Dr. B. Tim Lowder
Saint Leo University
February 24, 2011
Current areas of focus - Emotional
intelligence and academic intelligence
New area of focus - Spiritual intelligence &
workplace spirituality
Existing managerial and organizational
paradigms must be expanded
Role of organizational culture is critical
Organizational culture is the sum total of all employees’ shared
perceptions, norms, beliefs, and behaviors
Culture performs a number of functions within an organization
Boundary defining role; that is it creates distinctions between one
organization and others
Conveys a sense of identity for organizational members
Facilitates the generation of commitment to something larger than
one's individual self-interest
Enhances the stability of the social system and is the social glue that
strengthens the organization
Provides appropriate standards for what employees should say and do
Is intangible in nature but provides many concrete organizational
outcomes.
Serves as a sense-making and control mechanism that guides and
shapes the attitudes and behavior of employees
Emotional intelligence and academic intelligence have
been thoroughly researched
Influence on organizational performance is documented
Spiritual intelligence and workplace spirituality have not
been thoroughly studied
Need to understand how heightened levels of employee
spirituality and workplace spirituality impact culture
What is employee spirituality and workplace
spirituality?
What are the potential outcomes of enhanced workplace
spirituality?
Reasons for a Paradigm Shift in the Corporate Cultures
Global expansion of organizations around the world
A global culture encompassing peoples of all faiths,
beliefs, norms, and values
Employees are highly disillusioned at the immoral and
unethical acts of management during the past two
decades
Attitudes and perceptions about corporate leadership
are more negative than ever before
Employees are seeking more out of work than just a
paycheck
A desire to be part of something greater that satisfies
their need for accomplishment
Current trend toward individual spiritual awakening
Culminated as a result of the materialistic mindset from the past two decades
The materialistic mindset has left people emotionally and spiritually empty
and without true purpose or meaning
People spent in excess and lived above and beyond their means to attain true
meaning and happiness
People did acquire a majority of the materialistic possessions yet were unable
to find any true sense of meaning
Recent tendencies have brought about tremendous levels of introspection and
critical self-reflection
Consequently, people are turning to matters of the spirit to find true meaning
and purpose
Spiritual awareness is very personal to an individual and consequently,
transcends into all aspects of our lives including the workplace.
94% of the participants identified spirituality as being important in their lives,
while 52% identified religion as being important in their lives (Harris, 2010)
Spirituality and religion are two different and distinct constructs
Religion is a by-product, or the end result, of humanity’s quest for spirituality
Spirituality is “a state of being spiritual; essence distinct from matter” (Grosset,
2005)
To be more explicit, spirituality is related to the intangible domains of the
spirit or soul and encompasses a state of meaning and understanding that is
separate from body, material, and matter
Spirituality is intangible and can’t be explained or defined by the five physical
senses including sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch
Intangible, positive experiences include love, happiness, joy, peace, and
contentment
Intangible, negative experiences include hate, anger, greed, depression, and
sadness
Neither the negative not the positive intangible experiences in our lives are
explainable by the five physical senses but they definitely exist
Spirituality is also an intangible facet of daily human experience
Religion is also difficult to explain in a materialistic sense and as
a result, is often associated with, or identified as being the same
as spirituality
Religions have typically been founded as a result of the same
spiritual quest that now motivates the American workforce to
seek true meaning from their work instead of tangible and
material rewards
The perceived similarity between spirituality and religion has
alienated the topic of spirituality in the workplace
It is the rigid, dogmatic, religious practices around the world
that have resulted in spirituality being perceived negatively
The dogmatic, zealous, and destructive implementation of
religious societies throughout history resulted in our forefather
implementing the constitutional requirement for separation of
church and state
Is unique and distinct from religion and because it is more
individualistic
Provides a framework for individuals to better understand
where they fit into the world they live in
A more precise, non-religious framework for explaining the
concept of spirituality is that it:
Is not formal, exclusive, or denominational
Is the source of meaning, purpose, peace, faith, and willpower
Creates the awesomeness felt by people when dealing with all life
in its most ordinary circumstances
Establishes one’s sense of interconnectedness with all things
Is universal and timeless
Is deeply personal and based on one’s personal value system and
the resulting relationship with others (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000;
Mitroff & Denton, 1999).
