Spirituality at Work and the Role of Management

Spirituality at Work and the Role of ManagementResearch Purpose and Questions            Can the Spirit be managed? Can one manage with Spirit? Are there such things as spiritual management and spiritual managers?... [ view full abstract ]

Spirituality at Work and the Role of Management

Research Purpose and Questions

           Can the Spirit be managed? Can one manage with Spirit? Are there such things as spiritual management and spiritual managers? Do academia and the practice of management need to know about the Spirit at work? This is just a taste of the questions the proposed study is intrigued to uncover.

The new types of organizations and employment contracts presuppose different kinds of management styles and managers’ characteristics. Hence, a logical deduction suggests the presence of a spiritual style management, as long as the product is the fruit of the spirit. Using this Biblical metaphor (‘love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,’ NIV, Galatians 5:22-23), what can be the fruits of the spirit at work? Can the creation of a spiritual ambiance substitute any management functions? Will this continue to weaken the mediating role of management in the employer-employee relationship?

            Design and Methodology

The research questions above are a good sample of Q-Thinking (Adams, 2016)–a form of brainstorming where the goal is to produce more quest-worthy questions instead of answers. The premise is that people’s mission is guided by the type of questions they seek to answer, which is what provides meaning in life and work. In addition, the methodology suggested here will employ a combination of literature review and a qualitative study of the perceptions of single individuals’ cases from one organization on spirituality at work (Cassell & Symon, 1994).

Literature Review

This study will conduct a multi-disciplinary literature review in the fields of management, HRD (Human Resources Development), OB (Organizational Behavior), psychology, and religious studies.

Spirituality at Work

The quest continues fifteen years after Pfeffer’s 2003 article “Business and the Spirit: Management Practices That Sustain Values.” It all started with the reasoning that employees’ eyes are on the good or bad motives of their managers. Management’s intent (just as any human intent) is benevolent or malevolent because of the Spirit. Organizational missions, or simple management directions that are in contradiction with who people really are, send a destructive message to the spirit of workers (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000), who are not only rational, but also sentient, emotional, and spirited beings. On the other hand, work that is meaningful is nourishing and edifying to the human spirit. Dimitrov (2012) reviewed sources of meaningfulness at work that could build the human spirit if supported by management: work itself, personal spirituality at work, pride from the product, supportive social environment, and promoting the features of the humane organization (HO).

Autonomy, Freedom, and Trust - Spiritual Needs and Fruits

Being able to take decisions at work, to have autonomy of actions, and to exercise responsibility are conditions pertaining to the human spirit. This is the reason why many organizations that provide these conditions drive motivation and satisfaction records: SAS Institute, The Men’s Warehouse, Southwest Airlines, etc. (Pfeffer, 2003). Conversely, ‘In a world in which some are told what to do by others, the self-esteem of those doing the telling may be enhanced, but those being told are not likely to develop much belief in their worth, competency, or value.’ (Pfeffer, 2003, p. 35). Quite the opposite reaction occurs – the spirit is suppressed and molded – it either rebels or complies with the self-fulfillment prophecy to become unreliable and trust-unworthy. In addition, fear as a motivator leads to internal competition, selfishness, loss of talent, demoralized staff, theft, and embezzlement– all negative moral issues, born by a bitter human spirit.

Work-Life Balance as a Condition for Workplace Spirituality

Another spiritual dimension Pfeffer (2003) discussed is when organizations are making people choose between their work commitments and their family-and-friends life. He rightfully advocated working people’s impoverished spirits by such management demands. Hence, work-life balance (WLB) is seen as a spiritual need, in addition to being a lifestyle and a basic human need (Maslow, 1954). Here also, it is personality and consciousness that are metaphysically referred to as spirit.  This “search for spiritual fulfillment, appears to be increasingly manifested in work settings” (Ashforth & Pratt, 2003, p. 93), as confirmed by Mitroff and Denton (1999). However, the question of how much can individuals explore their own spirituality “within a prefabricated organizational reality” (Ashforth & Pratt, 2003,  p. 93) still remains more acutely ostentatious than ever.

