Employees who demonstrate deeply held religious beliefs can create the perception of discriminating against non … 8. Definitions & Examples. Still, the growing number of successful faith-friendly and faith-based employers serves as testament that religion and spirituality can flourish in the workplace. To be clear, workplace spirituality is not about religious beliefs. Dandona, Anu (2013). Some people might think there’s no place for religion at work, but you have protected rights to act on your beliefs. Spirituality involves a sense of connectedness, meaning making and transcendence. There is abundant published research that focuses on the importance of spirituality to patients and their families during times of illness and distress. It is difficult to define, thereby rendering it nearly impossible to examine. It is a skill of life-leadership, yet it is so fundamental to the success of all of the above that I chose to make it stand out. N. Mjagkij and M. Spratt, Men and Women Adrift: The YMCA and the YWCA in the City (New York: New York University Press, 1997); and. Yet, if we can make capitalism the horse in front of the carriage to secure movement of doing good – then results much greater in scope will occur. Moreover, global leaders are not only expected to see a strategy through on a global level; they also need to balance all acts with local demands across nations and cultures to name just a few things. Definitions & Examples, For Change to Happen, You Have to Take Action. One which they want to show-off. See W. James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (New York: Collier Books, 1961). 11. They say that part of the Warrior Spirit (company language) is about having a servant’s heart and a LUVing attitude. INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE Changes in religious preference in the US population influence religious tolerance in the workplace (Scheitle & Ecklund, 2017). P.B. T. Moore, ed., The Education of the Heart: Reading and Sources for Care of the Soul, Soul Mates, and The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life (New York: HarperCollins, 1996). Why? Ensure that all managers are on board. Making religion and the workplace comfortable bedfellows comes down to making a distinction between religion and spirituality for Wharton’s Friedman. 2019]. 8 Complexity Management Strategies that will Help you Cope, Henry Mintzberg about some Half-Truths of Management, Eight Reasons why Comedians make Good Leaders. While understanding what is workplace spirituality it is worth the effort – and crucial – understanding also what it is not. See: D. Macic, Managing with the Wisdom of Love: Uncovering Virtue in People and Organizations (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997). Corporate culture is largely influenced by outside views on religion and spirituality. While these things obviously are important, don’t let them be your starting point. How to handle religion in the workplace is a contentious and litigious issue that many business leaders struggle with. Be consistent. Some call workplace spirituality the most significant trend in management since the human-potential movement in the 50s. The role of spirituality and religion in the workplace (SRW) is a relatively new area of inquiry that has emerged from scholarly fields not typically associated with the study of the psychology of religion and spirituality. Encourage self-awareness. van der Walt, Freda and Mias De Klerk (2014). Get free, timely updates from MIT SMR with new ideas, research, frameworks, and more. Academics speak of ‘groundbreaking work’ and positive results (van der Walt & De Klerk 2014). International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, Vol. Again – it undermines genuineness. Spirituality at work is about leaders and followers who understand themselves as spiritual beings who have a sense of calling that provides meaning and purpose for their lives. The first time the floor manager looked sharply at the people talking by the watercooler and said: ‘don’t you have better things to do? Dimensions of spirituality are, for example, spiritual well-being, spiritual transcendence, spiritual development, spiritual wellness, spiritual distress, spiritual intelligence, spiritual self-consciousness, spiritual growth, and spiritual health (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz 2010: 8). McAllister (2016): What spiritual Intelligence Qualities are most Important for an Effective Organization Development Practitioner? How to Lead, Manage and Motivate Knowledge Workers. Workplace spirituality and job satisfaction, The Importance Role of Religions and Spirituality, 10 Guidelines for Estimating Project Effort in Project Management, Four Ways your Name can Affect your Job Prospects, Different Types of Leadership and Management Styles – Quick Overview. & Carol L. Jurkiewicz (2010): Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance. Let’s add a few definitions, to more fully grasp what is workplace spirituality and how understandings of it may vary. Moreover, it increases awareness, job satisfaction, creativity, and general well-being. You must sign in to post a comment.First time here? When we listen and are genuinely curious as to why another person thinks the way he/she does – then we understand and feel connected with this person rather than disconnected. Founder and Editor-in-Chief at ManageMagazine. Research reports – one after the other – are providing evidence of extraordinary positive results in organizations that focus on spirituality. The final total is that modern organizations are commonly struggling with employee-related problems such as stress-related illnesses, burnout, people not coming to work (absenteeism), violence, and corruption. religion and Eastern thinking such as Zen and Taoism may be perceived as philosophies or values. Besides mentioning its benefits it moreover provides some ‘hooks’ on which we can hang ideas and greater understandings of what is workplace spirituality. Workplace spirituality is not about religion or conversion, or about accepting a specific belief system. A combination of different approaches helps us to view spirituality from a new perspective. There is no other simple way than just asking them. They saw spirituality, on the other hand, as a highly appropriate subject for discussion. If spirituality is a fundamental, important human experience, why has it not received serious attention and systematic treatment?5 Some reasons for this neglect are: Ian I. Mitroff is the Harold Quinton Distinguished Professor of Business Policy, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.Elizabeth A. Denton is an organizational consultant. Conger et al., Spirit at Work: Discovering the Spirituality in Leadership (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1994); B. Cohen and J. Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's Double-Dip: Lead with Your Values and Make Money, Too(New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997); B. DeFoore and J. Ronesch, Rediscovering the Soul of Business: A Renaissance of Values (San Francisco: NewLeaders Press, 1995); M. Novak, Business as a Calling: Work and the Examined Life (New York: Free Press, 1996); and. READ ALSO: What is Situational Leadership Theory? It is claimed that such systematic links exist between the actual profitability of organizations and their spiritual beliefs; however, it is probably too early to say at this point that such linkages are definitive. 