Introduction To Organizational Spirituality

Organizational Spirituality: Taking the Corporate High Road

Module 1: Introduction to Organizational Spirituality

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Module 1 Objectives

By the end of this module, you should be able to: • Explain legal & other reasons why it is advisable to avoid mixing religion into organizational spirituality applications in the workplace. • Differentiate the terms spirituality vs. religion for the purpose of workplace applications • Provide examples of some positive qualities of the human spirit • Differentiate organizational culture from organizational spirituality • Describe a three component model of organizational spirituality, defining the role of – synergy & feedback – conscious effort – interconnectedness

Background on Organizational Spirituality

Organizational Spirituality • is a legitimate topic in the field of Industrial/Organizational Psychology • grew out of a pervasive desire of some people to – find meaningfulness in work/the workplace – elevate ethical standards – address dissatisfaction with leadership Much of the existing literature is either explicitly or implicitly religious making workplace applications a challenge. The purpose of this course is to adapt some of the themes in the organizational spirituality literature for use in a diverse workplace.

Religion & the Workplace: Legal Issues

In general, employers are expected to reasonably accommodate an employee’s beliefs and practices, so… → …it is not appropriate for organizations to impose beliefs and practices on employees → …workplace applications of organizational spirituality need to avoid issues of belief and practice

NOTE: The author of this course is NOT a lawyer and nothing in the presentation should be interpreted as legal advice.

Civil Rights Amendment Title VII

“Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin….The term “religion” includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer’s business.” Source: http://eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html

Spirituality vs. Religion In the quest to resolve the issue of how organizational spirituality can be made workplace appropriate (by not infringing on religion), Biberman and Tischler (2008) quote the Dalai Lama’s differentiation of religion from spirituality. “Religion I take to be concerned with faith in the claims of one faith tradition or another [including belief systems and ritual practices]…Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit…” This quote provides a very useful point of departure around which one can structure a non-religious approach to organizational spirituality; we can avoid belief and practice issues.

Making Organizational Spirituality Workplace Appropriate

• • •

For many individuals, belief and practice are the ‘drivers’ of positive qualities of the human spirit, functioning as the source of meaning and values/ethics. A non-religious approach to organizational spirituality is not inconsistent with this, but the focus is moved to something workplace appropriate. The focus is not on the ‘drivers’ but on the outcomes—manifestations of positive qualities of the human spirit.

Examples of Some Workplace Relevant Qualities of the Human Spirit compassion kindness gratitude forgiveness empathy sense of responsibility

(Biberman & Tischler, 2008)

Universal Core Values

A complex discussion of ethics is beyond the scope of this module. On a simple level, ethics has to do with the “proper conduct or doing the right thing.” (Davies, 1976) Research has shown that worldwide, regardless of culture, there are indeed some universal core ethical values (Kidder, 2003, p. 42) Some of the universal core values that were mentioned (Kidder, 2003) include: • Honesty/integrity • Responsibility • Respect • Fairness • Compassion These overlap/look similar to qualities of the human spirit.

Differentiating Organizational Culture from Organizational Spirituality “An organizational culture reflects the values, beliefs and attitudes of its members. These values and beliefs foster norms that influence employees’ behaviors…unlike mission and vision statements they are never written down, but are the soul of an organization.” (Mike & Slocum, 2003) Organizational culture is descriptive of the reality one finds within an organization. A specific form of organizational culture cannot simply be dictated by leadership/management. However, an organization’s culture can be influenced over time by policy and the way that organizational leaders choose to lead. Organizational spirituality involves the attempt to create a very specific type of organizational culture (a higher organizational culture) in which qualities of the human spirit are incentivized/reinforced through organizational policy and they are modeled by leadership.

Organizational Spirituality is…

… the pursuit of a ‘higher organizational culture’ in which synergistic & positive feedback effects occur when an organization’s culture supports a framework of values that simultaneously promotes: •

the ability of individuals to optimally channel their conscious efforts; and

•

a work community with a sense of interconnectedness.

(This definition has been adapted from Giaclone & Jurkiewicz, 2005).

Three Component Model of Organizational Spirituality

Organizational Spirituality Feedback

Feedback

Synergy

Individual Level: Optimal Channeling of Conscious Efforts

Interpersonal Level: Sense of Community

Synergy & Feedback Effects “The action of two or more…substances…or organisms to achieve an effect of which each is individually incapable.” (Davies, 1976) Employees working together as a team can accomplish more than each individual can accomplish alone. When each individual employee is able to optimize his/her conscious efforts, these synergistic effects will be even more dramatic. When synergistic outcomes include positive qualities of the human spirit, there are positive feedback effects on: • •

Individual’s ability to channel their conscious efforts; and Group sense of interconnectedness.

Conscious Effort

Conscious effort reflects …. • the degree to which one can select and direct what is in his/her current field of awareness; • the degree to which one is free from blockages, distractions and competing interests which prevent desired focus.

Interconnectedness Reflects a feeling … • …of belonging to a group; • …that one’s involvement/contribution is of value and that one makes a difference; • … of positive regard toward others in the group; • … that other group members’ involvement/contributions are of value; • … of mutual appreciation and respect among group members.

Module 1 Summary… •

To be appropriate for use in the workplace, applications of organizational spirituality need to avoid issues of belief and practice and focus on qualities of the human spirit/universal core values.

•

Organizational spirituality involves the attempt to create a ‘higher organizational culture’ in which qualities of the human spirit/universal core values are incentivized through policy and modeled by leadership.

•

To create such a framework of values, policy should address issues relevant to fostering: • The ability of individuals to channel conscious efforts; and • A work community with a sense of interconnectedness.

•

The results of such efforts can include synergistic as well as feedback effects.

Module 1 Discussion Question To what extent is it realistic to think that we can find common ground for discussing organizational spirituality in the workplace without violating the boundaries of personal belief and practice?

References Barry, M. & Slocum, J. (2003). Changing culture at Pizza Hut and Yum! Brands, Inc. Organizational Dynamics, 32(4), 319-330. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://researchdocs.cox.smu.edu/slocum/YUM%20culture%20article.pdf Biberman, J. & Tischler, L. (Eds.). (2008). Spirituality in Business: Theory, Practice and Future Directions. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. Davies, P., Ed. (1976). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Dell. Giaclone, R. & Jurkiewicz, C. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Organizational Performance. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Kidder, R. (2003). Moral Courage. New York: Harper Collins.