teams in religiously affiliated settings-including congregations, agencies, educational institutions, and other faith-based nonprofit organizations-this book explores nine change factors critical to ensuring that men and women work together in mutually supportive ways. The proven principles revealed through these stories provide a new model for the workplace that is certain to help teams achieve success and satisfaction in their ministries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Challenging, helpful, inspiring. . . . Carol Becker lays a foundation for team ministry that can transform the church." --James F. Cobble Jr., executive director, Christian Ministry Resources

"A decade of unique research has produced a management pearl. Becker's performance criteria offer management development value beyond gender diversity and teamwork." --James B. Beddow, vice president of learning, the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society

"I could not put this book down. Story after story excited me and piqued my curiosity to want to know more. What delightful reading, with remarkable insights into universal issues about men and women in the workplace! It is a must-read for people in leadership positions who are responsible for personnel management. I will use this book in international training." --Musimbi Kanyoro, general secretary, World YWCA

"Carol Becker's work and creative case studies invite us into the very reflection she encourages as we consider our leadership, power issues, and colleague relationships through the gender lens. I have deep admiration for Carol Becker's work and applaud this book!" --Joanne Negstad, president/CEO, Lutheran Services in America

From the Inside Flap

Few mixed-gAnder work teams in faith-based organizations are as successful they as could be-and the reasons for success or failure are not always evident. Women often grapple with people whose practices and theological understandings do not welcome their leadership, and both men and women fall into counterproductive power struggles and traps of miscommunication. In these circumstances, even highly effective teams have found it hard to explain the magic formula behind their success. Until now.In the first book to address this issue, Carol Becker gives specific guidance for implementing change in the religious workplace, based on her extensive study of twenty-three different teams of men and women from congregations, denominations, and faith-based nonprofit organizations. Becker uses stories from successful teams to outline nine criteria required for effective mixed-gAnder working relations and tells how to use these criteria to create and sustain an effective team.As a prelude to action, mixed-gAnder teams must be reflective in their work together. Focusing first on the inner work of pausing and pondering rather than acting, effective teams* Reflect about themselves, their team and teammates, and their work.* Learn about gAnder and individual differences and about leadership and what it takes to build a team.* Examine what they believe (their values) about the leadership of men and women.* Name-or know- themselves and each other deeply.* Include, looking beyond stereotypes and prejudices.Having accomplished this exercise of awareness through their reflective work, team members then engage with their mission and take specific action to change their way of working together. Effective teams* Communicate with deliberation.* Work together in the same setting, respecting boundaries and sharing commitment.* Influence others toward constructive action, using power positively.* Model new ways of leading together through effective partnership.In

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787947091
• ISBN-13: 978-0787947095
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Outdated?, September 12, 2009

By 

John S. Maas "jtrev" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Becoming Colleagues: Women and Men Serving Together in Faith (Paperback)

This book is about power sharing between men and women in ministry, where the man is in the lead position.

The stuff is okay. As I read it I kept thinking,"Okay, I know that, I've heard it before. I've been reminded of this in committees and contexts where I work with women." I'm not done reading the book. I keep hoping I will see something new that I can bring to this partnership I'm in.

I haven't checked all the references she makes. A random look tells me that some are from the early 90's. That means the work on the references was late 80's. Well, that about checks out with her information and the the style in which it's presented.

It's sorta put forth as groundbreaking . . . and it's not. My female partner sees value in it, and we will complete the book. But we are quite past much of what Becker calls us to do and be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lessons For Any Workplace That Mixes Genders, May 22, 2000

By 

Paul Ramseth (White Bear Lake, Minnesota, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming Colleagues: Women and Men Serving Together in Faith (Paperback)

Many books have captured that fascinating differences between genders, but Carol Becker goes further and deeper. She explores the dynamics of mixed-gender teams, a little understood but frequently practiced work configuration in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Becker's sensitivity to the many subtleties of inter-gender communication and her insightful understanding of the barriers to leadership for women are invaluable learnings to organizations in both sectors. The book was stocked with living examples and helpful suggestions, elements that heightened its relevancy and readabililty. I appreciated her primary target, that being nonprofit, mission-driven organizations; however, readers will quickly sense the transferability of her findings and recommendations to corporate America.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Women and men creating a better model of working together, May 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Becoming Colleagues: Women and Men Serving Together in Faith (Paperback)

The book is good! Readable. But, better than that, it gives hope to women and men who work together and want to work together better.

Becker interviewed numerous 'mixed-gender' teams in ministry and then juxtaposed their stories against 'Nine Criteria'. The 'Criteria' may seem common sense but they are not. The case studies, observations and text are informative, provocative and instructional to women and men in ministry but hopefully also to the world at large.

Becker's Criteria gave me a quick snapshot of what mutual ministry can approach but also its hazards and challenges. I highly recommend this book.