Sandeep Mazumder and Matt Quade

Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business sets the standard in research and scholarship at the intersection of faith and leadership. What does Christian leadership mean, and how can Christians build on their faith foundation in the workplace? In this Baylor Connections, these topics are examined by Sandeep Mazumder, the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean , and Matt Quade, the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graft Professor in Christian Leadership in Business.
Transcript
Derek Smith:
Hello and welcome to Baylor Connections, a conversation series with the people shaping our future. Each week we go in depth with Baylor leaders, professors and more, discussing an important topics in higher education research and student life.
Today we are discussing approaches to Christian leadership in business with Dr. Sandeep Mazumder and Dr. Matt Quade. Dean Mazumder serves as the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business. He came to Baylor in 2021, having previously served as professor and chair of the Department of Economics at Wake Forest University. Dr. Matt Quade serves as the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graff Professor in Christian Leadership in Business in the Department of Management. He's a prolific researcher and a workplace ethics. And in 2022, he added the role as Director of Christian Leadership and Ethics in the Hankamer School of Business.
Well, let me begin with what seems like perhaps an obvious question, but maybe an important one. The topic of Christian leadership does seem like a natural fit at the Hankamer School of Business, but take us further inside why that's the case. And Dean Mazumder, I'll start with you and then Matt.
Sandeep Mazumder:
Yeah, thanks for the question and I'm excited for the conversation we'll have and be able to talk about this. For us as a business school, we like to think of ourselves as a high quality business school competing with many top universities here in Texas and across the country. But we are different in the sense that we are a Christian business school. We are explicitly grounded in this faith mission that Baylor University has. And we carry that pretty seriously at Hankamer, and that's who we are as faculty, staff, and students. So for us, when we're talking about leadership and ethics in particular, every business school talks about leadership and ethics. We're not different in that, but we are different in that we are explicitly grounding it in our Christian faith heritage. And we want to be mindful of that. We don't live in a vacuum. We think that two things go hand in hand, so let's be intentional about how we talk about things. And people like Dr. Quade are on the ground here at Hankamer, running that for us through various programs.
Matt Quade:
I think back to President Livingstone's address when she came to Baylor and she said, "The world needs a Baylor," right? And so I think in particular when we think about a business school, and Dean Mazumder leads out in this so well, about grounding our business school in its Christian mission and specifically using God's word as kind of the foundation of what it means to be a Christian business school in all facets and through all disciplines and really having faculty and staff who are constantly on brand, so to speak, when we're talking about these things with our students and our stakeholders. And so it's a joy to be a part of that mission alongside people like Dean Mazumder and other faculty and staff who are so passionate about that mission.
Derek Smith:
Well, as we talk about Christian leadership over the next 20 minutes or so, let's define as best we can, what that is we're talking about. Dr. Quade, when we talk about Christian leadership in business, what is that? Who is that? Well, what all does that touch on?
Matt Quade:
Sure. Yeah. I think for me, what I think about is how challenging, unfortunately, sometimes it can be to define something like Christian leadership because the world can define Christianity in so many different ways. And so for us as a business school, it really becomes trying to parse out and be specific about the fact that our Christian worldview is informed by God's word. And so we're going to hold onto that as truth and as the ultimate truth. And so within that, that sort of strips away some of the challenges and says, "For us, what we mean by Christian leadership is this." Right?
And then using specific examples within God's word as frameworks for what it looks like to be a Christian who is, as it says in Matthew 5, "We're the light of the world or we're the salt of the earth, so we're different than the world." Or to think about characteristics of Christ that ought to embody our leadership as people in the marketplace, whether that's humility or gentleness or patience as Paul describes it in Ephesians 4. And so these things really infuse, I think, for us and help. When we teach these things to our students, it helps inform and give more of a visual to them of what it can look like for them to actually practice these types of leadership.
Sandeep Mazumder:
I agree completely with Dr. Quade. And I'll just add to that, he articulated it really nicely, but Hankamer, here at the university, I think we do not believe in a secular sacred divide. That's how we carry ourselves and our jobs and what we're teaching our students. We want to bring all of ourselves to the study of whatever it is that we're doing, whether it's business or outside of business as well. And our faith and our spirituality are part of who we are. So we're quick to recognize, I hope, I think we are, that we don't live in a vacuum and we want to bring the whole self to the study of whatever it is that we're doing.
Derek Smith:
Visiting with Dean Sandeep Mazumder and Dr. Matt Quade here on Baylor Connections. And Dr. Quade, I think you just touched on this, but I want to ask you specifically as someone who's been studying Christian leadership a long time, what are the challenges? And then I'll add what are the joys for you? Obviously, there's a lot that led you to really dedicate your professional life to this.
