Approaches to Implement Spirituality in Business

Examining workers' perceptions of spirituality in the workplace: an exploratory study

Abstract: . There has been growing interest in workplace spirituality theory. However, research has predominantly been focused on USA and Canada, except some recent initiatives. Taking it into account, the purpose of this study is to delve into how Brazilian workers see, perceive, and define workplace spirituality. By employing a phenomenological approach, this study found 34 core themes, 12 of which were also identified in a previous investigation conducted by Marques et al. (2007), namely: trust, openness, kindness (compassion and friendship), honesty, moral and ethics, a sense of peace and harmony, aesthetically pleasing work environment, team orientation, understanding, faith in god, respect, and truth. The remaining 22 themes - which constitute the novel contribution of this study - are as follows: fun, love, well-being, a sense of religiosity, serenity, social responsibility, tolerance, sincerity, meaning of work, higher values, human valuing, coherent attitudes, common interests and objectives, politeness, willing to offer guidance and be an example, stimulating environment, listening to and be listened, praying habit, patience, positive energies and thoughts, concerns with other's well-being, and the spirit of solidarity. In addition, this research design enabled to make some comparisons between two distinct cultural contexts (i.e., Brazilian and American), which contributes to broaden the cross cultural management knowledge.Keywords: spirituality, organizations, mission, values, work, God, and religion.1. IntroductionOn the surface, the beginning of a sound transformation in the work environments (Neal, 1999) is taking place whereby employees are pursuing greater meaning in their work (Cash and Gray, 2000). It appears that this shift has been urged by the resurgence of spirituality as a core idea. In fact, it has been advocated that we are living an authentic spiritual revolution (Tacey, 2004). In this regard, Cavanagh (2003) wisely states: "Interest in spirituality has been present as long as people have existed. Spirituality meets a deeply rooted and genuine need in people and thus goes beyond being a fad" (p. 264) Going further, he remarks: "The need for spirituality can be stated as simply the need that all human beings have to recognize that they are dependent on someone or some force greater than they and are connected to every other person in the world" (p. 264).In a related vein, Garcia-Zamor (2003) argues that "If/or the most of the twentieth century, traditionally run companies ignored the basic fact of human nature" (p. 328). Rather, organizations did not realize that human beings have a spiritual essence and, to some degree, the majority of them still continue to think so. Nonetheless, Benefiel (2003) argues that we are living in a timely moment for the field of spirituality in organizations outline its frontiers. Duchon and Plowman (2005) noted that a growing number of scholars have increasingly paid attention to workplace spirituality. Earlier, Guillory (2001, p. 40) argued that the pressure toward workplaces and the change of societal values would likely generate situations, crises, and scenarios that would require "inner space" solutions. Meanwhile, Nash (2003) argues that the growing interest in spirituality - and workplace spirituality is part of it - "can be a desired and effective force in daily life, including today's business environment" (p. 53).Overall, evidence shows that people have associated workplace spirituality with different meanings and perceptions (Geh and Tan, 2009; Kolodinsky et al., 2008). Furthermore, the majority of empirical investigations have been conducted in countries like USA and Canada (e.g., Chamiec-Case, 2006; Delbecq, 2009; Dyck and Weber, 2006; James et al., 2011; Kinjerski and Skrypnek, 2006a-b, 2008; Liu and Robertson, 2011; Marques, 2006; Marques et al., 2007, 2011; Marschke, 2008; McKee et al., 2011; McKnight, 2005; Milliman et al. …

Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Knowledge Sharing Intention: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract: Knowledge forms a crucial source for gaining competitive advantage and its sharing a dominant challenge facing several organizations. In this paper we propose a positive role of workplace spiritual...

The scope and implications of spirituality: A dual approach

Abstract: This paper sheds more light on the topic of spirituality by clarifying what it embraces by means of a dual approach. Rather, it examines the secular literature as well as collecting related teachings and tenets from the Spiritism Doctrine. Although the discipline of spirituality is relatively young and its ontology needs consensus, it is noticeable that spirituality adopts different and competing things. It unfolds through the deeply understanding about the meaning of life, human nature, and transcendental perspective. It argues that we live in a suitable moment on this planet to take advantage of transformative potential derived from spiritual knowledge for the betterment of the human community. The evidence gathered here shows that by developing our own spirituality we can transform ourselves and our creations, including society and institutions. The approach of this endeavor reveals that both science and religion are in accordance that the spiritual element permeates all things.

Organizational Spirituality and Knowledge Sharing: A Model of Multiple Mediation

Abstract: The paper takes a supportive view of the integration of spirituality at workplace in influencing employee knowledge sharing attitude in organizations. The present empirical work employed multiple-mediation analysis to test a research model linking organizational spirituality (organizational culture marked with higher-order values) with knowledge sharing attitude through psychological flourishing and organizational trust as mediators. Findings suggest that the intervening variables of psychological flourishing and organizational trust fully mediate the effect of organizational spirituality on knowledge sharing attitude. However, the specific indirect effect of organizational trust is stronger in comparison to psychological flourishing. Theoretically, the paper complements the scholarship of workplace spirituality, as little attention has been given to studying the linkage between spirituality and knowledge sharing in organizations. The paper also helps to explore some of the variance in knowledge sharing attitude by collective level phenomenon. Practically, the paper provides insights for practitioners who attempt to expand their knowledge base which is considered an important dynamic capability that shapes an organization’s strategic flexibility to compete in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, chaos and ambiguity) environment.

