Workplace Spirituality Research Research Articles

Unveiling the past, present and future of workplace spirituality research: a systematic literature review of 15 years

Unveiling the past, present and future of workplace spirituality research: a systematic literature review of 15 years

Workplace spirituality and service-oriented performance via work engagement in public organizations: the moderating role of service climate

ABSTRACT Albeit the importance of workplace spirituality, public management research paid little attention to investigating its outcomes. Therefore, our study aims to examine the relationships between workplace spirituality and public employee service-oriented in-role performance and service-oriented organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) through the mediation of work engagement. Data were collected from 426 employees and their managers from two municipalities in Jordan. Results demonstrated that work engagement mediates workplace spirituality and service-oriented in-role performance and service-oriented OCB. Service climate, as a moderator, strengthens such relationships. These findings advance workplace spirituality research and equip public managers with practical strategies to promote service-oriented performance.

Guest editorial: Workplace spirituality research: issues in the past research, directions for future research and new advancements

Guest editorial: Workplace spirituality research: issues in the past research, directions for future research and new advancements

Workplace Spirituality as Intangible Resource and Capabilities: As Seen in the Evidence of a Telco Company in the Disruptive Era

Previous research had analyzed the positive impact of spirit at work and spiritual leadership separately as independent variables toward organizational commitment and job satisfaction but had not examined it all at once through the strategic management resource-based view framework. This quantitative study, using SEM PLS, examined the spiritual leadership intangible resources (Vision, Hope-Faith, Altruistic Love, Meaning Calling, and Membership) as the factors to develop spirit at work capabilities, which positively influence Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment as the performance proxies. Based on a survey of the data taken from the biggest Telco company in Indonesia, going through volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) phase, this research shows that spirituality matters in the resource-based view of strategic management framework, where resources and capabilities are intertwined in supporting performance. All hypotheses were significant, implying the criticality of embedding spiritual values in creating a greater purpose for all employees. Further qualitative research in this area would enrich workplace spirituality research.

The Exploration of Workplace Spirituality Research: A Scoping Review

Workplace spirituality has received widespread acceptance among scholars and practitioners due to its value-laden approach in all organizations. Despite substantial efforts to unite the literature, scholarly knowledge on workplace spirituality appears scattered and incoherent. The study aims to undertake a scoping review of the existing literature on workplace spirituality to track the evolution of the concept and point out the research gaps for future studies. The sample papers for review are assembled from the SCOPUS database using a two-step manual screening procedure. This article examines 135 conceptual, review and empirical works associated with more than 50 journals published between 2000 and 2023. The main finding is that the concept of workplace spirituality is complex, with conflicting dimensions, and lacks a clear definition. Workplace spirituality is a multifaceted construct comprising individual, organizational, psychological and social variables. The assessment provides an in-depth understanding of the current state of workplace spirituality. In addition, we offer potential research gaps which will serve as a beacon of light for future workplace spirituality research.

Does Workplace Spirituality Foster Employee Ambidexterity? Evidence from IT Employees

Incorporating spirituality into the workplace positively affects employees’ physical, psychological, mental, and spiritual well-being, hence contributing to sustainability. With this background, the objective of this study is to broaden our understanding of workplace spirituality and its association with employee ambidexterity through the theoretical lens of social exchange theory. It also examines the underlying mediational mechanism of employee perception of managerial trustworthiness and the moderating role of psychological distance A total of 384 Information Technology (IT) professionals participated in the study. Data were analyzed using Smart-PLS. It was found that workplace spirituality has a positive association with employee ambidexterity. Further, employee perception of managerial trustworthiness partially mediated the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee ambidexterity. Surprisingly, psychological distance did not moderate the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee perception of managerial trustworthiness. However, psychological distance moderated the relationship between workplace spirituality and employee ambidexterity. This study is an attempt to broaden the frontiers of workplace spirituality research, and it provides critical insights into how workplace spirituality fosters employee ambidexterity via employee perception of managerial trustworthiness. The findings also contribute to the scant research on the moderating role of psychological distance. Although studies have emphasized the need to explore the positive consequences of workplace spirituality, scant attention has been paid to its association with employee ambidexterity. To the best of our knowledge, no prior examination has been done on such a model, making our study unique and novel.

