ABSTRACT
Spirituality at workplace has
emerged as an important area in the present times, attracting attention from
various quarters. It can be simply said that all people bring spirituality as
an integral part of themselves to the workplace. Spirituality is a state or
experience that can provide individuals with direction or meaning, or provide
feelings of understanding, support, inner wholeness or connectedness.
Spirituality is an awareness of us, others, God and the universe, which reveals
meaning in everyday life. Using a scale prepared to measure workplace
spirituality in the Asian context, it can be defined as having compassion
toward others, experiencing a mindful inner consciousness in the pursuit of
meaningful work and that enables transcendence. It is vital because people work
with not only their hands, but also with their hearts/spirit. It is when people
work with their hearts or spirit that they find meaning and purpose of their
lives and work and self-actualize. It can reduce stress, conflict, and
absenteeism and also enhance work performance.
The present empirical study is an
attempt to examine the experiences of a purposively selected random sample of
67 teachers engaged at higher levels of education in Universities and colleges
with the help of a questionnaire. It is
worthwhile to study how the teachers who are thought to be engaged in a very
noble profession see spirituality at workplace and how much influence it exerts
on their work outcome, efficiency, work-culture, self-growth and satisfaction
in life.
Keywords:
Connectedness,
Mindfulness, Self-Actualization, Transcendence, Spirituality
Note: This article has been published and it can be cited as
Renu and Harpreet Singh, Workplace Spirituality: A Case
Study of University and College Teachers, published in
the book “Spiritualism in Education,” edited by Shalini Gupta, Desh
Bhagat University, Punjab, 2013, pp. 338-347.
(Figures/charts can be seen in the book)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Full Paper)
Introduction
The concept of workplace spirituality is gaining
currency in the present times in the literature on organizations and
management. It is a very important development which needs to be widely
discussed and understood, for human being is central to all the discussions on
organizations and management. It is aptly said, "The spirit does not exist as the servant of the workplace; rather
the workplace exists as the playground of the spirit."[i] Douglas
Hicks (2003) observed that the discovery of a spiritual dimension of work can
be traced back to the late 1980s and this phenomenon can be referred to as a
movement, which was geographically detected in the U.S.[ii] Since
then, the interest in workplace spirituality has spread internationally. The
reasons for this were many. At the turn of the twentieth century and in the
present millennium, the frantic fluctuations in the working environment,
turbulence in the world economic scene, frightening levels of stress, mind-boggling diversity, fundamental changes
in the social systems etc. all made organizations and employees turn to
spirituality at workplace to find a sense of security, real meaning in their
works beyond pay-cheques, job-hopping, task performance and a togetherness with
each other in the whole organization. “Organizations who help employees or who
are willing to provide “individual encouragement” and assist the employee in
achieving spirituality, gain better performance.”[iii] However,
it must be emphasized that there is a fierce debate among the scholars about
using the issue of spirituality into organizational domain as an instrument to
increase productivity and profitability or not. In the present
study, the concept of spirituality is used as inherent in human life, not as a
mere tool to increase profits for corporations.
Concept of Workplace Spirituality
Spirituality is generally viewed as some internal
substance which relates to human soul or spirit; it may be “a value, belief,
attitude, or emotion”, “that affects people’s behavior”.[iv] It is “about being in touch with a dimension
of life that is deeper and more important than the material world around us.”[v] According
to another definition, spirituality means “engaging the world from a foundation
of meaning and values. It pertains to our hopes and dreams, our patterns of
thought, our emotions, feelings and behaviors. As with love, spirituality is
multidimensional, and some of its meaning is inevitably lost when attempts are
made to capture it in a few words” (Turner).[vi]
As
per the folk wisdom goes, everything in the universe is relating to everything
else. Spirituality looks into the connectedness of the various components of
the universe and explores the ways for the improvement of that
inter-connectedness for the betterment of all concerned. “Spirituality is about integrating our
lives and all we do in a picture far bigger than our own concerns and
successes.”[vii] This
requires some stillness that helps us in connecting not only with the world,
but also with something larger than the world.
Cultures
may also affect the expression of spirituality. “In one culture, the natural
attributes of spirituality may be enhanced while in another they may be
denigrated.”[viii]
The organizational culture stems from the spiritual substance of the founders
and leaders of an organization and gets communicated through the organization’s
vision, policies, and procedures. Also the employees would bring certain
spiritual values, behaviors, perspectives, and components of spirituality into
the organization and mix up their individual spirituality with that of the organizations.
This would lead to the “existence of multiple layers of spiritual culture
within an organization.”[ix] Employees
are attracted to the spiritual environment developed within the organization.