Spiritual intelligence is defined as each individual’s level of
spiritual awareness within the framework of their values, ethics,
morals, and behaviors including their commitment to positive
outcomes in every aspect of their life.
Workplace spirituality is defined as the sum total of force and
energy of all employees’ spiritual intelligence within the
organizational culture including the group’s behaviors and their
commitment to positive outcomes in the organizational
structure (Whitmore, 2004).
Because of existing negative perceptions about spirituality
existing managerial paradigms leave no opportunity for
implementing the constructs of employee spiritual intelligence
and workplace spirituality. Thus, they do not play a significant
role and are not an integral component of organization cultures
in the United States.
Employee spiritual intelligence is stimulated, enhanced, and
empowered to positively enhance the level of workplace
spirituality
Enhanced levels of workplace spirituality positively invigorate
and revitalize the organizational culture
An invigorated, revitalized organizational culture results in
positive structural outcomes
The process begins with the intangible constructs of heightened
employee intelligence and enhanced workplace spirituality
The process ends with tangible outcomes specific to the
organization’s culture that include increased levels of shared
meaning, beliefs, norms, and values that shape employee
behaviors toward higher levels of productivity, performance,
effectiveness, and efficiency.
Employees seeking higher meaning from work typically maintain more
positive attitudes and are not negatively impacted to a high degree by
daily workplace
As employees develop heightened levels of spiritual intelligence, they
become more emotionally well balanced and seek the most positive
outcome in any given situation in the work environment
Employees with high levels of spiritual intelligence are not primarily
motivated by materialism and/or wages
Enlightened employees are primary motivated by a goal of finding true
meaning in their lives through all things they do, including work and
how it benefits both themselves and others
A service before self attitude and overall positive outlook on life
enhances workplace spirituality
Enhanced employee spiritual intelligence significantly enhance
workplace spirituality which in turn, positively affects the
organizational culture
Heightened levels of spiritual intelligence result in a positive attitude
which is reflected in employees being more compassionate about their
jobs with a greater commitment to performing their jobs better
Additionally, employees who care about their jobs tend to be physically,
emotionally, and mentally healthy a larger percentage of the time than
average employees
Wellness and mattering are statistically correlated to increased job
satisfaction and are predictors of higher levels of job satisfaction
Strong positive correlations are also found between mattering and job
satisfaction, and wellness and job
Employees with higher levels of spiritual intelligence experience better
job attendance, a greater commitment to the organization’s goals and
objectives, and experience higher levels of happiness, ethical
standards, and motivation
Higher levels of performance and productivity are two of the most
important objectives for organizational leaders
Organizations with higher levels of workplace spirituality, more often
than not, have higher levels of employee productivity and performance
A recent study of several companies that encourage spirituality in the
workplace has concluded that there is a high level of correlation
between overall workplace spirituality and organizational performance
Heightened employee spiritual intelligence leads to higher levels of
workplace spirituality which in turn, creates an organizational culture
that strives for higher levels of employee performance and productivity
Employees with heightened spiritual intelligence levels are more likely
to find happiness, satisfaction, meaning, and contentment within the
work environment regardless of the type of work performed
Managerial leadership must separate the construct of spirituality and
religion
Managerial leadership must acknowledge the concrete outcomes of
heightened employee spiritual intelligence.
