Journal of Research in Peace, Gender and Development (ISSN: 2251-0036) Vol. 2(12) pp. 254-259, December, 2012
Available online@ http://www.interesjournals.org/JRPGD
Copyright ©2012 International Research Journals
Review
Love and spirituality in management and business
Vidhu Gaur
Alliance University, Bangalore, India
E-mail: vidhugaur@gmail.com vidhu.g@alliance.edu.in
Abstract
Love and spirituality have a real and crucial place in the modern corporate world. The concepts of love
and spirituality are if anything more valid in today's challenging corporate environment than the
traditional business leadership pursuit of economic ruthlessness. Organizations have started accepting
to look at and accept that the whole person has a place in the workplace, as opposed to the historical
perspective that subscribes to the adage that the person who turns up for work is part of a machine as
a human resource. It's about having the recognition that the whole person has a whole life and that we
don't have to turn off parts of our lives and ourselves as we walk in the door. Once we can get people to
get that, then they're up for doing the transformational work. It makes intuitive sense that if people are
their whole selves and are authentic with each other that the positive relationships that result will
produce in an up lift in productivity. Concept with big shift towards more people-focused business has
come up in the present era. People who connect more openly and honestly with others are more likely
to have far deeper more meaningful conversations that are transforming the world.
Keywords: Feminine strengths, left-side brain perspectives, fair trade, collaborative mindset.
INTRODUCTION
Love is a strange word to use in the context of business
and management, but it shouldn't be. Love is a normal
concept in fields where compassion is second-nature; for
example in healthcare and teaching. For those who may
find the concept of 'love' too emotive or sentimental, the
word 'spirituality' is a useful alternative. Spirituality is a
perspective in its own right, and it also represents ideas
central to love as applied to business and organizations,
i.e., the quality of human existence, personal values and
beliefs, our relationships with others, our connection to
the natural world, and beyond. Some people see love
and spirituality as separate things; others see love and
spirituality as the same thing. Either view is fine. In
business and organizations, 'love' and/or 'spirituality'
mean genuine compassion for humankind, with all that
this implies. Love and spirituality do not imply or require a
religious component or affiliation at all. Anyone can love
other people. And everyone is in their own way spiritual.
Love (or spirituality, whatever your preference)
particularly encompasses compassion and consideration
for other people. Love in business and work means
making decisions and conducting oneself in a way that
cares for people and the world we live in. So why is love
(or spirituality) such a neglected concept in business?
How love, compassion and spirituality became
unfashionable in corporations
20th century business was largely concerned with 'leftside brain' perspectives, for example: performance
management, critical reasoning, total quality, strategic
planning, financial results, profit, etc. These are
necessary aspects of good business and management,
but they are fundamentally dispassionate. Also they tend
to be 'male-oriented' areas. Not always, but they tend to
be so, probably because men are generally more prone
towards left-side-brain thinking and working. Historically
men dominated the business landscape, and still do
today to an extent. Not surprisingly then male-oriented
ideas and priorities – especially dispassionate left-sidebrain factors – have tended to dominate business and
organizations. Conversely love, compassion and
spirituality are generally perceived to be female traits.
Men are less likely than women to demonstrate loving,
compassionate, spiritual behavior because of cultural and
social expectations, especially when reinforced by the
business traditions already mentioned.
Additionally, in some cases successful business people
owe much of their success to a personal drive borne of
Gaur 255
insecurity – the motivation to fill a gap or want, which can
manifest as relatively unloving, dispassionate behavior.
