Introduction
The era of rugged individualism essential to pioneering the Americas may have seemed to pass; however, dominant individuals still regularly appear.

In 1960 Douglas McGregor described Theory X and Theory Y, two distinctly different leadership styles. Surviving WWI, the Great Depression, WWII and the Korean conflict required a highly disciplined national work force. During the 1960s, as the post-war generation began to enter the workforce, there was a backlash against the Type X “General Patton” style leaders. The new generation expected respect, participation in decision making and for their individual needs to be well met. The Type Y leadership style, which is more common today, places high value on the individual and his or her felt needs. This has led to developing such leadership theories as servant leadership, participative management, facilitation or a coaching leadership style and a flatter organizational structure, less authoritarian in nature, than the formerly common top-down models.

In the 1980s and 90s concerns for stakeholders of organizations, enablement of staff and shared vision became common terms. These emerging concepts were valuable in an era of increasing rates of change. The entry of the PC in the early 80s and the Internet about a dozen years later required that organizational platforms and leadership structures be able to function in times of fluid, dynamic and accelerating change.

In this exciting environment, work groups and facilitators are common concepts in industry. In some cases old, unbending attitudes virtually destroyed companies and organizations. Labor strikes and low productivity hastened their demise. In some cases employees bought out the companies, i.e. United Airlines. Old factories seemed to spring to life and communities were invigorated when greater employee participation was allowed.

The current information revolution will be as significant an era as the Industrial Revolution of 150 years ago. However, the velocity of change is nearly impossible to comprehend. New economic measurements are also emerging. Leadership is still based on people and leadership styles will vary.

Discussion 
Focus on Enablement
As organizational leaders learn to enable others to act, they themselves become models of a better way. The leaders that only inspire others soon learn that they must challenge the process and truly lead from a vision base well ahead of the pack of followers. Effective leadership is still required, but the kinder and gentler style of leadership results in a more pleasant environment in which to live and serve. Visionaries attract other visionaries because they are stimulated by them. A balance of staff giftings is paramount to develop effective leadership. Overemphasized vision in a weak administrative environment results in confusion, lack of trust among employees, and economic chaos.

Principles for Organization Building
The order of new things continues strong. For example, over 25,000 new products are being introduced every year. However, only about 1 in 500 will survive long-term in the marketplace, even though every new product envisions becoming a market leader. The 1990s high-tech revolution led by high-flying young “Technocrats” rolled out many new companies. They soon offered highly promoted stock through initial public offerings (IPO). During this period, the dot.com start-ups took off like a rocket, many to lose half of their value immediately. Hype does not sustain itself. There must be bona fide true value in a product. The high stock price to earning ratio (PE) ratio of 60 or 80 on some new companies eventually declined to the traditional 15-20 level. The high flying entrepreneurial leaders of Internet companies often didn’t realize that companies eventually must make a profit.

Today’s Technocrats should remember that even the generation of “Whiz Kids” during the Kennedy administration were eventually judged for their “genius contribution” or lack of it. As advertising legend David Ogilvie says, “Within every brand there is a product, but not every product is a brand.” A product is tangible and you can feel it, but a brand is even more; it is how you feel about it – its product personality. You want reliability and confidence in a product. An accepted brand has a personality all of its own – consider Kleenex, Microsoft, IBM and Mercedes. Harley Davidson was dying, but had a personality change and has become the premier motorcycle of the world. Once bikes were seen as “seedy”, but now they are viewed as “avante garde.”

Economic adversity dictates change and financial reverses require a rapid response. Today’s marketplace requires an ability to adopt change readily. Likewise, organizations must market themselves well, or they will, like obsolete steel mill towns, become part of a proverbial rust belt with blighted communities offering no promise for the next generation.

Organizational Culture
Organizations, like people have a personality and a corporate culture. We realize that today’s generation has limited loyalties. Whereas this has brought severe social and cultural consequences, nevertheless they have an incredible ability to accommodate change. They are wired for diversity, uncertainty and adversity.

Without change species die. They are pushed out of the environment. Their reward is fossilization, soon forgotten as something more “relevant” takes their place. They may be rediscovered during some subsequent “dig” where their remains are re-examined and their former contributions analyzed. AT&T barely survived through the deregulation of the telecommunications industry and the forced break-up of the Bell system. AT&T had the flexibility to acquire Media-One and TCI to become the pacesetter for the integrated broadband system, but was later taken over by SBC. However, IBM once spotted on the so-called dinosaur trail has rebounded with innovation and renewed vigor in partnership with others to form the emerging integrated communications system, i.e. TV, phone, PC, etc. with a renewed focus on business services.

We are greatly influenced by our culture. The church of our past generations was organized, prioritized and compromised and even then re-vitalized by cultural changes. The British envisioned the colonies to remain very “Anglican” forever. Independence brought new freedoms and those freedoms continue to inspire innovations that affect the world with effective gospel action. With great freedom comes a requirement for great responsibility. This is where we in the Americas have national vulnerability.

As quoted in First Things, a certain journal of religion and public life, the author proposes this: “Politics is in the largest part a function of culture, and the heart of culture is morality, and at the heart of morality is religion.” Aristotle defined politics as the deliberation and agreement on “how we ought to order our life together.”

In the Tale of Two Cities, it was the best of times and the worst of times. I would postulate conversely that these are simply the “only times.” Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is uncertain. Therefore, let us learn from the past like it was a friend and embrace the future like we are newlyweds with a vision of life, faith and hope.

Foundations
If the foundation is square and level, the building will be square and plumb. Christ is our foundation. Our country missionary programs are but a scaffold that will ultimately be removed, hopefully to reveal a free-standing edifice of multiplying congregations and Christian movements. We have experienced circumstances and maybe even it was God Himself, that removed missionary teams through war and governmental edict in order to mature a fledgling national church through testing in adversity. We must prevent dependency, but aggressively promote interdependency.

Organizational Change
The organizations of tomorrow must be more flexible than those of the past. Information and on-line systems will change how we serve our stakeholders. High-tech brings high change. Keeping pace with dynamic technology will be a growing challenge.

The mobilization of new missionary staff in the North American missions movement is a growing challenge. The vast social differences since 1945 have really changed the face of missions. The decade of the 90s increased the intensity of “short-term” missions and a decline of volunteers for career missionary service. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere increased in missions fervor and now supplies over 60 percent of the new global missionary force.

The best recruiter of missionaries is another missionary. Team building requires team members. Western missionaries still have an important role in an interdependent world. Some agencies are overlooking the recruiting of Western world missionaries and are focusing on mobilizing Two-Thirds world missionaries. We must recruit from both worlds, train and then release them to work together in country teams globally!

Western culture missionaries are still essential to the task of fulfilling the Great Commission. North American churches are seeking greater participation, partnership and control of the process of missions. At Calvary we must adapt to these trends. The information revolution will not only effect how missions is done, but also how missionaries are recruited and trained.

Summary
The era of rugged individualism still has a place in world evangelism, but other models seem to have a stronger potential to impact the future. Work groups or teams and leaders that enable teams to be successful, show great promise. New companies and organizations are emerging, but many will fade away quickly, lacking a proper foundation. Some have emerged as the dominant pacesetters to lead the way into the information revolution.

An organization founded on teamwork, high ethical standards and values will survive the inevitable storms. In international work and ministry, the interdependent model is showing strong. Technological change is accelerating and brings its own challenges. However, as we remain focused on the fulfillment of the Great Commission and faithful to scriptural principles, God can use the ministry for His glory. The opportunities before us are great and our past challenges are the stepping stones into an exciting and rewarding destiny.