Affiliation

Florida Gulf Coast University, USA

Biography

Eric B. Dent, Ph.D. serves as Professor and Uncommon Friends Endowed Chair in Ethics at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is committed to an interdisciplinary research agenda and has publications in journals of leadership, consulting, philosophy, workplace spirituality, science, history, communications, psychology, education, and others. Dr. Dent has been honored for his teaching, scholarship, and service including two best paper awards at the Academy of Management Conference. He is a consultant to Fortune 500, government, and non-profit organizations as well as an invited speaker to national audiences. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Dr. Dent served as a corporate vice president in the financial services industry. He began his career as a computer scientist with IBM.

dr.eric.dent{at}gmail.com

Articles

Are you complexity-minded?
Volume: 22, Issue 1
This article describes the development and initial validation of an instrument of individual worldview which incorporates the three constructs which primarily differentiate worldview - level of explanation, causation, and observation, which are deeply ingrained in people. Differences in worldview explain varying approaches to many organizational dynamics such as organizational capabilities, leadership behavior, logistics management, manufacturing, and others. Three studies were conducted to validate the instrument including using Thurstone-type and Likert-type approaches in the first two studies. The third study sampled 1,225 mostly American medical school faculty members. Confirmatory factor analysis of this sample provided convincing evidence of a good fit for the worldview model. This assessment can now be used to determine how complexity-minded people are in terms of their assumptions of a Traditional or an Emerging Worldview.

Reconciling Complexity Theory in Organizations and Christian Spirituality
Volume: 5, Issue 4