For
some, spirituality has many religious implications, and for others religion is
separate from spirituality. For some, spirituality and religious belief may be
compatible, though not identical; they may or may not co-exist. “Religion and
spirituality influence the private and public workplace, operating individually
and distinctly. Religion is the less appreciated of the two primarily because
of its institutionalized branding-whereas spirituality and its effects are much
more acceptable, primarily because of their personal and individual nature.”[x] In context
of workplace, it is absolutely crucial to understand the difference between the
two. Spirituality is the feeling of inter-connectedness with one's complete
self, others, and the entire universe, whereas religion is a way of life; a Dharma,
which is, the law that governs all action. Religion, as an institutional
organized practice, has its own beliefs, traditions, ethics, rituals and
philosophy. Spirituality looks inward to an awareness of universal values,
while formal religion looks outward, using formal rites and scripture. “Religion
talks about God. Spirituality helps to make us godly.”[xi] A
spiritual person need not be a religious one. He may be theist, or an atheist.
“People
work with not only their hands, but also their hearts (spirit). It is when
people work with their hearts or spirit that they find meaning and purpose, a
kind of fulfillment that means the workplace can be a place where people can
express their whole or entire selves and be fulfilled. Enabling the expression
of human experience at its deepest, most spiritual level may not only reduce
stress, conflict, and absenteeism, but also enhance work performance (Krahnke,
Giacalone, and Jurkiewicz 2003).[xii] They
bring individual talents and unique spirit at workplace. Therefore, by
workplace spirituality we mean an organizational culture, where humanistic
practices and policies become an integral part of an organization's day-to-day
function; where the work itself should be a medium for self-expression and
self-discovery; where employees are motivated to find meaning in their work. It
creates an organizational culture in which employees feel happier and perform
better. Don Grant et al believes, “workplace is one of the most important
settings in which people come together daily to accomplish what they cannot do
on their own, that is, to realize their full potential as human being.”[xiii] “Workplace
spirituality is associated with attaining connection with oneself, others, and
workplace environment. Workplace spirituality is further related to
self-actualization.”[xiv]
As
spirituality at workplace encompasses various dimensions for various people in
different cultures, it is very important to clearly delineate in which meaning
we are going to use this concept in the present study. Although it is found
that the definitions of spirituality at work vary, generally there are five
themes which emerge: connection, compassion, mindfulness, meaningful work and
transcendence. However, to measure spirituality in an Asian context, Petchsawanga
and Duchon [xv]
developed a four-factor revised scale in terms of compassion, meaningful work,
mindfulness and transcendence. The conceptualizations of spirituality in
Western (i.e. North American) work contexts were also used to develop it.
However, this Scale was primarily developed on the study of a Thai Buddhist-centric
workplace in Asia. Our empirical study adopted
select five aspects of workplace spirituality according to the needs of our
research study in the Indian context. It goes without saying that workplace
spirituality is multi-dimensional and each dimension does not exist in
isolation as, essentially, it has a connection to the other dimensions.
Scope of the Study
The scope of the present research study is limited
to the teachers engaged at higher levels of education in Universities and
colleges of different states/UTs all over India and from different streams of
social sciences, physical sciences, engineering and management. The perceptions
of people involved in teaching profession from the vast geographical territory
of India about the workplace spirituality were studied. This demanding task was
facilitated by the presence of teachers from different States and UTs at the
Academic Staff College, Punjabi University Patiala in Punjab during July-August
2013.
Objectives of the Study
1. To
study how the teachers who are thought to be engaged in a very noble profession
see spirituality at workplace.
2. To
study workplace spirituality manifested in the five dimensions of
connectedness, compassion, mindfulness, meaningfulness and transcendence among
the teachers involved in the higher education in India.
3. To
gauge how much influence workplace spirituality exerts on their work
outcome/efficiency and satisfaction in life.
Research Methodology
For this paper, data was tapped mainly from primary
sources, with due guidance from secondary sources like books, journals and
websites. The primary data was collected from a purposively selected random sample
of 67 teachers of various Universities and colleges of different states/UTs of India
and from different streams of physical sciences, engineering, social sciences
and management. The data was collected with the help of a questionnaire designed
for this purpose and it was analyzed manually.