Some successful people seem to suppress their
spirituality, and to actively resist love to the point that they
cannot even discuss it. Where unloving dispassionate
behavior exists in a business leader, whatever its cause,
this unavoidably sets the tone for the whole organization
to be unloving and uncaring, and devoid of spiritual
awareness. If this situation is replicated across very many
large organizations, as arguably it has been during the
20th century, then inevitably business and work as a
whole tends to be characterized in the same way - as
unloving and uncaring, and certainly not spiritual. It
doesn’t mean that the western world is run by a load of
emotionally insecure mentally dysfunctional ruthless men
(although I bet we've all worked for at least one of them in
our time), but arguably there are certain correlations
between aggressive results-driven male behavior, the
short-term business success demanded by western
economic systems, and the organizational and economic
cultures that arose and endured from 'successful',
dispassionate anti-spiritual (and mostly male) leadership.
However, unloving uncaring methods, which tend to
predominate in organizations and to be passed on
through successive leadership generations, are not the
entire and only way to run a business or organization. Not
surprisingly therefore, ideas about loving people, being
compassionate and spirituality are unlikely to appear in
many management training manuals or training courses.
Nor are the principles of genuine tolerance and selfless
giving, or the values of forgiveness, or of nurturing your
own spirit, because after all we must love ourselves
before we can unconditionally love everyone else, and
what's the point of loving yourself if the idea of loving
anyone else is a totally alien concept in the conventional
corporate world? People who extol the virtues of love and
spirituality in organizations have until recently largely
been regarded as cranks – not because love and
spirituality doesn't work – but because organizations, and
also the developed western economic world, have
evolved to ignore and exclude the deepest of human
feelings and needs. Which when you think about what we
actually all are, and what we actually all need as people,
is a bit strange and a bit daft. Work and organizations in
recent times have simply not aligned with some of
humankind's most basic needs – to be loved, and to find
our own purpose and meaningful connections in life,
which often brings us full circle to loving and helping
others. For a hundred years or more, millions upon
millions of people who need love and spiritual meaning
like they need food and drink, are denied these basic life
requirements at a place that occupies the majority of their
useful existence (their work), because love and
spirituality seemingly don't feature on the corporate
agenda.
Things are changing
People are most certainly now seeking more meaning
from their work and from their lives. People in far flung
exploited parts of the world now have a voice, a stage,
and an audience, largely enabled by technology and the
worldwide web. Customers, informed by the increasing
transparency and availability of information, are
demanding that organizations behave more responsibly
and sensitively. Increasing numbers of people are fed up
with the traditionally selfish character of corporations and
organizations and the way they conduct themselves. The
growing transparency of corporate behavior in the
modern world is creating a new real accountability – for
the organizations which hitherto have protected the selfinterests of the few to the detriment of everyone and
everything else. Now, very many people – staff,
customers, everyone – demand and expect change.
Leaders need now to care properly for people and the
future of the planet, not just to make a profit and to
extract personal gain. And so businesses and
corporations are beginning to realize that genuinely
caring for people everywhere is actually quite a sensible
thing to do. It is now more than ever necessary for
corporations to make room for love and spirituality – to
care for people and the world – alongside the need to
make a profit. Love, compassion, and spirituality –
consideration for people and the world we live in –
whatever you choose to call it – is now a truly relevant
ethos in business and organizations.
The concept of love and spirituality in business is not
a new one
Love, compassion, spirituality, and real ethical principles
(to some a modern interpretation of the preceding
concepts), actually provided the platform for the formation
and success of many very large and famous
corporations. Dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries
some very big businesses were originally founded on
loving and spiritual principles. For example the early huge
Cadbury and Rown tree British enterprises were founded
by Quakers and run on far more compassionate
principles than we would consider normal in business
today. We can also look to longstanding examples of cooperatives, employee ownership organizations, mutual
and credit unions becoming increasingly successful in
modern times. Many of these organizations openly
advocate and support more caring and sharing ideals that
place people and ethics ahead of profit, and significantly
some are now beginning to demonstrate that a more
caring philosophy can translate into competitive
advantage, and better commercial performance. As we
know, management ideas tend to be cyclical, and this is a
256 J. Res. Peace Gend. Dev.
case in point: Love and Spirituality are back in business.