4. Next, we’ll be looking into how to encourage and implement a culture of spirituality in the workplace, and then we shall return to explain the benefits of workplace spirituality in more detail. 5 free articles per month, $6.95/article thereafter, free newsletter. They could deploy more of their full creativity, emotions, and intelligence; in short, organizations viewed as more spiritual get more from their participants, and vice versa. See I.I. If you want compassion and consideration to signify your organization, it will confuse employees if, for example, customer support is known to not work by these principles. • Management with a mission will replace management of efficiency and control. Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality, Leadership: Hicks, Douglas A.: Amazon.nl Selecteer uw cookievoorkeuren We gebruiken cookies en vergelijkbare tools om uw winkelervaring te verbeteren, onze services aan te bieden, te begrijpen hoe klanten onze services gebruiken zodat we verbeteringen kunnen aanbrengen, en om advertenties weer te geven. 14. People are hungry for ways in which to practice spirituality in the workplace without offending their coworkers or causing acrimony. With Dandona’s words: “Spirituality at work integrates three different perspectives on how spirituality enables or leads to organizational performance:  a) Human resources perspective: spirituality enhances employee well-being and quality of life; b) Philosophical perspective: spirituality provides employees a sense of purpose and meaning at work; c) Interpersonal perspective: spirituality provides employees a sense of interconnectedness and community” (Dandona 2013). • Management will also resort to spiritual ways of resolving conflict. Can religion and spirituality promote ethical behaviour in the workplace? Avoid actions – at all levels and at all costs, that to your knowledge hurt people, organizations, or the planet. Encourage employees to explore their creative abilities and provide them the resources they need for it. While it is overlooked by some, it is embraced by others. Cavanaugh & Bandsuch (2002): Virtue as a Benchmark for Spirituality in Business. • Bosses will treat employees in a responsible, respectful, and caring way because people are not instruments to be used and exploited. Research shows how this holds to be particularly true in organizations where spirituality is absent (Nasina & Doris 2011). It is about care, compassion and support of others; about integrity and people being true to themselves and others. quarterly magazine, free newsletter, entire archive. Instead, step by step, turn your organization into one that employees can be proud of. Does being Religious or Spiritual make you more Ethical at Work? On the heels of Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley and the subsequent birth of the ethics consulting industry, conversations around the value and place of spirituality in the workplace have been further encouraged by the need for managers and leaders to behave more ethically in the world and to foster ethical decision-making in their workforces. Workplace spirituality is more focused on the theme of tolerance, patience, the feel of interconnectivity, purpose and acceptability of the mind to the norms of the organization, integrated together to shape personal values, whereas religion is marked by a specific belief system, a particular system of faith and set of beliefs (Afsar & Rehman, 2015). They viewed religion as a highly inappropriate form of expression and topic in the workplace. • There will be an improvement in morale, job satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity. Recruit people that buy into your purpose… your brand agenda, mission, and vision statements. These events continue to impact the marketplace, yet decision makers are … I hope this article has given you a better understanding of what is workplace spirituality, its benefits, and how to encourage it in your own workplace. content, Religion and Spirituality in the Workplace Faith in the workplace and the level of accommodations employers should allow is an increasing problem. Integrity, honesty, confidence, and self-discipline are just some of the values that express spirituality. • There will be a shift from fear-based culture to love-based culture. Wong, Paul T. P. (1998): The Importance Role of Religions and Spirituality [accessed May 23. Giacalone, Robert A. 9. People are hungry for ways in which to practice spirituality in the workplace without offending their coworkers or causing acrimony. If you feel important issues or points are left out, please leave a comment below so we can discuss it further. To cultivate an environment of inclusion, cultivate an environment of listening and curiosity. The World as an Oyster: What Shapes the Way you Think... How to be a Better Leader – According to Science. You are conscious about how people prosper when feeling meaning and purpose in their work-life and through being given creative space – and this is why you do it. 3. Make your purpose greater than the individual. Account. Likewise, be certain to initiate working with workplace spirituality because you genuinely want to increase the well-being and happiness of employees while lifting your organization. Specifically, King was interested in the influence that religion had on public administration. Dik and others published Religion, spirituality, and a sense of calling in the workplace | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate READ ALSO: Does being Religious or Spiritual make you more Ethical at Work? Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality, Leadership (English Edition) eBook: Hicks, Douglas A.: Amazon.nl: Kindle Store Neal (1997) believes spirituality in the workplace has little to do with religion. Religion divides people. Accept also that some will welcome workplace spirituality efforts warmer than others. Religion and Spirituality in the Workplace Today there are over 900 religious employee resource groups, according to the International Coalition of Workplace Ministries (Cañas & Sondak, 2010). A very timely and topical Article here, Vibeke, as we’re witnessing a growing trend of Articles related to this subject matter. Therefore, the most common expressions of spirituality in the workplace are both humanistic and performance-oriented. Management research and ideas to transform how people lead and innovate. Emmons, R. (2000): Spirituality and Intelligence: Problems and Prospects. In this empirical study of spirituality in the workplace,1 we report on our results from interviews with senior executives and from questionnaires sent to HR executives and managers.2 In general, the participants differentiated strongly between religion and spirituality. Since there are many benefits for business in purpose-driven visions that aim to improve the world in one way or the other – it is a win-win really. What is Situational Leadership Theory? These affinity groups can help encourage religious understanding by offering panel discussions that educate employees on their beliefs. When this happens, we will see the following changes in the workplace” (Dandona 2013): • The organization will become purpose-driven and meaning-based. • Management learns to truly listen and builds a safe place where employees can speak the truth without fear of repercussions. Thank you for your comment, Dennis. 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