Spiritual institutional entrepreneurs: an introduction and examination

Abstract

The business environment has undergone dramatic changes over the past decades that have brought about new expectations within the work environment. Entrepreneurship is one of many areas that has been affected by this shift. In fact, the definition of entrepreneur has evolved beyond the traditional external focus to include an internal organizational perspective known as institutional entrepreneur (IE). IEs initiate structural change within their organizations that transforms the way business is conducted. Current research has demonstrated the importance of workplace spirituality as an element in developing an inclusive organizational culture. In this paper, we draw from the institutional entrepreneurship literature to examine the rise of IEs who champion the development of spiritual workplaces. We call these individuals spiritual institutional entrepreneurs (SIEs). We also present a conceptual model for analyzing the role of SIEs and offer notable executive exemplars who reimagined their organizations through the lens of workplace spirituality.