Convenience via Technology and Relationships via the Workplace

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. " Deuteronomy 6:6-8

Background

I work for the Moody Bible Institute Admissions Department. As a student worker, I usually work around 21 hours per week and communicate between departments at Moody via the phone since I answer a primary phone line. Within the Admission’s Department specifically, I help answer questions about the school and then I connect the prospective students with the Admissions Counselors. Through this process, we communicate with one another about the students, events in the office, and information about admissions that is being continually updated and changed. We use the online tool of Slack to do most of this in-office communication and then supplement it with email for more detailed cases.The regular use of the online tool caused me to question its place in a sub-culture of the church and its effects on relationships in the office. Throughout this essay, I will be deconstructing what Slack is, how it is used, its affects, and Moody’s decision to implement it in the Admission’s Department. The goal is to distinguish how a Christian workplace can be holistic (as seen in Deuteronomy 6:6-8) in their implementation of community and technology. Every aspect of our religion should directly correlate (in some way) to how we go about our work and life on a daily basis. We do not tie symbols on our hands anymore, rather we choose symbols from a keyboard using our hands. We do not bind things on our foreheads, but we write them down in notes to ourselves. We have reinvented external and internal communication based off technology. Because of the consistence of technology in the office, we need to analyze its affects on the places of relationship and then of efficiency.

Slack's Current Use in Moody Admissions

Slack is an online workplace tool used for instant messaging, alerting, and storing. Slack helps organize and replace the function that email typically has in an office (Read about Slack’s capabilities: Slack is Killing Email). The techniques on Slack allow for workplaces to be in better, instant communication, than in email. The professionalism changes as well since proper email format does not need to be followed in Slack. The creator of this program wanted to invent something that worked efficiently and did not have the same miscommunication issues as other programs (Read about its origin: Slack Is Our Company of the Year [explicit content]). For this reason, Slack is ad-free, aesthetically pleasing, and incredibly easy to use in both high and low stress environments.Moody Admissions has been using Slack for three years. The Undergraduate Assistant Dean of Admissions, Audrianna Cageao, says that most of the employees use it for a mixture of their work and personal lives; however, she only uses it for work. One of the best reasons that Slack is useful to the Admission's department specifically is that they are separated into two offices between two floors – instant communication is necessary when another worker’s desk is not around the corner for convenience. Before the office adopted this platform, they relied on email and post-it note reminders – this got the job done, but they cannot be searched or organized in the same way. The use of Slack helps employees stay productive from their desk and to plan within the office without the style of email and the inconvenience of separate spaces.The Admissions Department is unique from most workplaces niches because of its commonality of beliefs, high turnover rate, and marketing ministry mentality. A large percentage of the employees in the department attended Moody for their Undergraduate degree and have been familiar with the school for a while. Many of these employees are Christians who support Moody in a professional rather than ministerial sense. On Moody’s career site, they say directly, “The strongest motivations for people to apply at Moody are: the desire for work with eternal value; and because our view of Scripture (see Moody's Doctrinal Statement) falls in line with their own personal beliefs.” (Moody Careers). People are hired who agree with Moody's beliefs which is creating a sub-culture of believers in the departments. Because of this commonality, the goal of Moody’s employees is generally to serve Jesus Christ through their work and relationships in the office.The second unique aspect is the high turnover rate within the Admission’s office. Many students begin working a part-time job for Admissions and then become full-time after graduation. They stay for a few years and then move on to different forms of ministry. In the year and a half that I have worked in the office, there have been over 13 employees that have left their position or moved into a new one. In this subset, there are less than 5 people that have worked there for over 10 years. Because of this extremely high turnover rate, the legitimization of information is continual. For example, if an office has a reputation of laughter, new employees are told and included in this to legitimize the humor. Consequently, research that is done on the office may prove illegitimate in just a year from now since new legitimizations may happen every year, thus the Administrators need to be regularly assessing their employee's spiritual and professional healths.The last thing that makes Moody’s environment unique is its perspective on ministry as marketing. Whether or not the employees personally believe it, Moody is encouraging Christians to work in marketing positions for Moody’s schools by ‘selling’ the school as their own form of ministry. Marketing for Churches can be dangerously evil, but since Moody is a sub-culture of the church, marketing is more a form of ministry for a non-profit organization. Most of the employees probably would not immediately associate their job with ministry, but when it is boiled down - each employee is looking to serve prospective students in ministry. Students may not realize that a team of 40+ people have each had a role in bringing them to Moody and encouraging them in their future pursuit of ministry opportunities. Because of these factors, the primary goal of the department is to serve Christ and promote ministry throughout the world - all work goals are subsequent.

