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Journal of Business Ethics (2009) 90:375386 Springer 2009 DOI 10.1007/s10551-009-0047-7
Workplace Spirituality Facilitation: A Comprehensive Model
Badrinarayan ShankarPawar
ABSTRACT. 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.
KEY WORDS: workplace spirituality, spirituality, workplace spirituality facilitation, model
Introduction
Workplace spirituality
The term workplace spirituality refers to employee experiences of spirituality at workplace. The exact nature of these workplace spirituality experiences of employees in workplace include aspects such as sense
of meaning, community, and transcendence (e.g., Ashmos and Duchon, 2000; Giacalone and Jurkiewicz, 2003; Kinjerski and Skrypnek, 2004).
Workplace spirituality: its signicance and linkages with ethics
Workplace spirituality research is of recent origin. However, researchers have noted the importance of workplace spirituality aspects for employees as individuals by indicating that individuals are seeking to fulll their spiritual needs at work. For instance, Duchon and Plowman (2005, p. 807) note since the late 1990s publications such as Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune and others have reported a growing desire among employees for meaning and purpose at work, for a spiritual dimension to organizational life....