Randy Y. Odom’s scientific contributions

The concept of organizational implosion is not yet an integral part of the literature on management, organizations, or leadership although problematic internal organizational scenarios have been addressed in the literature for many years. When an organization implodes, many of the stakeholders may initially be surprised. However, upon review of the organization in the period leading up to the implosion, it would be evident that there were many demolition charges (seeds of destruction) in place throughout the organization. Perhaps some of these seeds of destruction could exist in the short term. However, in the long term, they would eventually cause the organization to implode, to collapse from within. This article discusses various types of organizational issues that can function as demolition charges and suggests ways to eradicate them or at least minimize their impact.

Churches are generally established to do ―God's business.‖ Organizations, including churches, are systems. For a church to be effective, its leaders must do the right things. For a church to be efficient, its leaders must do things right. In order to achieve effective and efficient churches, the organizational (i.e., system) elements must be defined, documented, understood, utilized, and aligned. In this article, we examine potential pitfalls for churches with organizational misalignment, leaders who make mistakes, and/or leaders who abuse power. In addition, we offer insights into how these missteps might be avoided. Particular emphasis is given to the need for church leaders to be people with character who help establish a spiritual foundation for their respective churches based on principles from the Bible.