Love in business is becoming a popular concept
again
There are increasing numbers of writers, gurus and now
even a few business leaders who advocate greater love,
compassion and spirituality in corporations. Some
interpretations have a compassionate or spiritual
foundation; others are quite rightly incorporated within
wider issues of corporate social responsibility and ethical
business. Other ideas approach the concept from the
environmental angle, or sustainability, or 'fair trade'. It is a
challenge for modern managers and leaders to develop
an interpretation of love and spirituality that will work for
their organizational situation.
Barbara Heyn, a Cincinnati-based consultant, sees love
and spirituality in organizations from the perspective of
feminine instincts and behaviors. This is not to say that
men are useless at it; not at all: men, like women, can
actually do anything they put their minds to. Everyone
can. The concept of 'feminine spirit' emphasizes that the
biggest challenges in modern work and organizations
respond to what we traditionally consider to be 'female'
strengths and styles. Globalization is creating these new
organizational challenges:
1.
Managing and developing global teams – which
require far more sensitive treatment than traditional
localized structures.
2.
Approaching cultural diversity as strength not a
hindrance – which requires great perception, awareness
and openness to possibilities.
3.
Creating inclusive responsible plans, and making
ethical decisions – which requires a strong sense of what
is right and good, including compassion, humanity, and
spiritual connection.
Most of this is traditional 'female' territory, but it must
now part of the 'male' compass too, because these are
the big issues facing all managers, leaders and
organizations today. As such, this is a call for everyone in
management and business to be more loving and
spiritual – to be more sensitive and understanding and
compassionate – and a warning to all to adopt more
'feminine' ways of doing things.
Sonia Stojanovic, a McKinsey consultant, explains her
vision and views about the cultural shift facing business
and the world at large. Sonia Stojanovic's methodology
illustrate that Love and spirituality have a real and crucial
place in the modern corporate world. The concepts of
love and spirituality are if anything more valid in today's
challenging corporate environment than the traditional
business leadership pursuit of economic ruthlessness.
Love in business: A novel concept
Most of us are probably used to a traditional culture at
work where 'proper' reserved behavior is expected.
People keep their distance and approach work and
relationships with a sense of formality. What if that
paradigm were to shift towards a more compassionate
and spiritual model? In the past, traditionally male
behaviors such as tough-minded decision-making and
competitive aggression were the standard. At job
interviews and when assessing performance and
potential, leaders would assess whether the employee
had 'fire in his belly' or was a fist-pounding-on-the-table
kind of guy or gal. There was little tolerance of sensitivity,
never mind tears. Now however a sea-change is
occurring that recognizes the value in management and
leadership of feminine traits such as warmth, affection,
nurturing and intuition.
In fact, love flows naturally when you create a space for
it. People are naturally inclined to good. It's the business
world that makes us resistant and skeptical. If you are
open and accepting, people can feel comfortable around
you. People feel better when they are allowed and
encouraged to connect on a deeper level with others,
especially with managers and superiors. Fear and anxiety
is no help in organizations. Connecting openly dispels
anxiety and makes for harmonious relationships. An
increased sense of humanity and trust positively impacts
the bottom line, because people – and entire
organizations – work far better when folk are happy.
Following are some pointers for creating a humane and
productive business environment, for anyone who seeks
to make a positive difference in their work:
Establish a collaborative mindset
Your peers can be an excellent support system. View
your colleagues as potential allies rather than threats –
especially people in 'warring' departments. Ask for their
opinions and listen to what they have to say. Incorporate
their input into your decision making. Work on inclusion
and resist exclusion. Business processes often
encourage unhealthy competition, exclusion, alienation,
lack of consultation and non-collaborative behaviors, so
look out for these negative situations, and use
collaboration and cooperation to remove tensions. Look
out especially for policies and systems that discourage
(unintentionally or intentionally) collective working and
team-work, especially between departments. In the belief
that it raises overall performance standards, certain
leaders encourage unhealthy competition and 'freemarket' methods which are designed to see only the best
Gaur 257
performers survive, leaving less experienced or less
capable people to struggle. Of course this can raise
performance at the top level, but it's not a recipe for
building strengths in depth, nor for organic growth and
self-sufficiency throughout the organization. In such
environments traditionally female strengths such as
relationship building, empathy and listening skills are
suppressed if you allow them to be, so instead
consciously use these capabilities. The ability to work in
partnership and collaborate with others is a behavior that
should be encouraged, rewarded and leveraged. Foster
collaboration ahead of competition.