A review of workplace spirituality scales

PurposeThis paper reviews 18 workplace spirituality scales developed over a period of 23 years from year 2000 to early 2023. The objective is to provide inputs which can guide future researchers in choosing an existing appropriate workplace spirituality scale and in adopting sound scale development procedures for the development of new workplace spirituality scales.Design/methodology/approachThis paper outlines the need for and importance of carrying out a review of workplace spirituality scales. Thereafter, it carries out a review of each of the 18 workplace spirituality scales. It describes 10 overall limitations of the collective set of workplace spirituality scales. Finally, five future research directions are outlined.FindingsThe review indicates that most of the workplace spirituality scales have limitations associated with them. The collective set of workplace spirituality scales also has several overall limitations.Research limitations/implicationsThe review suggests that workplace spirituality researchers need to exercise caution in choosing an appropriate existing workplace spirituality scale for their research. The review also provides directions for the future research for developing more adequate workplace spirituality scales.Practical implicationsThe inputs from this review will contribute to improve the practice of workplace spirituality research.Social implicationsAs workplace spirituality can make organizations more beneficial for employees and the society, this review's contribution to improving workplace spirituality research has an indirect social significance.Originality/valueThis is, to the author's knowledge, the first comprehensive review of 18 workplace spirituality scales developed over a period of 23 years from year 2000 to 2023.

Harmonizing Work: Meaning and Meaning Making in Christian Hymnody

Viewing life through a spiritual lens has been shown to enhance resilience and meaningfulness in work. But exactly what messages do spiritual and religious systems communicate regarding labor? To better understand how religion frames work, we analyze 315 Christian hymns containing work-related phrases. We identify eight themes which address a worker’s self, role, and job and we estimate the relative prominence of these themes from 1750 to 2000. We discuss the findings’ relevance for meaning making and workplace spirituality research.

Workplace spirituality in the public sector: a study of US water and wastewater agencies

Purpose This paper aims to understand water and wastewater industry leaders’ perceptions of the current and future role of workplace spirituality, including the challenges and benefits of incorporating workplace spirituality in government utilities. Design/methodology/approach The Delphi technique was used to gather input and gain consensus from an expert panel of executive level managers. Findings The panel achieved consensus that workplace spirituality is evident in a higher sense of purpose for those working in the water and wastewater industry which is likely to be the greatest future benefit of workplace spirituality in the industry. Other central themes included making a positive environmental impact, going beyond compliance, collaborating with the community, creating a connection to peers and encouraging organizational belonging. Consensus was also achieved regarding obstacles to workplace spirituality’s future role in the industry, including concerns about terminology and the need for supportive leadership. Practical implications The water and wastewater industry face challenges including climate change, rising costs, aging infrastructure, increased regulatory requirements and a rapidly changing workforce. Workplace spirituality seems likely to support the industry in facing these challenges and can be promoted through encouraging a sense of purpose and meaning, collaborating with the community and recruiting individuals with resonant values and sense of calling. Originality/value Workplace spirituality has received growing attention in the private sector. However, workplace spirituality research in the public sector is minimal. This expert panel of top leaders from US water and wastewater agencies provide insight into the role of workplace spirituality in the public sector.

Workplace Spirituality: Themes, Impact and Research Directions

This note is aimed at presenting an overview of the workplace spirituality research in last four decades. First it presents the distinction of religion and spirituality noticeable in the workplace spirituality literature. Next, it summarizes the themes in the scholarship of the field of workplace spirituality. Then it discusses the empirical studies about the impact of workplace spirituality. The note concludes with the importance of workplace spirituality research in current times and future research directions in this field.

