Abstract
Dear Readers
The increased interest in linking ‘spirituality’ with effective leadership and good management practices in work organisations is on the rise globally. Thus, spirituality is seen increasingly as an important factor in the workplace. However, a vast majority of the research studies on spirituality at work have addressed a western context and have yet to take firm root in Indian organisations. But before we dig deep into the subject further, it might be useful to get an understanding of the meaning(s) associated with spirituality.
First and foremost, one needs to distinguish between spirituality and religion. Being spiritual does not mean the same thing as being religious. According to researchers (Zsolnai, 2004),
[S]pirituality refers to a search for meaning that transcends material well-being. It is a focus on basic, deep-rooted human values, and a relationship with a universal source, power, or divinity. Religions evoke this spiritual essence through an institutionalized set of collectively shared beliefs and rituals that vary from culture to culture. For some, spirituality is found through organized religion, but for others spirituality is a more personal affair.
Another noted view (Cash & Gray, 2000) in this respect is that
religion is a broader concept that is far from spirituality, which comprises an association of organizational structure and specific rites and rigours. In addition, spirituality is considered as being derived from the inner consciousness that is beyond the learnt and taught belief systems.
As aptly put by a researcher (Narayanaswamy, 2013),
While both are needed, it is spirituality that is most urgently needed. Religion deals with the outer world of rules, conduct and worldly engagement. Its focus is on the outer world. Spirituality deals with the inner world and teaches us that it is important to engage the outside from the inside.
Having looked at spirituality and religion, let us shift our focus to understanding the broader context of spirituality in management. Researchers (Petchsawanga & Duchon, 2009) have identified four components of workplace spirituality. These are.
Mindfulness, Meaningful work, Transcendence and Compassion.
Simply put in their definition ‘the workplace spirituality is a means to increase engagement through compassion towards others and developing an inner consciousness in the pursuit of meaningful work’.
More comprehensively, it can be said that ‘workplace spirituality’ or ‘organisation spirituality’ involves the following themes and notions (Al-Qutop & Hussein, 2014).
Employees engage in meaningful work/job. An employee feels having a meaningful job, serving a higher purpose in life with greater responsibility, involving contribution to welfare of others and the common good. A clear shared vision and mission, focusing on global well-being common good. Integration/alignment of personal development and long-term personality with job performance. Admit that every individual has talents, creative capacities and potential. S/he must be allowed and encouraged to unleash and nurture such potentials and capacities, towards reaching full potentials. Help an employee develop a sense of call through one’s work (vocationally) and experience a feeling of joy and bliss. Emphasising a full awareness of the need and work for ‘sustainable growth/development’ requires full recognition of the limited resources, and sincere interest in protecting, saving and enhancing our planet and what lives on it.
In another research study (Gupta et al., 2014), workplace spirituality at the organisational level is referred to as the corporate feeling that is indicative of the work environment of the organisation. In this study (Gupta et al., 2014), a cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 100 payroll employees in private insurance companies in Punjab. A correlation analysis showed a positive relationship between all the dimensions of spirituality in the workplace, that is, meaningful work, sense of community, organisational values, compassion and job satisfaction.
Interestingly ‘The spirituality in management perspective extends traditional reflections on corporate purpose and focuses on a self-referential organizational-existential search for meaning, identity and success’ (Mitroff, 1998).
Very simplistically articulated ‘A consensus is emerging on the principal elements of spirituality for working people. It includes acknowledging God, the importance of prayer, other people and a sustainable world’ (Cavanagh, 1999).
These days in India, we are also getting interested in exploring different facets of spirituality in management, especially in the context of work organisations. Although a lot of work is happening in this area, the awareness among HR practitioners is still relatively less. Researchers (Fenwick & Lange, 1998) believe that spirituality at work is particularly applicable to the field of HRD because it goes beyond traditional cognitive and behavioural approaches to work and career development by addressing holistically learning and personal growth.
Keeping this fact in the background, we have decided to bring our current issue on the theme ‘spirituality in management’.
So How Does It Work at an Individual Level?
At the individual level, the emphasis is placed on employee development and organisational performance, focusing on the ‘spiritual’ self and identity in relation to work, which has contributed to various professional development and management initiatives, ranging from leadership development and mindfulness, to introducing meditation rooms in organisations. (Tzouramani & Karakas, 2016)
The perspective of ‘spirituality in management’ is vast and can be explored from numerous angles. However, the following relevant questions can be extremely helpful for us to further explore this area as HR professionals (Zsolnai, 2004).