Reach out to others
Find ways to connect personally with others on an honest
human level. Ask sensitive questions and identify
common areas of interest. Proactively look for
opportunities to help team members in a meaningful way.
Do something outrageously kind for a co-worker with no
expectation of anything in return. Maybe unexpectedly
treat the colleague ahead of you in the cafeteria line to
lunch. Just for the heck of it. Throw surprise parties for
people or baby showers for soon-to-be moms and dads.
When engaging with anyone – managing, co-working,
collaborating, networking, directing, following, whatever –
focus on what you can do to benefit the other person, not
vice versa. Your positive, genuine efforts will have a
lasting impact. Some people use the word 'Karma' in
referring to this sort of concept, and while Karma has
other deeper and complex meanings in Buddhist and
Hindu ideology, one of the central principles is quite
irresistible when you get the habit: namely that people
who do good things generally find that they experience
good things as a result. The universe – or whatever life
force is out there – does seem to keep checks and
balances.
Use your intuition
There's much truth to the concept of 'female intuition'.
Intuition is invaluable especially in dealings with people.
This skill isn't limited to the female gender. Men have it
too if they simply tune into it, rather than denying its
existence or relevance as can be the tendency. Take
note of your physical and emotional feelings associated
with intuition. Your hunches are often correct and are
based on information that may not be readily apparent to
your consciousness. We all know deep down whether
something is right and good. You develop your intuitive
abilities by first of all accepting that you have them, and
then by practicing paying attention to your feelings.
Trusting your intuition is a wonderful way to enhance your
decision-making skills. Listen to your instincts and
afterwards, debrief with a trusted colleague or mentor.
What decisions did you make? What were the
repercussions of these? Do you notice any patterns?
Does your intuition play a larger role in certain areas,
(people, processes, teams, aims, tactics, problemsolving, etc) so that you might transfer the intuitive
approach to other aspects of your decision-making? Note
the outcomes of your intuitive decision-making and
capture them in writing. You don't need to write a book –
just jottings or little diary notes suffice for many people.
This way you'll remember things and be able to refer
back to them, which mean you are more likely to spot the
connections between your intuitive feelings and actual
results, which helps develop intuitive ability. It's in all of
us, or the human race would not have survived. Did you
ever see a caveman with a spreadsheet or a
psychometric test? Of course not – they used their
instincts and intuition to succeed and survive.
Meditate daily
Meditation, like love and spirituality, is an option that's
available to us all. Anyone can do it. It's essentially a
deeper state of thought and relaxation than we normally
achieve, because simply we normally don't bother. If you
put your mind to it, literally, you can do it and get better at
it, and maybe one day even try the cross-legged thing
too. And there are plenty of other fragrances. Incidentally
the reason why darkened rooms, fragranced candles or
incense and soft music or other soothing sounds are
used in meditation is similar to why we bathe toddlers
and read them a story before bed – it all helps condition
and trigger the mental response towards the intended
feeling and behavior. Logically if you want to relax, it
helps if the body is encouraged to do so through as many
senses and sensations as possible – your brain is part of
your body remember – if your body is being distracted
and kept ready for action because of lots of simulation,
then relaxation and meditation is a bit trickier to achieve.