Workplace Spirituality and Team Spirit at Work : A Team -Level Contextualization of Spirituality

The paper aimed to investigate the issue of conceptualizing workplace spirituality at the team level. In this regard, this paper has reviewed the conceptualizations of spirituality so as to connect them to the conceptualizations of workplace spirituality. The originality of this paper lies in the discussion on categories of spirituality and their relationship with the varied conceptualizations of workplace spirituality. Further, this paper has deliberated upon the issue of contextualizing workplace spirituality at the team level by discussing the construct of 'team spirit at work'. However, this paper has not discussed the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of workplace spirituality. This paper has contributed to the workplace spirituality research discourse by building a link between the dimensions of the concept of spirituality with the dimensions of the concept of workplace spirituality and the construct of team spirit at work.

Call to Compassionate Self-Care: Introducing Self-Compassion Into the Workplace Treatment Process

In the context of workplace burnout and suffering, this article advances an interdisciplinary approach to self-care and resilience. In particular, it extends workplace spirituality research and praxis by considering self-compassion. This approach seeks to reframe experience, reduce self-criticism, and increase self-acceptance and self-kindness.The author proposes that self-compassion psychology with its focus on mindfulness, common humanity, and personal well-being could augment existing treatments. Finally, a number of action outcomes and further research directions are offered to stimulate discussions in communities of research, pastoral care praxis, and management to assist those charged with recovery and treatment and those enabling resilience building.

Individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the direct effects of three workplace spirituality aspects – meaning in work, community at work, and positive organizational purpose – and individual spirituality on three work attitudes – job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment. It also seeks to examine the interactive effects of these three workplace spirituality aspects and individual spirituality on these three work attitudes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper briefly outlines the existing workplace spirituality research, indicates the required research and places this study in that backdrop. It then outlines theory building for specifying a set of hypotheses. It uses data from a sample of managerial level employees from India to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe study results provided considerable support for the hypothesized relationships between workplace spirituality aspects and work attitudes but not for the hypothesized relationships between individual spirituality and work attitudes. The results provided only marginal support for the interactive effect model, which hypothesized that individual spirituality will moderate the effect of workplace spirituality aspects on work attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsResearch implications of the findings outlined in this paper will encourage research to link various organizational topics such as leadership with workplace spirituality. They also highlight the need to examine more complex models to examine joint effects of workplace spirituality and individual spirituality on work attitudes.Practical implicationsThe findings can provide some relevant inputs for leadership actions and organization development efforts aimed at implementing workplace spirituality in organizations.Originality/valueThe paper's value partly comes from the outlined research and practice implications.

Workplace Spirituality Facilitation: A Comprehensive Model

This article specifies a comprehensive model for workplace spirituality facilitation that integrates various views from the existing research on workplace spirituality facilitation. It outlines the significance of workplace spirituality topic and highlights its relevance to the area of ethics. It then briefly outlines the various directions the existing workplace spirituality research has taken. Based on this, it indicates that an integration of the elements from various existing research works on workplace spirituality facilitation into a comprehensive workplace spirituality facilitation model could make relevant contributions to the existing workplace spirituality research. It then indicates that there are various points of focus in workplace spirituality conceptualization and facilitation views. It outlines various views from the existing research on workplace spirituality facilitation. Drawing on the elements of these various workplace spirituality facilitation views, it specifies a comprehensive model of workplace spirituality facilitation. It outlines how the various parts and linkages depicted in the comprehensive model of workplace spirituality facilitation are consistent with and are supported by the various views of workplace spirituality facilitation that it seeks to integrate. It then outlines how the comprehensive model specified can guide the future research in the area of workplace spirituality and how it can provide inputs to leadership and organization development (OD) efforts for workplace spirituality facilitation.