The Spirit in Religion

Is spirituality at work spiritual in nature or does it have to do with the way various cultures and social needs are displayed? The answer is – there might be a religious root of the word “spirit,” but its current meaning at work is modified in essence (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003). Going back to the etymology, “spirit” is “breath” from the Latin “spiritus,” which is different from the Latin “anima” signifying “soul.” In Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, and old French that distinction also exists, which leads to the English dichotomy of spirit-soul.

Spirit as Humanism. It is a natural mistake to identicate the meaning of two etymologically different words (“soul” and “spirit”), which is frequently the case in media and social science (including management). People at work need to be a part of something, to be appreciated, to develop, to self-actualize (Maslow, 1954), to be in a meaningful social collective (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003). The latter can all stem from a spiritual need, which, in fact, is not spiritual in nature because it belongs to the soul. In other words, the moral-ethical discernment of the Spirit, even though derived from Scripture in Christianity (the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 listed previously), is simply humanism and human piety. The distinction of the humanistic and naturalistic from the supernatural allows for the fruits of the Spirit to exist apart from the divine grace - just based on human efforts.

The Spirit in the Bible. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, it was God’s Breath who gave life on earth (NIV, Genesis 1:1-2); hence, the Spirit (God) is supernatural in essence. The Spirit is an ever-present, ubiquitous, incorporeal presence (being) that is creative and can bring to life and existence. In addition, Yong (2004) writes, ‘The Christian assumption is that besides the Holy Spirit of God, there are other spirits, perhaps unholy ones-human, institutional, even demonic-that are operative in the world in general and in the religions particularly.’ (p. 191).

The Spirit in Buddhist-Cristian Studies. Even though there is no exact equivalent of Spirit in Buddhist religion, there is a pneumatological approach to discourse that enables negotiation of norms and standards between religious hermeneutics (Amos, 2004). The Buddhist tradition speaks of Sunyata that liberates people to the truth – “a wondrous state of great freedom…” (Chang, 1971, p. 108), which, contradictorily, ‘negates the laws of identity’ (Yong, 2004, p. 202) in order to achieve enlightenment (in Christian terms - salvation).

Interview Results

            A pilot data will be presented from the imbedded cases of five employees from a non-profit Christian organization in the United States. These individuals were interviewed in 2017 regarding the concept of the Humane Organization (HO), which was found to relate to the ideas of workplace spirituality (Dimitrov, 2009). The participants were interviewed on a modified interview guide from Dimitrov’s (2009) empirical study and asked how spirituality relates to their work environment and the nature of leadership in their organization.

Implications

Research Implications/Limitations

This search is conducted for the benefit of the studies of management, HRD, and OB. The paper is also expected to expand the understanding of the spiritual workplace concept. The latter would be possible because the HO is closely related with spirituality at work (Dimitrov, 2009), but also because the studied non-profit is a religious organization built on a spiritual mission and principals. The limitations spring from studying just one organization, in addition to its nature being an ideal-purpose, non-profit, Christian church on the East coast of the United States.

Practical Implications

            This new discussion on the meaning of spirituality at work will be especially beneficial to the new styles of management in a global economy of altered employment relationships. New models of employee management and development, as well as new (spiritual) features of leadership, will bring a fresh perspective in the HRD and OB practices.

Social Implications

             The results will aim immediate implementation into the lives of millions and millions of working souls who carry spirits, as well as for the betterment and elevation of society. The quest will bring light into one philosophical and very existential question – Where are we as species?

Originality and Value

             As Eisler and Montuori (2003) said, ‘Imbuing the world of business with partnership spirituality will not solve all our problems. But it will gradually change what is considered normal and right’ (p. 55). Business with spiritualty in mind, becomes the sustainable new way of boosting productivity and achieving competitive edge. What would be the ethical and economic implications if all men and women knew what is right or wrong, good or bad, moral or immoral at work? (based on NIV, Hebrews 8:10, where God’s law is inscribed on human minds and hearts).

References