Instead, do things to relax your body and your brain will
relax too. And don't get the children all excited before
bedtime or they won't go to sleep. Meditation, aside from
being good for health, healing, de-stressing, and general
relaxation, is an extremely powerful way to heighten your
connection to your intuition, and is also remarkably good
for bringing forth your 'feminine' aspects (for men and
women alike). When you meditate you help your mind
and body to be 'centered' again – to restore your natural
balance. In this way helps awaken and enhance
'feminine' strengths that we all possess to one degree or
another, that are commonly suppressed by the pressures
of work and life. Meditating is bit like running a 'full
system restore' on a personal computer – it's cleansing
and helps get us back closer to our 'factory settings'.
Start by meditating once a day for ten minutes. A quiet
darkened room helps, but really you can do it anywhere –
even in the car, although best not while driving. It's even
258 J. Res. Peace Gend. Dev.
possible after a little practice to sneak a quick two
minutes of meditative re-charge or relaxation at your desk
in front of the PC any time you feel the need. Obviously
the environment has an effect on the ease and depth of
experience you can achieve, hence why a darkened
room is a good idea for beginners or serious sessions. If
you fancy it, lighting a scented candle or playing some
soothing sounds can help. The crackle of an open fire is
good for some people. The sound of water and waves
also help. Whatever, it's a matter of what makes you feel
comfortable.
Focus on your breathing and if thoughts come to mind,
don't fight them, just accept them, and then let them go.
View your mind as a chalkboard (or wipe board if you
prefer a modern slant) and mentally erase all thoughts
from the space. As a beginner, if you are able to hold
your mind clear of thoughts for one to two minutes, you
are doing great. Our 'monkey minds' are constantly
jumping around and it takes a bit of discipline and
practice to slow or eliminate our thoughts. With practice
and repeating the sensory ideas that work for you, you
will soon be meditating like a Buddha. Build up to
meditating twice a day for ten minutes, and any other
time you feel the need to re-charge or relax. You'll find
yourself grounded and attuned more closely to your
feelings. And the incense will make you smell great.
Build your confidence
Appreciate what you have to offer and encourage open
dialogue with those who may share different strengths.
Professionals who are truly comfortable in their own skin
are often the most competent and humble. By valuing
your inner worth, it will be much easier to rid yourself of
jealousy and competitive thoughts. Rise above petty
conversations at work. Refrain from initiating or
contributing to gossip, Judge no-one. If you need to
assess situations and performance focus objectively on
behavior and causes rather than subjective personal
criticism. Feel comfortable wearing clothes that express
your personality. Relaxing and lightening up is more
helpful for confidence than taking yourself seriously.
Remember the laid-back teachers at school who were
always calm, and who never seemed to lose their temper
at anything? The ones who always had that air of
confidence? Being relaxed and calm about things –
‘counting to ten' instead of blowing up – is a way to build
confidence, as much as it is a sign of confidence. You
can be the same. In addition, a little self-deprecating fun
can lighten any situation. Someone who can break the
ice – or the tension of a difficult moment – is regarded as
a mature and calming influence. People who cannot take
a joke might be stern, but they are almost always
regarded as lacking in self-assurance too. If you have the
strength to enjoy a laugh at your own expense you
automatically exude confidence.
Put yourself out there
Take a risk. When it comes to connecting with others,
challenge yourself outside your comfort zone. Although
this may go against the grain in traditional corporations,
initiate emotional engagement with other people, and
maybe even a bit of physical contact – within acceptable
boundaries of course. It's safest with someone of the
same gender, unless you know the other person well.