Matt Quade:
Yeah, I think one of the biggest challenges, Derek, and I appreciate you asking that question, is particularly on the research side of things like the R1 institutions like Baylor want their faculty to be publishing in top tier journals, right? And that's sort of the pinnacle of what we do as researchers, is trying to get those academic publications. So many of those top tier outlets are not interested in work on any religious background, whether it be Christian or Muslim or any different religious affiliation. And so you really have to think about how do the principles of, in my case, my Christian worldview, how are they being used in the secular? And so topics that I focused on most are ethical leadership and then servant leadership. And those being informed by my Christian worldview actually allow me to speak about and do work on things that I believe align with God's word without them being explicitly, "Let me only study Christian leaders or let me only study, if I were in a Muslim University, Muslim leaders," right? I'm studying concepts that are part of the Christian worldview as it aligns with God's word.
Derek Smith:
Well, and you touched on earlier talking about characteristics. You named some of the fruits of the spirit and certainly something we as Christians want to embody. But you do see that individuals of all faiths and no faiths might embody those in different situations? As business becomes increasingly international and as Hankamer becomes increasingly international, I am curious, how much do you see the importance of some of those topics? It feels like they become more important, not less.
Matt Quade:
Yeah. I mean, I would love to hear Dean Mazumder speak on this as well because he's got great ideas and we've done a lot of great work in our building with diversity and belonging and what does this look like from a Christ-centered perspective and how do we reach out to the international students even in our business school. And so I want him to share about that.
I think that we again look to how does God ordain things. And we know that at the end of time it says in Revelation that there'll be people of every tribe and nation and tongue. And so as Christian leaders, how do we embody a spirit of pursuing people in our midst who don't look like us or don't come from the same socioeconomic background as us, and how do we involve them in the work that we're doing?
I'm actually doing a study abroad in London this semester. I mean, I don't think there's a more diverse city in the world. And every day that I ride the tube, I look and I go, "Man, that's an image bearer of God, and that's an image bearer of God." And everywhere we look, there are these men and women who God's word says are made in God's image. And so what does it look like for us to be leaders who have that kind of a mindset when we are engaging the people that we lead?
But Dean Mazumder, you should talk about some of the things that are going on in the business school around this idea.
Sandeep Mazumder:
Thank you for that. And Dr. Quade is correct about this focus on international, and the church is not just confined to central Texas or to Texas or the United States. It's global, and there are people of our faith all over and people of different faiths, we want to be able to reach out and work with all of these people.
At the end of the day, business is international, and it is global. So for us as a business school, it's crucial for us to give our students that focus and that global mindset as much as possible. So that is one of our goals. Dr. Quade alluded to Christ-centered diversity and belonging, this Christ-centered community that we emphasize here at Hankamer. The dimension of that that I've put extra emphasis on is the international one, just trying to get our students out there as much as possible. Eventually, I would like to make it mandatory that every Hankamer student has to have some sort of international experience. And I think we'll get there. We're working towards that. But for them to see both business and faith and other parts of life, what that looks like across the world and to take in different cultures and countries and languages and bring that back and add that to the richness of the work that they'll do here. If not, maybe they'll stay overseas and work there and be on mission and do that overseas.
Derek Smith:
This is Baylor Connections. We are visiting with Dr. Sandeep Mazumder, the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business, Dr. Matt Quade, the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graff professor in Christian Leadership and Director of Christian Leadership and Ethics in the Hankamer School of Business.
Dr. Quade, you touched on your research and topics like ethical leadership and servant leadership. I know you've had a lot of research projects that have been published that have received media intention. I'm wondering if you could give us some examples of a couple so that we could better get a picture of the distinct projects that you've been engaged in that have really had an impact on people.
Matt Quade:
Sure. Yeah. I think of first one that stands out is actually not in line with ethical leadership or servant leadership, but it's certainly a part of something that's close to God's heart, which is adoption. So I'm an adoptive dad myself and have done a couple of papers along with colleagues in our business school on the concept of adoption and how it impacts employees. So one paper is on organizational support for adoption, which some of the listeners may or may not know that Baylor has an outstanding policy for adoptive parents, employees who adopt. As I was going through the adoption process with our son, I was just kind of felt compelled to do some research on this. We found that these organizations who engage in this type of support bolster their employees level of sense of connection to the organization, which has positive impacts on them, both at work and at home, and even improves their ability to connect to their adopted child.
And so work like that is incredibly meaningful. And I'm so grateful to work in a place like Baylor where work like that, even though tangential to my primary research area, is of value and is valued by people in the business school because they know it's meaningful and contributes to the research conversations that's taking place, but also is meaningful practically speaking in how it aligns with things that are close to God's heart. So that would be one.
