Sacred activism through seva and khidmat: Contextualising management and organisations in South Asia

Abstract

What if our actions were imbued with the sacred? What if activism in organisations evokes better local society and responsible global community? What if sacred activism signals the performance of a deeper understanding and mindful actions for contextualising management and organisations in South Asia? These are some of the questions we pose to scholars and practitioners as we seek to present the multiplexities and singularities that epitomise South Asia. We address the braided realities and opportunities presented by religion, culture, ethnicity, gender and governance to contextualise organisations and management among the 1.67 billion people who constitute South Asia. We calligraph our interpretations and future possibilities based on historical traditions and extant data, mindful that some parts of this vast region are grappling with religious radicalisation, East–West tensions, underdevelopment, low literacy rates, violence against women, and international debts and handouts. This heterogeneous region also has a major BRICS country (i.e., India), provides CEOs to the world, scientists to NASA, outsourcing facilities to global corporations, has a young population, a huge middle class, and is actively participating in mergers and acquisitions in the global corridors of commerce. Our poignant hope is to inform and suggest possibilities for constructing enriching engagements and research in this region.

Mind the gap: The role of mindfulness in adapting to increasing risk and climate change

“…The interface between disaster management and organisational research is another area that has addressed increasingly the mindfulness–adaptation nexus in recent years (Table 1 ; Levinthal and Rerup 2006 ). This is reflected in the emergence of concepts 5 such as organisational mindfulness (Becke et al 2012 ), mindful organising (Vogus 2011 ), organising (for) mindfulness (Thomas et al 2015 ; Vogus 2011 ; Vogus and Sutcliffe 2012 ; Weick and Putnam 2006 ), workplace mindfulness (Dane and Brummel 2014 ), compassion organising (Duton et al 2006 ; Shepherd and Williams 2014 ; Simpson et al 2015 ), organisational compassion (Simpson et al 2015 ); compasionate decision-making (Simpson et al 2014a , b ); resilience performance (Weick and Sutcliffe 2007 ), social entrepreneurship (Fernando 2007 ; Miller et al 2012 ), corporate philanthropic disaster responses (May et al 2015 ; Miller et al 2012 ), and sacred activism (Pio and Syed 2014 ). These concepts describe individual and collective social and cognitive processes that increase a capability for awareness and support organisational learning and adaptability in a context of insecurity and uncertainty (Chiva and Habib 2015 ; Levinthal and Rerup 2006 ).…”

“…Research into the interface between mindfulness and social justice in a context of climate change remains rare. However, it is becoming the focus of current mindfulness debates (Davis and Kabat-Zinn 2015 ) and a range of new concepts, such as political mindfulness (Rowe 2017 ; Senghaas-Knowbloch 2012 , 2014 ), sacred activism (Pio and Syed 2014 ), mindful engagement (Wood and Mazur 2016 ), mindful social change 8 , and associated studies of moral awareness and judgement (Markowitz and Shariff 2012 ; Senghaas-Knowbloch 2012 ) are emerging. ‘Political mindfulness’ is closely related to organisational mindfulness (Table 1 ), but with a focus on the broader political community that sets the norms and rules for societal development, e.g., inter- and transnational organisations such as the World Bank (Senghaas-Knowbloch 2012 ).…”

“…A sacred activist can be described as someone who intentionally works towards social change, by providing compassionate services for others in the face of growing injustice, suffering, and violence, based on the perception that the world is experiencing a profound crisis and everyone needs to act (Harvey 2009 ; Pio and Syed 2014 ). Sacred activism is also closely linked to organisational research, as it is understood to be intertwined into a practical and pragmatic drive to transform institutions (Pio and Syed 2014 ). Similarly, ‘mindful engagement’ and ‘mindful social change’ concepts are emerging.…”

Paradox of gender and leadership in India: a critical review of Mardaani

“…It is an ancient country with one of the longest surviving cultures, with strong values of humility and abstinence (Atkinson, 2014). While certain religious practices such as gender segregation and seclusion are clearly patriarchal, an emphasis on humility and social service (Pio & Syed, 2014) occasionally reigns in people from indulging in overly masculine or individualistic displays.…”

Islamic work ethics and individualism in managing a globalized workplace: Does religiosity and nationality matter?

“…Religious faith and its public expression can produce strong sentiments, and workplace is never an exception. REL at workplace has been a point of concern in numerous studies that reviewed the linkage between faith and work (Graafland, Mazereeuw, & Yahia, 2006;Lynn, Naughton, & VanderVeen, 2009;Steele & Bullock, 2009;Pio & Syed, 2014). Many others (e.g., Furnham & Muhiudeen, 1984;Ali & Gibbs, 1998;Niles, 1999) suggested relying on commonality of values in all religions.…”