Slack's Effect on Worker to Worker to Administrator Relationships

Since most employee’s believe in relationship and service over work productivity, Slack becomes a tool in the office rather than a self-promoter. The question then asks, if Slack is a helpful tool or if it has caused deterrents in the spiritual growth of Moody’s employees? When a message is sent through Slack, it will arrive instantly and alert the receiver. Slack becomes a primary example of the Transmissional model (Sender - Medium - Receiver). The sender may have one intention, but it may received differently because of the medium. The Receiver will internalize and externalize information differently than from a face-to-face interaction. This skewed internalization may lead to a lack of transparency in relationship, for this reason, some offices have opted to remove Slack completely (Read: My Company Tried Slack for Two Years. This is Why We Quit.). When the space moves from something physical to something virtual, meaning becomes transparently impersonal.Slack's usage in the office can become easily addictive between workers as well. Not only does it allow for messages, images, and links to be sent, but also for gifs to be shared. Gifs can confuse professional conversation and can interfere where efficiency is necessary. Posting a gif in a public channel on Slack is essentially a shout into the mediated void, it really does not matter. While the process may not matter for neither the sender nor receivers, it takes ample amounts of time to acknowledge a message that was not intended for you. Bernhard Mehl felt this same way in his office at Kisi, his office was so overrun with messages coming from every direction at the instant messaging rate that it had become something you had to regular check than something that you could regular check (Read: Think Slack Sucks? Cutting the Slack on Slack). This presents itself as both a benefit for acknowledgement of others in the office and their input and as well a detriment for addiction from hundreds of notifications per day.One of the benefits of Slack is the ability to decrease the number of meetings that an office might have on a weekly basis and to decrease the amount of time spent discussing in those meetings. Slack creates a channel where thoughts can be shared on an equal basis as senders and receivers can communicate back and forth using the same format. This is similar to email, but since it is more casual – it will bleed into conversation in that same casual format. In his book, How to Make Collaboration Work, David Straus explains an issue that arises from this shortening of meeting is that collaboration can not be done the same on a technology than it can in a meeting (80). The non-verbal gestures are too powerful in assisting team thinking strategies to be fully ignored. In the Interaction Method (Figure 1) by Straus, it is shown that facilitating behaviors and collaborative attitude are both necessary for success - both of these can be accomplished via Slack; however, the third aspect of strategic thinking cannot be. Strategic thinking must include face-to-face interaction with other workers/Administrators. Straus shows that the core of success is Shared Responsibility among all three aspects (222). Shared responsibility leads into the commonality of mission for productivity.Employees may gather around a central topic, but it still up to the Administrator to make final decisions. Larger decisions should never be announced over a third-party communication platform because of the value that should be given to each employee’s presence in a workplace. Work announcements do not top relationship, because they do not correspond. In a study done by Ziang Xiaojun and Viswanath Vanketesh, they examined 104 workers relationships via technology and the affects on their performance; they found that on a worker to worker level, the relationships in the office will not affect work performance (717). In a Moody’s environment, the goal is not so much work performance as much as working into other’s ministries.The constant internalization and externalization of information creates an atmosphere that legitimizes new concepts on a regular basis, again this is using Slack as a primary communicator of those new concepts. As the department hires new employees, their viewpoints are given consideration but not of the same caliber as any of those who have any type of seniority. This also creates a difficult situation as new administration enter a building with a previously established hierarchy and are required to then establish their own authority. Some workers are inclined to reject hierarchy because of previous relationships, but that does not mean that hierarchy is bad – rather sin is evident in all offices and proper measures should be taken in order to forge healthier relationships.

Appreciation Model

While working in collaboration with Gary Chapman in the book, The Vibrant Workplace, Paul White found that while good or bad relationships in the office will not affect work productivity, lack of appreciation by administrators will (65). The greatest counter of technology becoming the primary foundation for relationships it to continually remind people of their worth outside of the technology. It is not about productivity, rather in reminding people of their mission in working in the environment.If we apply the Common Model of Christian Communication to a work environment, the workers would first be in Christ, then would be in community, then worshiping Christ through that community, and then communicating amongst themselves (Kammerzelt. Brinckerhoff 24). ‘Workers’ seems like such a harsh term, when in reality each person is the imago dei (Gen. 1:27). When we shift our view from ‘worker’ to ‘image bearer of God in humanity,’ our reactions toward their work productivity shift as well. This conscious shift is about choosing to appreciate employees and giving them the value and dignity they deserve. Such a shift should never occur over online messaging because of its lack of transparency and care in the same channel as work messages. Compartmentalizing appreciation from work is vital to communicate authenticity over stress, albeit penetrating of work productivity in the end. Mission is the most integrated part of a Christian environment and needs to be communicated by the leadership and all the systems implemented (Brinckerhoff 24).Slack still plays a role in the externalization of appreciation from Administrator to employee though as it continues to establish common ground in communication. There should never be a level of fear or even superiority as humans in the office – the only superiority should be in a functional position of leadership. When a leader is legitimized in their position, it can lead to a better functioning office (Straus 75).

