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Workplace spirit
1. Workplace Spirituality:
An Issue for Learning and
Quality
of Work Life
Kim Nimon Van VanBebber
Jeff Allen
University of North Texas
2. Why this Topic?
95% of Americans believe in God or a
universal spirit (Gallup poll)
Spirituality - 2nd most important factor in
personal satisfaction (USA Weekend poll)
Spirited workplaces outperform spiritually
weak companies (Harvard Business School)
3. Historical Review
Spirituality is central to almost every
human culture from ancient to
modern
Industrial revolution stripped away
much
of what makes us human
Human relations era recognized the
cognitive contributions of a worker
Spiritual element is an emerging field
4. A Living Example
Note the various elements of the
human person
Physical Able to make and use
tools to build and create
Cognitive Able to think, solve
problems and find
improved ways to build
and create
Spiritual Able to connect with
others with a desire
5. What is it?
Deeply held values that
guide life and work
practices (Butts, 1999)
6. What is it?
Recognition that employees
have an inner life that
nourishes and is nourished
by meaningful work that
take place in the context of
community
(Ashmos & Duchon, 2000)
7. What is it?
Framework of organizational
values evidenced in the culture
that promotes employee’s
experience of transcendence
through the work process,
facilitating their sense of being
connected to others in way that
provides feelings of
completeness and joy (Giacalone
& Jurkiewicz, 2003)
8. Common Themes
Transcendence - belonging
to something larger than
oneself
Holism - harmony, balance ,
and connectedness
Growth - self development,
self actualization
10. Challenges
Spirituality is an
individual trait
Potential for exploitation
rather than growth
Recognizing spirituality is
part of a system
Can spirituality and
religion be kept
11. Conclusion
Spiritual intervention is not a
matter of introducing spirituality
to the work place – it is
already there.
Rather, it is a matter of
recognizing and nurturing the
human spirit for the mutual
benefit of the individual, the
work group, and the
12. Workplace Spirituality:
An Issue for Learning and
Quality
of Work Life
Kim Nimon Kim.Nimon@unt.edu
Jeff Allen Jeff.Allen@unt.edu
University of North Texas
Editor's Notes
Workplace spirituality is an important trend in human performance technology. It uniquely provides for organizational performance by acknowledging the importance of the inner life of the employee. By embracing the spirit of their employees, organizations will not only increase their organizational effectiveness, but, they will also leave a legacy for future employees to create the kind of community and world in which they want to work and live.
Historical, sociological, and anthropological works have found spirituality to be virtually universal in human cultures from ancient primitive to modern urban cultures. The industrial revolution changed the world from agriculture to industry and changed how people interacted with each other. Workers were treated as commodities or as interchangeable parts that could easily be replaced.With the Hawthorne studies we recognized the social, mental, emotional elements that each worker brings to the workplace and the impact the cognitive element has on organizational performance.Spirituality is emerging in much of the management, leadership and motivation literature but much more has yet to be learned.
Take the individual person. We immediately recognize the ability to physically change and adapt the physical environment. In the work setting people can use and create tools in order to create even more useful itemsWe are also well aware that the person comes to work with a mind full of ideas, attitudes, personality, and emotions. Organizations than have tapped this valuable resource have greatly benefited from it. A third element is the Spirit, that connects this individual to others and to the universe. The spirit seeks to become part of something larger than itself, it strives for balance and wholeness and desires perform at it’s best. The spirit has largely been ignored by organizations yet persons with strong spiritual motivation are typically standout performers.Consider the soldier who gives his life for his comradesThe Police officer who serves to protect the public at her own personal riskThe dedicated teacher who struggles to help a troubled student succeed.Or the production worker who performs in an outstanding manner because of the inner commitment to herself, her team and her organization
Aetna - Chairman praises the benefits of meditation and talks with Aetna employees about using spirituality in their careersRockport Shoes – encourages employees to spend work time envisioning ways to express their deepest selves in their work.Toro – Practices servant leadership and credit it with the success they have earned since their troubles in 1981.Southwest Airlines –Southwest Airlines – Overview values-based organization. Operates according to a strong set of nonreligious, non-spiritual values – or virtues. At southwest people are most important resource; hire based on attitude and train for skills. Underling their heart logo, it the value that the company is a family of people who truly care about each other Ben and Jerry’s – Overview socially responsible organization – Distinct from a values-based in that organizational departments are infused with soul and spirituality. Social agenda permeates their day to day activities. For profit organization in service for not-for-profit goals or a not-for profit organization or vica-versa. They use their stores to promote social action campaigns and give 10% of profit away and seek to grow so they can give more away.Tom’s of Maine – Evolved from the founder’s awakening to feeling of disappointment, depress, and disillusionment. Took a four-year sabbatical to study at Harvard Divinity School. Came back to revamp the company. Changed the goal from making profit to identifying profit as a mean to an end, where the end is defined as affirming the health and dignity of individuals, the community, and the environment. This evolution took time as his stakeholders where not on the same page. He practiced active listening and allows time for the company to reexamine the principles on which the business is founded. Bottom line habits no longer drive the company. Now it gives away 10% of pretax profit and give employees four hours/month to volunteer, uses all natural ingredients.
Spirituality is being considered by some as the 6th personality factor, identifying some of the variance in leadership that cannot be explained by the other five factors (OCEAN)If that’s true, can you train people to be more spiritual?Can spirituality and religion be kept separate? How will our global economy affect this trend?There is a concern expressed in the literature that organizations may attempt to use the concept of spirituality at work as a tool to increase productivity. We need to recognize workplace spirituality as the right thing to do and practice it in an authentic manner.Workplace spirituality must take place within the context of a system. We must ask if the goals of the practices have a potential direct or indirect negative impact on employees or other stakeholders.Constructs are in developmentEmotional topicWhy They Call It WorkContrast to Blessing study