What kind of a business paradigm is appropriate to meet the ecological and social reality of our age? What could be the role of spirituality in transforming contemporary management theory and praxis? How are self and identity related to spirituality in a managerial context? What contributions can be expected from different religious traditions and their value perspectives for the renewal of corporations and their cultures? What should managers do to provide opportunities for spiritual growth and reflection in the workplace? What are the implications of transpersonal experience and non-ordinary states of consciousness for ethics in general and for business ethics in particular? How can a spiritual perspective on leadership serve the integrity and wholeness of human beings?
Various research studies pointed out that there are three distinct outcomes of introducing spirituality in management at work organisations (Karakas, 2010). These outcomes clearly indicate how spirituality benefits employees and supports organisational performance. These are as follows.
Spirituality enhances employee well-being and quality of life; Spirituality provides employees a sense of purpose and meaning at work and Spirituality provides employees a sense of interconnectedness and community
Researches have also shown that spirituality in workplace has a positive impact on the organisational commitment of individual employees (Hisam & Sanyal, 2021). The findings of this study (Hisam & Sanyal, 2021) suggested that meaningful work has the highest impact on organisational commitment, followed by inner life and a sense of community. Another significant pointer in this study seems to indicate that organisational values have been found not to have a significant effect on organisational commitment.
Today all organisations across the country are struggling to keep their employees engaged and retained in their work. It is in this context that management researchers and HR professionals are trying to explore an alternate perspective where organisations can use interventions to meet the needs of their employee’s intrinsic benefits beyond the material rewards of a job. In this connection, I would like to cite this interesting research study (Habeeb, 2019) conducted in the BFSI sector in Punjab to assess the relationship between organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), workplace spirituality (WS) and job performance (JP). Results revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between OCB, WS and JP. However, findings also showed that OCB is not a moderator between WS and JP.
Another cross-sectional study conducted with 600 white-collar workers, chosen from two organisations in different industries in South Africa, reported that there was a positive relationship between workplace spirituality and job satisfaction (der Walt & De Klerk, 2014).
Numerous research studies, in addition to the above ones, have already proven that the workspace spirituality is co-related with various work outcomes. Researchers Petchsawanga and Duchon (2009) have aptly put across, ‘The premise is that a “whole” person (i.e., one who finds expression of his/her spiritual side at work) will be a “better” or more productive employee than one who is not “whole”’.
Today, as many Indian organisations are struggling to manage their employee attrition by combatting recent phenomena such as ‘great resignation’ and ‘quiet quitting’, HRD professionals are needed to develop an improved understanding of employee behaviour at work. It is in this context that there is an urgent need for studying employee behaviour from spiritual dimensions apart from normally studied physical and psychological dimensions. Although in Indian organisations, the physical and psychological dimensions of individuals at work have been studied extensively, the studies on spiritual dimensions have been very few. Needless to say, therefore, connecting spirituality with work outcomes opens up newer possibilities to approach HR interventions such as talent acquisition, learning and development, performance evaluation and various other career development interventions. It is my earnest hope that this issue of the NHRDN journal will evoke more interest among HR professionals and researchers in this less-studied/researched area. As a natural consequence, therefore, many of them will initiate plans to study workplace spirituality in greater depth. Results achieved from these studies will surely influence introduction of newer HR interventions in organisations aiming at various employee developmental and productivity enhancing outcomes.
Before I end, my editorial (I on behalf of my editorial board) would like to thank Professor T. S. Sreekumar, from Vivekananda Yoga University, who readily agreed to guest edit this issue on ‘Spirituality in Management: “Timeless Wisdom for Modern Times”’. This topic is relatively less researched in the Indian context, yet a very contemporary topic, he took all the responsibilities on his shoulder to not only identify contributors from both practicing and academic communities but also relentlessly pursued them so as to make sure the issue is out in time. I am sure all of you will find the contents of this issue extremely useful and learn-worthy. Needless to say, both practitioners and researchers who are interested to know more about the area of ‘spirituality in management’ and its application in the field of HR will find this issue not only relevant but also insightful.
Finally, I am happy to share with you that we have finalised the two contemporary themes for next year. These are as follows.
January 2023 issues will be focusing on the theme ‘Employee Relations in India: Current Context and Emerging Paradigm’, and it will be guest edited by Dr L. R. K. Krishnan, Professor, VIT Business School, Vellore. April 2023 issues will be focusing on the theme ‘Driving CSR and Sustainability Culture: The Role of HR’, and it will be guest edited by Dr Mousumi Padhi, Associate Professor, XIM University, Bhubaneswar.
Please continue to offer your feedback and suggestions for improving the content and reach of our journal at
Happy reading.