Biblical Connection

Paul is a primary example in scripture of building relationships outside of technology. Paul’s technology was letters, which he wrote all over the Mediterranean countries, but only after he knew them. He had established relationships with other Christians and disciple them and then moved to encouragement through a different source. Paul reminds Timothy of his love as he wishes that Timothy were with him in person because of his lack of joy (2 Tim. 1:3-4). Their relationship via technology was not meant to be permanent and instead provided a way to stay in contact while they were required to be apart.I began the essay with Deuteronomy 6:6-8, which speaks about living out the Lord's commandments holistically in our lives. Paul's ministry was not negatively affected by distancing himself from different churches for a time, so his letters proved his commitment to the message and the Lord's commandment for him. He was preaching the same message regardless of his location. Similarly, holistically living out the gospel is not about creating a technique that works every time, rather moving to where the Lord leads and living with intention.In an office, 'moving' looks differently than it does in scripture. We do not move across the world - we move cubicles and floors. We do not struggle under persecution - we struggle under addiction to common technology. As we make this small adjustments, there are still spiritual contributions connected to every change. It is a conscious decision to continue to seek relationships and community instead of changing our beliefs to match a 'move.'

New Vantage Points

Overall, the office needs to function properly from a work perspective and from a spiritual perspective. With Jesus as our common ground, we seek community and His glory before any convenience in technology. Technology is not to be left with the cavemen though – social networks within a workplace have multiple advantages and will allow friendship to reside within cubicles (Sykes and Venkatesh 16). There is nothing wrong with a friendly gif or an invite to a party, but that is not a basis or else it becomes the sole medium.Transforming this medium into something helpful goes back to the Transmissional vs. Ritual models of communication. I mentioned earlier that the Transmissional model is seen at full work when one employee sends a message to another without any verbal communication. It is taken in its fully digitalized form and will be received with no context except for what the screen has provided. To counteract this transmission, Administrators have to encourage the personal relationships in the office. A ritual can be created by regularly meeting with employees to counter the transparency as seen in Figure 2.As believers who are seeking Christ together, we should seek community next – both in church and in our work environment. Just as Paul sought to foster community from across the sea and the Israelites were in the Lord's will throughout moving, so an office community should reflect a church community although consistently changing and molding. Office relationships without this common goal cannot be accomplished the same through Slack because there will not be true authenticity of humanity. This is why Slack is actually beneficial in giving a break to work related conversations, so that face-to-face interactions can be focused on building believers up in Christ.The Administrators in the Moody Admissions Department can rest in the choice to implement Slack into the regular schedule, because it does make interoffice communication simpler. However, they need to be continually evaluating and reaching out in person to their workers in order to foster community. Slack is creating boundaries for work conversation, so that personal conversation can be fully focused on the other individual. In Christ, there is community outside of the local church, but this has to be lived into as holistically focused Christians.

Works Cited

Bercovici, Jeff. “Slack Is Our Company of the Year. Here's Why Everybody's Talking About It.” Inc.com, Inc., 17 May 2018, www.inc.com/magazine/201512/jeff-bercovici/slack-company-of-the-year-2015.html.Brinckerhoff, Peter G. Faith-Based Management: Leading Organizations That Are Based on More than Just Mission. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999.Hamburger, Ellis. “Slack Is Killing Email.” The Verge, The Verge, 12 Aug. 2014, www.theverge.com/2014/8/12/5991005/slack-is-killing-email-yes-really.Kammerzelt, Brian. "Ministry Media Matters." Part 3, 2018, Pg. 2.  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ajUzeWTNstN6OT47BVlOx6H41Zn5JtLIMb2Ah7BphG0/edit#heading=h.bj7q8k9g9rggMehl, Bernhard. "Think Slack Sucks? Cutting Slack the Slack." Kisiblog, 14 March 2018, https://www.getkisi.com/blog/stop-using-slack-cut-the-slack-instead-team-efficiency-improved.Raphael, JR. “30 Incredibly Useful Things You Didn't Know Slack Could Do.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 20 Feb. 2018, www.fastcompany.com/40531903/30-incredibly-useful-things-you-didnt-know-slack-could-do.Salihefendic—Doist, Amir. “My Company Tried Slack For Two Years. This Is Why We Quit.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 22 June 2017, www.fastcompany.com/40433793/my-company-tried-slack-for-two-years-this-is-whywe-quit.Straus, David. How to Make Collaboration Work: Powerful Ways to Build Consensus, Solve Problems, and Make Decisions. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2002.Sykes, Tracy Ann, and Viswanath Venkatesh. “Explaining Post-Implementation Employee System Use and Job Performance: Impacts of the Content and Source of Social Network Ties.” MIS Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 3, Sept. 2017, p. 917. EBSCOhost, chilib.moody.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=edo&AN=124643941&site=eds-live.White, Paul Phd. The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation. Northfield Publishing, 2017.Xiaojun Zhang, and Viswanath Venkatesh. “Explaining Employee Job Performance: The Role of Online and Offline Workplace Communication Networks.” MIS Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 3, Sept. 2013, pp. 695-A3. EBSCOhost, chilib.moody.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,uid&db=bsh&AN=89477785&site=eds-live.