Facilitating workplace spirituality: lessons from Indian spiritual traditions

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to propose that spiritual traditions of India have enormous wisdom to provide a wholesome spiritual foundation to the modern day management. It can also play a significant role in facilitating the dimensions of workplace spirituality as conceptualized by the western counterparts. The paper does not intend to reinvent the wheel but to present an integrated framework for facilitating workplace spirituality that incorporates the western and the Indian views. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, the authors maintained an open approach. The authors first reviewed the extant literature on workplace spirituality to explore its dimensions. Thereafter, the authors searched for Indian spiritual traditions that can be suggested to have some similarity with the dimensions of workplace spirituality and can further help in facilitating those dimensions at the workplace. Findings – The paper presents an integrated framework that suggests that doctrine of Karma Yoga, tradition of Loksangrah, Guna theory, daivi sampat and Pancha Kosha model can help in facilitating the five dimensions of workplace spirituality specified in the study. Research limitations/implications – The study proposes five dimensions of workplace spirituality which is not an exhaustive list. These dimensions may be facilitated by a variety of Indian spiritual traditions but this study includes only five specific Indian traditions. Originality/value – The authors have creatively integrated the eastern and the western knowledge to come up with a framework that enriches the concept of workplace spirituality facilitation.

Relation between Organisational Citizenship Behavior, Workplace Spirituality and Job Performance in BFSI sector in India

“…The argument is also supported by Pardasani, Sharma, and Bindlish (2014) who claimed that there is an association between the Indian spiritual traditions and the dimensions of the WS. These dimensions include transcendence of self, interconnectedness, holistic growth, and alignment with the organizational values (Pardasani, Sharma, & Bindlish, 2014). Further, some spiritual traditions were also identified by the authors.…”

“…Further, some spiritual traditions were also identified by the authors. These traditions were passion and creation, goodness and preservation, and destruction and ignorance (Pardasani, Sharma, & Bindlish, 2014). These aspects collectively lead to the fearless, calm, modest, pure, self-control, willingness to sacrifice, and to the prevention of envy and greed.…”

The what, why, and how of spirituality in the workplace revisited: a 14-year update and extension

“…Dhiman and Marques 2011), including specific approaches such as meditation and storytelling, as useful tools for teaching spiritual concepts in a classroom setting (Marques, Dhiman, and Biberman 2014). As another example, Pardasani, Sharma, and Bindlish (2014) suggest that a number of spiritual traditions from India including the doctrine of Karma Yoga, the tradition of Loksangrah, Guna theory, daivi sampat and the Pancha Kosha model have potential for facilitating spirituality in the workplace. Connell and Thaarup (2014) propose ways to institute training programs in organizations encouraging the use of spiritual practices such as mindfulness.…”

The Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Employee Performance: Evidence from Abu Dhabi University

“…This is because to a degree, they link their social identity to the experiences they have at work and interactions with others (Cartwright & Cooper, 1997). It is this change that is driving the focus on workplace spirituality (Pardasani et al, 2014).…”