Physical contact is an immensely powerful thing. Many
people really enjoy a good hug – in fact sometimes it's
the only cure when people are upset or angry. Physical
contact does however carry certain risks in the workplace
because of the risks misinterpreting signals, so if in doubt
don't use it. Nevertheless there are times when you can
trust your instincts and reach out to people in this way,
even if it's a gentle touch on the arm, or a pat on the
back. Being friendly though is perfectly safe. Go out of
your way to greet a colleague you haven't seen in a
while. Be the first to say hello. Never ignore someone
because you think they ignored you first – they probably
never even noticed you because they were still thinking
about the big game last night, or whether they left the
oven on. The world is full of people who wait for the other
person to initiate contact. No wonder people generally do
not communicate well, they are all too busy thinking
they've been ignored, when in fact nothing can be further
from the truth. Everyone longs for the other person to
initiate content and give them a big friendly smile. And
that's the way it starts - then you do begin to do it more
often, and then other people try it too because they see
it's safe and nobody dies, and before long everyone on
the floor is happy to make the first move, then it spreads
to the whole building. Because everyone realizes it's okay
to be open and friendly. Individuals at all levels of an
organization welcome being treated as a full person, not
just a workmate or a phone extension, or an email
address. So put yourself out there: approach people as
people – in a genuinely friendly way – be affectionate and
caring – through hugs and pats when it's okay, or simply
through a big warm smile.
Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do
Demonstrate integrity and stand up to unethical
comments or decisions. Move past your own discomfort
when it comes to doing the right thing, even (and
especially) when no one is watching. Challenge that
inappropriate joke or derogatory remark. If it's wrong
don't laugh because everyone else does and it's difficult
not to. It's not always necessary to challenge things
vocally – sometimes staying silent is challenge enough.
Stand up for people who are not represented in the
conversation. You'll be recognized as a leader for
enhancing the conscience of the group or organization.
Sometimes it's very difficult indeed to do the right thing,
Gaur 259
especially if the whole organization and all the people
around you are advocating and accepting something
that's wrong. But often all it takes is one brave soul to ask
a sensible question, "Do we all really believe that this is
the right thing to do? – I mean is this really ethical and
good?" Or to say, "I'm really sorry but actually I can't go
along with that because to me it's not right." And then lots
more people will feel strong enough to say they don't
agree either, and then you have a real basis for building
something good and ethical. Sometimes all it takes is one
brave soul, and that can be anyone. It can be you. Use
your deepest instincts to decide what is right, to feeling
centered and confident, and to connect with and value
other people. These are the behaviors which enable
organizations to respond successfully to the challenges
of the modern world.
It's not about table-thumping or shouting, and it's not
about costs and profit. It's about fundamental spiritual
things like love, caring for and respecting people
(including you); the quieter gentler 'feminine' strengths
and skills that all of us possess – men and women – and
which we all must now to be able to use. Organizational
culture-shifts happen not because someone at the top
makes a pronouncement – a culture-shift happens when
the attitudes and behaviors of their people change. At the
root of any successful change you will increasingly find
the qualities of love and trust, which together create the
freedom for us to make the right decisions, to connect
with others, to challenge and to innovate. A trusting
organization that values and encourages the softer
'feminine' traits among its entire people is one that
leverages diversity and harmony. And that, in anyone's
book, makes good business sense.
CONCLUSION
Love and Spirituality are already relevant and applicable
concepts in business and work. This is already
happening. It is possible, quite easy, and actually very
natural to develop and interpret some very specific
principles and actions for any organization based on
loving and spiritualistic ideals. Love and Spirituality are
very much connected with motivation and change.
People in modern organizations sometimes struggle to
think how to 'motivate' their people – as if motivation is
some sort of force you apply to somebody. In fact
everything that truly motivates people – whether to
perform better, to be more dependable and committed, to
take initiative, to be courageous, to do the right thing, to
adapt to change, etc., – can be included within Love and
Spirituality. Love makes people believe in themselves
and feel valued, and liberates them to have this same
effect on others. This builds confidence and trust.
Spirituality enables people to connect with each other
and with the things that truly matter in the world and their
lives. This gives people meaning and purpose and
relevance, which is at the heart of true motivation. In
terms of corporate initiatives, Love and Spirituality are
about as natural as you can get. These needs and
tendencies are basic human nature, and they are in all of
us.
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