Findings of the Research Study
As stated above, the definition of workplace
spirituality used in the present study manifests its meaning in the five
dimensions of connectedness, compassion, mindfulness, meaningfulness and
transcendence. In our empirical study, we studied each dimension separately
through the analysis of the data collected by the questionnaire. The findings
of the study with the brief discussion of each dimension are as under:
Connectedness
in social terms means “a measure of how people come together and interact.”[xvi] In
spiritual context, it can be viewed as “a sense of being a part of something
larger than oneself”[xvii] which
will be a unifying force amidst all apparent diversity. In workplace
spirituality, connectedness is an important dimension to measure the spiritual
wellness of the organization. It can be checked in terms of sense of
interconnectedness with work and workplace; trust and personal connection with
co-workers and having the same sense of purpose with them; and feeling oneself
as a part of the work community at workplace.
The respondents were asked five questions through the questionnaire to
study this dimension of connectedness and the responses are displayed in the
figure 1.
Figure
1
While
answering the questions related to connectedness, a higher majority of
respondents (67.16%) reported that they felt innately connected with the work than
the majority of teachers (55.22%) with the workplace. Though most of the respondents
answered positively in the case of sharing trust, personal connection and sense
of purpose with their co-workers, yet the response clearly lacked full
enthusiasm. Less than half confidently said that they got a community feeling
at work. Thus, the respondents appeared connected more with work and slightly
less with workplace, but when it comes to the connection with other co-workers,
it is disappointing to see that the degree of their certainty is not very high.
Compassion
is the understanding or empathy for the suffering of others. The dictionary
meaning of compassion is “to suffer together.” Though it seems identical to the
‘empathy’ in the sense of conceptual relevance, but it is different. “While empathy
refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the
emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts
include the desire to help.”[xviii]
Figure
2
In the dimension of compassion, the figure 2
shows the responses to seven questions asked to the teachers to gauge how
compassionate they were towards their students, co-workers and co-workers who
were opponents. A majority of the respondents expressed understanding towards the
needs of the students whereas when it came to their co-workers, they were mostly
positive but were short of complete earnestness. Though empathetic towards
students’ problems yet not even half gave time to students beyond working hours.
“Mindfulness
is defined as a state of inner consciousness in which one is aware of one’s thoughts
and actions moment by moment. Mindfulness is about a person’s mind being
present, not wandering with past, future thoughts or other distractions.”[xix] We
can term it as complete psychological presence in context of time and space. “When
people are psychologically present they are attentive, connected, integrated, and
focused in their role performances (Kahn 1992).”[xx]
Figure
3
In
this dimension, as the figure 3 demonstrates that more than half of the respondents
failed to give single-minded attention to what they were listening to some
extent. However, their emphatic denial about doing tasks in auto-mode or
carelessly pointed toward their psychological presence at work. Half of the
teachers didn’t find difficult to stay focused on the present happenings at
all. But it is disturbing to find that only a slim majority could consciously
hold their negative thoughts.
“Meaningfulness is an
important psychological condition for employee engagement.”[xxi] “Meaningful
work is defined as one’s experience that his/her work is a significant and
meaningful part to his/her life. Indeed, one feels that work has meaning for
him/her beyond the material rewards (Duchon and Plowman 2005).”[xxii] “People
experience meaningfulness when they feel worthwhile, useful, and valuable and
when they are not taken for granted.”[xxiii]
Figure
4
The
responses to seven questions under this dimension shown in the figure 4 portray
a majority of positive responses of the teachers. It appears that most of them
did not pronounce that their work gave joy to others out of modesty. However,
it is indeed mystifying that only 53.74% of our respondents were fully enthusiastic
for going to work most days despite admitting great contribution their work
made to their lives and society at large!
According
to Merriam Webster dictionary[xxiv],
in Kantian Philosophy, transcendence means the state of being
beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge. It surpasses the
limits of ordinary experiences. “Transcendence of self involves a connection to
something greater than oneself and an expansion of one’s boundaries to
encompass other people and things.”[xxv]
Figure
5
Regarding
this fifth dimension of workplace spirituality, eight questions were put and
the results are displayed in the figure 5. Nearly 75% teachers asserted that
work was like worship for them. A majority of the respondents expressed full faith
in some higher power but it is strange when they did not show same faith in
saying that it helped them in dealing with work problems! A majority of the
teachers experienced moments of joy and ecstasy at work but it is notable that
a much lesser number experienced energy at work which let them beyond an
ordinary experience, i.e. transcendence, where they lost sense of time and
space. Nevertheless, a majority got inner strength from spirituality and found their
workplace suitable for their self-growth/ self-actualization.
