Spirituality in the Workplace

Spirituality in the Workplace

 

 

     Many companies try to separate church from state.  I agree that no one religion should be given reference over another; however, our spirituality is a part of our being.  Our spirituality is a personal part of us not a religious part of us.  Regardless of your religious or non-religious views, we all are spiritual beings.

     Spirituality is the idea of a process or journey of self-discovery and of learning not only who you are, but who you want to be and the challenge of reaching beyond your current limits. This can include keeping an open mind, questioning current beliefs, or trying to better understand others' beliefs. Spirituality is personal not RELGIOUS!  Spirituality is a higher power, whether rooted in a religion, nature, or some kind of unknown essence.  Its benefits are life altering.  Spirituality offers emotional and physical benefits to your life.  Developing your spiritual life can give you a sense of purpose and help you figure out where you are most passionate in your professional, social, and personal life. Some studies show that positive beliefs can comfort you and improve your health. People who have taken time to develop their spiritual life are also likely to better understand their needs.

     Use different methods to increase your spirituality in your life.  Community service gives you a sense of purpose when helping others even when you feel your life is unraveling.  Although in turmoil, you have a sense of peace just seeing how your efforts are helping others.  It also gives you a sense of gratitude because of what you do have instead of focusing on what is wrong.  Find a type of exercise that is relaxing and meaningful to the body physically and emotionally.  Yoga and Pilates are exercises that will give you peace through the stretching and meditation.  If you believe in a higher power, prayer will also give you a sense of peace.  A belief in a higher power gives you hope in things you have no control over.  

 

 

     Spirituality in the Workplace is a movement that began in the early 1920s. It emerged as a grassroots movement with individuals seeking to live their faith and/or spiritual values in the workplace.   Workplace spirituality has continued to gain acceptance as a topic of study in business schools across the country, presumably with application to practice within organizations. Though initially the topic of spirituality in the workplace may have been viewed as a passing fad, it now seems to have reached trend status. Management textbooks routinely include sections about “workplace spirituality,” and professional organizations such as the Academy of Management offer membership in special interest groups emphasizing spirituality.   Kent Rhodes says that in the wake of Enron 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.  Rhodes suggests a model for spirituality in the workplace.  These are the six (6) components:

·         Emphasizes sustainability

·         Values Contributions

·         Prizes Creativity

·         Cultivates Illusions

·         Develops Principles

·         Promotes Vocations

     To emphasize sustainability, an organization must incorporate its structure to contribute to the greater good of the world.  How is what you doing enriching the lives of consumers or involved parties?  This systemic view of global business means that a company will constantly reassess the long view of risks and rewards associated with doing business in the long run, including a careful ongoing review of potentially negative and unintended consequences of business decisions on individuals, societies, or the environment.  

     American companies historically have fundamentally understood that part of their role is to make the world a better place through the products or services that they sell. Today’s spiritual organization is deliberate in implementing a vision that is built around contributions to the betterment of mankind. It promotes work outside of the organization that contributes to and “gives back” to society through community and volunteer service. Spiritually aware managers and businesses consider themselves servants of employees, customers, and the community.  This is a great valuable contribution to society.

     Creativity is a necessary part of the business cycle.  The spiritual workplace recognizes that being creative is not necessarily reserved for a special few, but that all people have creative capacities. A spiritual workplace provides resources to help people to uncover their creative potential and to practice creativity within the organization. 

      Spiritual organizations have once been excluded from the workplace.  Many people interchanged spirituality for religion in the past which lead to the exclusion.  We are more understanding of the differences now thus are doing more to include spiritual organizations into the workplace.  They have a sense that the concepts of love and acceptance within a cultural context of care builds a sense of community that supports the work of the company and that has a direct impact on the bottom line.  

     Organizations have begun to realize the benefits of treating the whole person by actively supporting the formulation of ethical principles that promote personal growth, long-term character development, and personal connections of faith and work development. Assisting employees in integrating personal growth, learning, and faith with job performance benefits the organization. This type of principled emphasis includes providing resources that help employees better understand themselves, develop successful professional and personal relationships, and enhance personal management skills. Employees are encouraged to develop an accurate and realistic sense of the impact that other people have on them and the impact that they have on others.

     Organizations have long been aware of the benefits of shared ownership of corporate values by every member of the organization. By acknowledging that one’s general search for spiritual growth and fulfillment need not be separate from one’s work, organizations lay the groundwork for spiritual development to assist in engendering understanding among employees. Companies that understand workplace spirituality go beyond being supportive of learning and development by helping employees develop a sense of “calling” or identification of passion about their lives and their work. Such companies emphasize the discovery and appropriate utilization of individual giftedness and encourage employees to use their unique skills within the organization. Grounded religious faith development is recognized as an important and deeply personal part of growth for many people, one that can help them more easily recognize their vocations.

    The six components can be used as building blocks for a model of workplace spirituality.  It can also serve as a partial framework for engaging in a broader conversation of spirituality’s place and influence in Western culture. The United States is trying to reclaim and recognize the spiritual nature of people and the importance of incorporating the “whole person” at work to continue to change the face of how business is done in America for the foreseeable future.

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/six-components-of-a-model-for-workplace-spirituality/

http://swc.osu.edu/about-us/spirituality/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workplace_spirituality