Daniel Im

Book Review: A Theology as Big as the City – Ray Bakke

November 4, 2012 By Daniel Im

The following is an analytical book review of Ray Bakke’s A Theology as Big as the City.

Ray Bakke is the Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Global Urban Ministry and Urban/Global Leadership, and a member of the Board of Regents at Bakke Graduate University. He is an author and also the founder of International Urban Associates, which is a network of urban-based church and mission leaders from many of the world’s largest cities.

With the increase in urbanization and urbanism, and with the increasing trend of the world moving into cities, a lot of new challenges are arising. Despite the demographic, missiological, ecclesiastical, and financial challenges that are accompanying this increase, the primary challenge is theological.

Thus, the thesis of this book is that God is not just interested in our personal needs and problems, but he is also interested in the city, and the engagement that Christians have with our “external-world reality” (Location 73).

The Organizational Culture of…Umami Burger

October 31, 2012 By Daniel Im

I visited Umami Burger Pasadena, a hipster burger restaurant in old town Pasadena. As I was being seated, I could not help but notice how open and sleek the restaurant felt. The doors were wide open and the front of the restaurant was covered with all windows. Even the kitchen in the back was open – there were no dividing walls in sight. The white and silver colors definitely made the restaurant feel modern, while the plastic fork covered lights gave the restaurant an aura of hipster. The paintings on the wall were abstract and incredibly simple, nicely integrating with the rest of the feel in the restaurant.

Every Umami Burger Restaurant has the same menu, except for a signature burger that is unique to each location. I decided to dive in and have the signature burger unique to this location – Le Cordon Bleu Burger designed by the local culinary arts students at the Pasadena College of Culinary Arts. It was an expensive, yet delicious delicatessen burger.

Book Review: The Starfish and the Spider – Brafman and Beckstrom

October 18, 2012 By Daniel Im

The following is an analytical review of Ori Brafman’s and Rod Beckstrom’s The Starfish and the Spider.

Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom are both authors, entrepreneurs, and MBA graduates from Stanford. Brafman is not only interested in thinking and writing about leadership and organizational dynamics, but he also is a practitioner who has put many of his principles into practice. For Beckstrom, his areas of specialty are cybersecurity, global issues, and organizational strategy and leadership. Furthermore, he has diverse leadership experience that ranges from being a CEO to working for the US Homeland Security.

The Starfish and the Spider is a compelling book that uses the symbolism of a starfish and a spider to describe the importance of decentralization in life, culture, and economics.

The thesis is that every organization needs to move towards decentralization, in some manner or form, if they are to not only exist, but also thrive in the future – in other words, the rules have changed.

Spanning across the book, the authors outline eight principles of decentralization, which they use to explain their thesis: [Read more…] about Book Review: The Starfish and the Spider – Brafman and Beckstrom

Book Review: Built to Last – Collins and Porras

October 10, 2012 By Daniel Im

The following is an analytical book review of Collins’ and Porras’ Built to Last.

Jim Collins is a prolific researcher, writer, and teacher of enduring great companies. He graduated from Stanford University with degrees in business administration and mathematical sciences. He also used to research and teach at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Jerry I. Porras is the Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior, Emeritus, at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Like Collins, he is also interested in the characteristics of visionary companies, especially focusing in on the organizational components. He received his BSEE from Texas Western College, his MBA from Cornell University, and his Ph.D from the University of California.

The authors have two primary objectives: to develop a conceptual framework based on the common dynamics and characteristics of highly visionary companies, and to effectively communicate these concepts so that they are useful to others (Location 459). In doing this, they discovered that all visionary companies have a core ideology, an unrelenting drive for progress, and an organizational structure to preserve the core and stimulate progress (Location 4974). The specific methods that companies use to implement those requirements may change and are the topics in part two of the book. [Read more…] about Book Review: Built to Last – Collins and Porras

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

August 30, 2012 By Daniel Im

The most innovative business educators will, we hope, recognize the importance of emotional intelligence in higher education for helping their graduates become leaders instead of mere managers.

Daniel Goleman, Richard E. Boyatzis, Annie McKee – Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence

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