A second one would be the idea of bottom line mentality, which is sort of the idea that I would prioritize one thing, typically profits at the expense of all other things, and typically that's an ethical lens. And so I've had several papers on this concept of bottom line mentality and really its negative effects in the organization. And so really my driving force in that research and the reason I love to study that topic is because I want to help produce young people who leave Baylor with a focus that is not exclusive of profits. I'm very much wanting our students to go out into a capitalistic society and work for companies that make money, but also to have a more well-rounded view of how you go be a leader who thinks about people and profits.
Derek Smith:
I'm curious, Dr. Quade. For you, you research and you teach, and there are businessmen and women who consume your research. For you, as you're researching, you're obviously gathering data and information so you can paint a complete picture. How much are you thinking about the data? At what percentage, or maybe not percentage, but what aspect are you thinking of when it comes to the application of what you find?
Matt Quade:
That's funny. It's funny because I talk about this with other colleagues a lot. I think a lot of times professors kind of see themselves through a very academic light or a very applied light. And though I'm an academic, I see myself oftentimes more like... I'm more intrigued by the question of like, "How would someone who's in an office building in Dallas, how would they actually live this concept out?" more so than thinking about, "Okay, how does this contribute just a little bit more to the literature?" I want to go like, "Man, how could this be something that someone, if they were reading this in Austin or Houston or wherever, they would go, 'Man, I want to practice that. I want to see if that helps me be a better leader'?"
And so certainly then, I also try to use that in the classroom. I mean, some of my favorite days in class are when I can talk about research of myself or colleagues in the business school. We have so many great colleagues in the Hankamer School of Business that are doing awesome research in all the different disciplines. It's so fun to be able to highlight research from colleagues in my department and management in particular and go like, "Hey, this paper is on work-family balance, or this paper is on stress, and here's what you ought to be thinking about when you're a leader and how you help people manage stress." So I could go on and on for hours more time than we have here in talking about how I like to do those things in the classroom.
Sandeep Mazumder:
No, I'll add one comment. Dr. Quade alluded to this earlier about being an R1 University. In the business school, the currency of business schools are these elite peer-reviewed journals and we want our faculty to publish in them. But he was right that sometimes it's not straightforward to publish in those if it's a faith-based project. It's possible. There are ways to do it, and we work on those. So for us as a business school at Hankamer, we like to look at impact of research. It's yes, we want those elite peer-reviewed journals. We definitely want them. But we also think about how does the work of Dr. Quade and others, how is that being used by businesses in practice? Maybe it's policy that's formed or things like the adoption policies that companies use. So for us, we need to have a very holistic look at what is this research doing and accomplishing and the effect it has.
Derek Smith:
Question for both of you. And Dean Mazumder, I'll start with you. I know Hankamer has such great relationships with alumni and business people that sew in different ways to Hankamer. I'm curious, what kind of hunger do you find for information as it relates to Christian leadership in the world today?
Sandeep Mazumder:
It is a conversation that Dr. Quade and others here at Hankamer, we've sat down and shared numerous conversations and coffees and lunches together talking about this. We had an idea that there was and is a hunger for this out there. And then not that long ago, we actually had a advisory board meeting, so Hankamer advisory board, we got together and Dr. Quade was there. We talked about some of these ideas and this Christian Leadership Summit was one of those. We talked about this with them. And we soon began to see that there was a very big hunger for this. There's definitely a demand for this out there.
Our advisory board at Hankamer is just a phenomenal group of men and women, people who are all C-level executives at top businesses in the country or international even, or have been that and are retired. We were hearing it from them over and over again that they're wrestling with these issues in their companies. How do you carry your faith and business excellence together? Sometimes they go hand in hand. Sometimes they don't necessarily go hand in hand and they want to talk through those issues and have a space to be able to hear from others who are wrestling with the same issues as well. So that gave us just some fuel for our fire that we thought this was out there, and we think so even more now, and we want to be able to provide a space and opportunity to have these discussions for our alumni and friends.
Matt Quade:
Yeah, that's dead on. And I would just add, I think one of the things that's so fascinating, is as you talk to these people, there's I sense a real hunger to have conversations at both the micro level and the macro level both. And what I mean by that is I think there's a lot of people who are intrigued by, "How do I manage my team of 10 people in a way that honors Christ or in a way that symbolizes Christ or in a way that might even show him to a non-believing employee that I have?" So macro, but also... I'm sorry, micro. But also at the macro level, how do I run a business that is kind of in line with building God's kingdom here on earth? How do I run a business of thousands of people in which not all are believers? Certainly, right? There are many from all different faiths and all different backgrounds, but how do I manage that business in such a way that does good for society in a way that would reflect God well, knowing that I am a Christian business owner or I am a Christian leader?