Managerial leadership must begin to understand how employee
spiritual intelligence enhances workplace spirituality
Managerial leadership must adopt a broader, more eclectic, metaphysical understanding of an organizational structure
Managerial leadership must understand that the organizational
structure is far more than tangible assets and resources that produce a
product and/or service
The five previous requirements will allow leaders to develop and
implement strategies that generate the positive workplace spirituality
outcomes
The various dynamics of employee spiritual intelligence and workplace
spirituality must be integrated into the strategic planning process
The paradigm shift must encompass all aspects of the organization as though it
is a living, breathing, organic entity that is influenced by its level of spiritual
intelligence like each of its employees
Management must understand that spiritual intelligence seeks meaning,
caring, wholeness, purpose, and being part of something greater
The spiritual intelligence paradigm must be integrated into the organization’s
vision and mission
The paradigm must drive the organization toward heightened workplace
spirituality and a culture that provides meaning to each employee
Managerial leadership must integrate the fruits, traits, and attributes of
spiritual intelligence that include trust, honesty, caring, ethics, honor, and
shared meaning
As the fruits of heightened spiritual intelligence are planted and begin to grow
they enable workplace spirituality to flourish which positively impacts the
organizational culture
This cycle is self-feeding as heightened levels of spiritual intelligence result in
heightened workplace spirituality which leads to a more positive and proactive
culture
First key to successful implementation is developing a core set of
values be established at all levels throughout the organization
Second key to success is that leadership must demonstrate a total
commitment to heightened employee intelligence and enhanced
workplace spirituality
Third key to success is that management’s commitment is sincere and
long-term so that the majority of employees buy into the new paradigm
Fourth key to success is for management to use on or more of the tools
that are available to successfully establish an environment where
employee spiritual intelligence flourish
Structural design
Employee empowerment
Leadership participation
Well-designed performance evaluation criteria
An effective reward systems
Consistent training
Socialization toward an employee spiritual orientation
A paradigm shift in decision making, culture, and leadership which focuses on
heightened employee spiritual intelligence and enhanced workplace spirituality
presents a viable alternative for an organizational structure in today’s competitive
global business environment
The culture in an organizational structure with an enhanced level of workplace
spirituality possesses traits and characteristics that include trust, respect, shared
meaning, common values and morals, a strong sense of purpose, a focus on
individual spiritual development, humanistic work practices, and an openness to
employee expression (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Badrinarayan Shankar, 2009;
Chakraborty et al., 2004; Duchon & Plowman, 2005; Garcia-Zamor, 2003; Harris,
2010; Mohamed, Wisnieski, Askar, & Syed, 2004; Robbins, 2005; Salopek, 2004).
The many positive traits and characteristics of a spiritual workplace generate a
fresh and invigorating organizational culture which positively influences the
organizational structure toward many positive outcomes in productivity,
performance, effectiveness, and efficiency (Harris, 2010; Karakas, 2010; Mitroff &
Denton, 1999; Usman & Danish, 2010a, 2010b; Vasconcelos, 2010; Wiklund &
Wiklund, 2002).
Ashmos, D. P., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9(2), 134.
Badrinarayan Shankar, P. (2009). Individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes. Leadership & Organization Development
Journal, 30(8), 759.
Chakraborty, S. K., Kurien, V., Singh, J., Athreya, M., Maira, A., Aga, A., et al. (2004). Management paradigms beyond profit maximization.
Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, 29(3), 97-117.
Duchon, D., & Plowman, D. A. (2005). Nurturing the spirit at work: Impact on work unit performance. Leadership Quarterly, 16(5), 807-833.
Garcia-Zamor, J.-C. (2003). Workplace spirituality and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 63(3), 355-363.
Grosset, G. (Ed.) (2005) Webster's college dictionary and thesaurus. New Lanark, ML: Scotland David Dale House.
Harris, P. (2010). Embracing spirituality in the workplace: A case study of employees' perceptions of increased job performance. Unpublished
Ph.D., Capella University, United States -- Minnesota.
Karakas, F. (2010). Spirituality and performance in organizations: A literature review. Journal of Business Ethics, 94(1), 89.
Mitroff, I. I., & Denton, E. A. (1999). A spiritual audit of corporate America: a hard look at spirituality, religion, and values in the workplace. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Mohamed, A. A., Wisnieski, J., Askar, M., & Syed, I. (2004). Towards a theory of spirituality in the workplace. Competitiveness Review, 14(1/2),
102-107.
Robbins, S. P. (2005). Organizational behavior, 11th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Salopek, J. J. (2004). Engaging mind, body, and spirit at work. T+D, 58(11), 17-19.
Usman, A., & Danish, R. (2010a). Leadership spirituality in banking professionals and its impact on organizational commitment. International
Journal of Business and Management, 5(3), 185.
Usman, A., & Danish, R. (2010b). Spiritual consciousness in banking managers and its impact on job satisfaction. International Business
Research, 3(2), 65.
Vasconcelos, A. (2010). The effects of prayer on organizational life: A phenomenological study. Journal of Management and Organization,
16(3), 369.
Whitmore, J. (2004). Something really has to change: Change management as an imperative rather than a topic. Journal of Change
Management, 4(1), 5-14.
Wiklund, H., & Wiklund, P. S. (2002). Widening the Six Sigma concept: An approach to improve organizational learning. Total Quality
Management, 13(2), 233-239.
