What Is Workplace Spirituality?

0 Conversations

What do organizations such as Southwest Airlines, Ford Motor Company, Tom’s of Maine, Herman Miller, Tyson Foods, or Hewlett-Packard have in common? Among other characteristics, they’re among a number of organizations that have embraced workplace spirituality. Workplace spirituality is not about organized religious practices, theology, or one’s spiritual leader. Rather, workplace spirituality is about recognizing that employees have an inner life that nourishes and is nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of an organizational community.


A recent study of the concept identified three factors: interconnection with a higher power, interconnection with human beings, and interconnection with nature and all living things. Organizations that promote a spiritual culture recognize that employees have both a mind and a spirit, seek to find meaning and purpose in their work, and possess a desire to connect with other employees and be part of a community. Why the emphasis on spirituality in today’s organizations? Historical management models had no room for spirituality.


These models typically focused on organizations that were efficiently run without feelings toward others. Similarly, concern about an employee’s inner life had no role in managing organizations. But just as we’ve come to realize that the study of emotions improves our understanding of how and why people act the way they do in organizations, an awareness of spirituality can help one better understand employee work behavior in the twenty-first-century organization.


What does a spiritual organization look like? The concept of spirituality draws on the ethics, values, motivation, work/life balance, and leadership elements of an organization. Spiritual organizations are concerned with helping employees develop and reach their full potential. They’re also concerned with addressing problems created by work/life conflicts.

Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

There are no Conversations for this Entry

Entry

A87865898

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Written and Edited by

Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more