Two approaches to workplace spirituality facilitation: a comparison and implications

PurposeThis paper seeks to outline and compare two approaches to workplace spirituality facilitation and to derive conclusions and suggest implications for research and practice.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses two real‐life descriptions from the existing literature to outline two approaches to workplace spirituality facilitation. It outlines similarities and differences between them. It also compares them on key features and outlines their implications and complementarities. Based on this, it describes conclusions and implications for research and practice.FindingsThe paper finds that the first approach, with its starting point of organizational spiritual values and emphasis on organizational processes to facilitate the transmission of these values, can be identified as an organization‐focused approach. At the centre of the second approach is a program for transformation or spiritual development of individual employees.Research limitations/implicationsInputs from the present paper will help future research to specify: comprehensive classifications – typologies and taxonomies – of various types of approaches to workplace spirituality facilitation; and new theories of workplace spirituality facilitation.Practical implicationsThe paper can inform workplace spirituality implementation efforts in organizations.Originality/valueTheory development in workplace spirituality is at a formative stage. Thus, various inputs, outlined in the research implications part of the paper, for further theory development will be a valuable contribution to workplace spirituality research.

Faith at Work Scale (FWS): Justification, Development, and Validation of a Measure of Judaeo-Christian Religion in the Workplace

Workplace spirituality research has side- stepped religion by focusing on the function of belief rather than its substance. Although establishing a unified foundation for research, the functional approach cannot shed light on issues of workplace pluralism, individual or institutional faith-work integration, or the institutional roles of religion in economic activity. To remedy this, we revisit definitions of spirituality and argue for the place of a belief-based approach to workplace religion. Addi- tionally, we describe the construction of a 15-item measure of workplace religion informed by Judaism and Christianity - the Faith at Work Scale (FWS). A stratified random sample (n = 234) of managers and professionals assisted in refining the FWS which exhibits a single factor structure (Eigenvalue = 8.88; variance accounted for = 59.22%) that is internally consistent (Cronbach's a = 0.77) and demonstrates convergent validity with the Faith Maturity Scale (r = 0.81, p > 0.0001). The scale shows lower skew and kurtosis with Mainline and Catholic adherents than with Mormons and Evangelicals. Validation of the scale among Jewish and diverse Christian adherants would extend research in workplace religion.

Workplace Values and Outcomes: Exploring Personal, Organizational, and Interactive Workplace Spirituality

Spiritual values in the workplace, increasingly discussed and applied in the business ethics literature, can be viewed from an individual, organizational, or interactive perspective. The following study examined previously unexplored workplace spirituality outcomes. Using data collected from five samples consisting of full-time workers taking graduate coursework, results indicated that perceptions of organizational-level spirituality (“organizational spirituality”) appear to matter most to attitudinal and attachment-related outcomes. Specifically, organizational spirituality was found to be positively related to job involvement, organizational identification, and work rewards satisfaction, and negatively related to organizational frustration. Personal spirituality was positively related to intrinsic, extrinsic, and total work rewards satisfaction. The interaction of personal spirituality and organizational spirituality was found related to total work rewards satisfaction. Future workplace spirituality research directions are discussed.

Nurturing the Whole Person: The Ethics of Workplace Spirituality in a Society of Organizations

In a world which can be increasingly described as a “society of organizations,” it is incumbent upon organizational researchers to account for the role of organizations in determining the well-being of societies and the individuals that comprise them. Workplace spirituality is a young area of inquiry with potentially strong relevance to the well-being of individuals, organizations, and societies. Previous literature has not examined ethical dilemmas related to workplace spirituality that organizations might expect based upon the co-existence of multiple ethical work climates, nor has previous literature accounted for the relevance of the cosmopolitan (external, societal) source of moral reasoning in the ethical treatment of workplace spirituality. The purpose of this paper is to address these gaps by articulating two such ethical dilemmas related to workplace spirituality: the “quiet desperation” dilemma and the instrumentality dilemma. Moreover, I propose two theoretical contexts that foster “both-and” rather than “either-or” thinking, thereby mitigating (moderating) the relationships between climate combinations and conflictual aspects of the ethical dilemmas. For the “quiet desperation” dilemma, I propose a person–organization fit perspective to emphasize diversity of individual preferences instead of a managerially prescribed uniformity of spirituality. For the instrumentality dilemma, I propose a multiparadigm approach to workplace spirituality research to avoid the privileging of one research interest over another (e.g., instrumentality, individual fulfillment, societal good). I conclude with suggestions for future research.

Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality

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