A tale of two standards on responsible management education

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this article is to explore what ISO 26000, the global guidance standard for organizations wanting to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR), has to offer to improve the principles for responsible management education (PRME) and its implementation by business schools.Design/methodology/approach – Through an in‐depth analysis of ISO 26000 and beyond the general value of ISO 26000 in providing suggestions for CSR implementation, several insights for management education are derived. These insights are consequently applied to both the principles within the PRME framework and to results from research into the application of the PRME.Findings – The article argues that ISO 26000 offers insights related to the revival of corporate morality, the importance of idiosyncratic CSR (particularly relating to internal organizational processes), the credibility enhancement of PRME‐based CSR commitments and the importance of engaging in community involvement by business schools. Next to th...

Man's Search for Meaning

Abstract: When Beacon Press first published Man's Search for Meaning in 1959, Carl Rogers called it "one of the outstanding contributions to psychological thought in the last fifty years." In the thirty-three years since then, this book - at once a memoir, a self-help book, and a psychology manual - has become a classic that has sold more than three million copies in English language editions. Man's Search for Meaning tells the chilling and inspirational story of eminent psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz and other concentration camps for three years during the Second World War. Immersed in great suffering and loss, Frankl began to wonder why some of his fellow prisoners were able not only to survive the horrifying conditions, but to grow in the process. Frankl's conclusion - that the most basic human motivation is the will to meaning - became the basis of his groundbreaking psychological theory, logotherapy. As Nietzsche put it, "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl outlines the principles of logotherapy, and offers ways to help each one of us focus on finding the purpose in our lives. This new edition of Man's Search for Meaning includes a new preface by the author, in which he explains his decision to remain in his native Austria during the Nazi invasion, a choice which eventually led to his imprisonment. It also includes an updated bibliography of books, articles, records, films, videotapes, and audio tapes about logotherapy.

The “what”, “why” and “how” of spirituality in the workplace

Abstract: While the attention to workplace spirituality is growing, there is debate as to what exactly this term “spirituality” means. There seems to be multiple views of workplace spirituality. It could be argued that there are different definitions for the meaning of “spirituality” due to the very strong personal nature of the word itself. We argue that this multiple view of spirituality is a positive thing for organizations if managers attempt to understand differing spiritual views and also encourage all views within an organization. In this paper, we summarize the different perspectives of spirituality, discuss the benefits of encouraging spirituality within organizations, and examine different perspectives of implementing a spirituality‐based culture within firms.

Beyond Self-Interest Revisited†

Abstract: We revisit the self-interest view on human behaviour and its critique, and propose a framework, called self-love view, that integrates self-interest and unselfishness and provides different explanations of the relationship between preferences, behaviour, and outcomes. Proponents of self-interest as the only valid behavioural assumption argue for simplified assumptions and clear models in order to propose precise prescriptions, while critics to this self-interest view argue for realistic assumptions and rich descriptions in order to reach better explanations. This debate inhibits theoretical development because it faces the problem of incommensurability of standards for choosing among paradigms. We propose the concept of self-love, or the inclination of human beings to strive for their own good and perfection, to remove the assumption self-interest vs. unselfishness. Self-love distinguishes between the object and the subject of motivation and therefore creates a bi-dimensional motivational space. This framework replaces the unidimensional continuum self-interest–unselfishness, specifies eight interrelated motives, and provides different expected relationships between preferences, behaviour, and outcomes. We show that a better understanding of motivational assumptions, their embodiment in theories, and their influence on the very behaviours these theories assume provides managers and policymakers more alternatives for the designing of motivational contexts than in the case of assuming either self-interest or a permanent conflict between self-interest and unselfishness.

Measuring performance: the accounting perspective

Abstract: Introduction Accounting measures of performance have been the traditional mainstay of quantitative approaches to organizational performance measurement. However, over the past two decades, a great deal of attention has been paid to the development and use of non-financial measures of performance, which can be used both to motivate and report on the performance of business (and other) organizations. The impetus for such developments has come from both the bottom and the top of the organization. Much performance management at the operational level is carried out using specific indicators of performance, which are usually not measured in financial terms. At the most senior levels, although financial performance is inevitably a major consideration, there has been increasing recognition that other important factors in the effective running of the organization cannot be well captured by such measures. Thus, non-financial performance measures have undergone significant development, to the relative neglect of the development of improved financial measures. However, the recent publicity surrounding the marketing of economic value added (EVA ® ) as an overall measure of company performance by management consultants Stern Stewart can be seen as a sign of a new emphasis on the financial aspects of performance. The purpose of this contribution is to review the roles and functions of financial measures of organizational performance, and to outline the major features of their development, particularly in the latter half of the last century. It will be argued that there are three different major functions for financial performance measures, and that, although these functions overlap to some extent, major confusion can be caused by applying measures developed for one function to a different one.