Concluding Observations and Suggestions
The
present empirical study though limited in scope threw up very interesting and
significant findings about workplace spirituality among teachers in Indian
context. It is sad to find that despite the teachers at the higher educational
institutions in our country feeling innately connected with their work; they
could not connect with the workplace with the same intensity. The reason is not
far to seek as trust-deficit among co-workers was evident. The sense of purpose
was not widely shared though all respondents were apparently in teaching
profession. It seems that everyone does the same work but for different purposes;
some for self-actualization or service to the nation and some for money or
social status. Regarding compassion, while teachers were empathetic towards
their students to a large extent, but workplace spirituality seems to be at very
low ebb so far as co-workers are concerned. It makes them indifferent towards
each other’s needs. Generally everyone considers himself as a ‘well-aware’ and
‘mindful’ person and same perception was indicated in our study. While filling
the questionnaire, no teacher could detect and pointed out that in question-series
of 1 to 35, the question no. 29 was (intentionally left) missing; thus,
negating their earlier belief. It is surprising to find that though the
teachers were aware of meaningfulness and importance of work to their lives and
society, yet many showed utter lack of enthusiasm to go to work. Low level of
workplace spirituality emerges as the logical root-cause of this. Similar trend
was visible in the dimension of transcendence. Despite considering work as
worship, disappointingly, the teachers were not successful in gathering any
extraordinary spiritual experience.
To
conclude, it can be said that workplace spirituality of the Indian teachers
studied leaves must to be desired. It is strongly recommended that the workplace
managers should develop such an environment where the involvement of all the workers
can be secured in developing organizational norms. It will bring the culture of
closeness among the co-workers and facilitate connectedness. Oneness amidst diversity
can be consolidated by spirituality too. Secondly, promotion of socialization
process at workplace by informal gatherings, get-together parties etc. can help
in fostering the feeling of compassion towards each others. Thirdly, the
practice of yoga and other meditation techniques can also be used for
increasing the focusing power of workers. Fourthly, on the basis of above
findings, it can be suggested that orientation courses/motivational lectures/workshops
can prove very effective in cultivating a sense of meaningfulness among the
workers. All this will naturally be conducive for transcendence. Finally, it cannot
be over-emphasized that such a spiritually evolved worker will not only
experience joy and wholeness within himself, but he will also prove to be a
great asset for his organization, his family and society.
[i]Garcia-Zamor,
Jean-Claude, “Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance”, Public
Administration Review, Vol. 63, No. 3 (May - Jun., 2003), p. 361.
[ii]
As quoted in Gotsis, George and Kortezi, Zoi, “Philosophical Foundations of
Workplace Spirituality: A Critical Approach”, Journal of Business Ethics,
Vol. 78, No. 4 (Apr., 2008), pp. 575.
[iii]
Deshpande, Anant, “Workplace Spirituality, Organizational Learning Capabilities
and Mass Customization: An Integrated Framework”, International Journal
of Business and Management, Vol. 7, No. 5; March 2012. p. 5.
[iv]
As quoted in Moore, T. Winters, “Individual Differences and Workplace
Spirituality: The Homogenization of the Corporate Culture” Published online www.aabri.com/manuscripts/08060.pdf
p. 81
[vi]
As quoted in Garcia-Zamor, Jean-Claude, op.
cit., p.356
[viii]
Garcia-Zamor, Jean-Claude, op.cit.
[ix]
Moore, T. Winters, op. cit.
[x]
King, Stephen, “Religion, Spirituality, and the Workplace: Challenges for
Public Administration”, Public Administration Review, Vol. 67,
No. 1 (Jan. - Feb., 2007), p. 108.
[xii]
Petchsawanga, Pawinee and Duchon, Dennis, "Measuring workplace
spirituality in an Asian context", URL: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/managementfacpub/93
p.459
[xiii]
Grant, Don, O’Neil, Kathleen and Stephens Laura, “Spirituality in the
Workplace: New Empirical Directions in the Study of the Sacred”, Sociology
of Religion, Vol. 65, No. 3 (Autumn, 2004), pp. 266.
[xiv]
Deshpande, Anant, op. cit., p. 5.
[xv]
Petchsawanga, Pawinee and Duchon, Dennis, op. cit.
[xix]
Petchsawanga, Pawinee and Duchon, Dennis, op. cit., p. 461.
[xx]
Saks, Alan M., “Workplace Spirituality and Employee Engagement”, Journal
of Management, Spirituality & Religion, Vol. 8, No. 4,
December 2011, p. 321.
[xxi]
Ibid., p. 331.
[xxii]
Petchsawanga, Pawinee and Duchon, Dennis, op. cit., p. 463
[xxiii]
Saks, Alan M., op. cit., p. 325.
[xxv]
Saks, Alan M., op. cit., p. 319.