And so it's really encouraging when you talk to some of these people who are out there in the marketplace thinking through these things and hearing them say, "I want to learn more. I want to talk to more people who have these same ideas. I want to have more conversations because I want to get better at it. It's something I'm passionate about." So it's been really exciting because it seems like everyone we talk to, and I know the dean gets to talk to even more people than I do that are in these spaces. When it comes to our Baylor people, they are hungry for this topic and they are passionate about it. And that gives us a lot of excitement within the business school to know it's something that they're clamoring for.
Derek Smith:
What does it mean for Hankamer to invest in that area just like it invest in others?
Sandeep Mazumder:
Yeah. We do have this Christian leadership and ethics suite we call it here at Hankamer. Dr. Quade and others are working actively in that area. Yet at the same time, it's also not its own academic department, and that's on purpose. We want Christian leadership and ethics to pervade everything that we do and be integrated across all of our disciplines, whether it's accounting, entrepreneurship, economics, or marketing. And we have others as well, of course, but we want our students to see that you can be men and women of faith in all of these disciplines.
I talked about the lack of a secular sacred divide. That's true in these disciplines. We think you can be a Christian entrepreneur, you can be a Christian finance person, you can be a Christian information systems analyst. We deeply believe that's the case. And so the suite is here to emphasize and highlight and offer some programming. But we do want this to pervade in all of our classes. And one of the ways that we do that is by being intentional about who we hire. We're very careful about the faculty and staff that we bring into the business school and making sure that they're like-minded with us, they're on the same mission with us, yet are experts in their own disciplines, in their fields. And so far, we've navigated that road pretty well, I think, but we're very intentional about it.
Derek Smith:
Well, we mentioned the Armes Family Christian Leadership in Business Summit. Dr. Quade, that's coming up rapidly here. How can people get involved? What would you like people to know about the summit, what they'll find of the people who made it possible?
Matt Quade:
Yeah, thanks for asking, Derek. So Joe Armes and his wife Kelly, super passionate about this idea of Christian leadership and business. And so when we got the chance to talk with them about our vision for this, they were excited and eager to come alongside. And so you mentioned it's the Armes Family Christian Leadership and Business Summit. It's in just less than a month. It'll be happening on Thursday and Friday, May 16th and 17th. What we're really excited about is this is an opportunity for people in the Baylor family and also those outside the Baylor family who are passionate about this idea of what does it look like to be a Christian leader in the marketplace to come and have those kinds of conversations.
So we've got a host of keynote speakers who will be talking about a variety of topics that we'll kind of hit at all different levels of leadership. We've got some who are kind of talking about just what's the nitty-gritty of how you build your life as a Christian leader as you make your way through your career. We've got some who are talking more at the macro level of like, what does it look like to build a business strategically in a way that helps it with God's kingdom and His purposes for a community. We've got speakers that are going to be talking about food insecurity. One of our esteemed faculty members, Craig Gunderson in the Business school, is going to be talking about that in a breakout session.
I could go on and on because I'm so excited about the material that'll be covered in these two days. And so if people are still interested and would like to sign up, they can go to baylor.edu/armes. That's A-R-M-E-S. So baler.edu/armes, and they can read more about who's going to be there, what they're going to be talking about, and they can also register. So we would love to see people there.
Sandeep Mazumder:
And I'll add to that, just a challenge to our businesses here in Texas. Whether you are in Waco, Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, or anywhere nearby, if you're a business owner or work in a company or you lead teams, send some of your employees. We want three or four employees per company. Send them to our summit. There'll be great education and learning here. There is a certificate that will be given here as part of a continuing education qualification for people. So we're in a unique place at Hankamer to be able to offer this. We want to partner with businesses in Texas and beyond as much as possible.
Derek Smith:
A great example of what we've discussed over the last 20 minutes or so for sure, and that's baylor.edu/armes. And Armes is spelled A-R-M-E-S. May 16th and 17th. Well, Dean Mazumder, Dr. Quade, best of luck as you prepare for the summit. And thanks so much for taking the time to share with us on these important topics today.
Sandeep Mazumder:
Thanks very much.
Matt Quade:
Yes, thank you, Derek.
Derek Smith:
Dr. Matt Quade, the Kimberly and Aaron P. Graff professor in Christian Leadership and Director of Christian Leadership and Ethics in the Hankamer School of Business, and Dr. Sandeep Mazumder, the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of the Hankamer School of Business, our guests today on Baylor Connections. I'm Derek Smith, reminding you can hear these other programs online at baylor.edu/connections. And you can subscribe to the program on iTunes. Thanks for joining us here on Baylor Connections.