A review of the
book a Spiritual Audit of Corporate America and discussion about
spirituality in the corporate workplace
Is There a Place for God in
the Corporate World?
by Euphrosene Labon
Can
spirituality provide us with a competitive advantage? Yes it can,
says Ian Mitroff, co-author of
A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America.
Indeed spiritual
intelligence courses and their ilk are gaining popularity with many
companies, like Orange, the World Bank and McKinsey. And, where
America leads, Britain has often followed, so be prepared for yoga
to kick off your day, meditation breaks, and even meetings to
discuss esoterica like reincarnation.
"The burden created by not
acknowledging the souls of employees has created a deep ambivalence
with corporate America." (Spirituality in the Workplace) The same
could be said to be true for British business, so there is
definitely room for inner improvement.
Yet, with much of the modern
world in turmoil due to religious differences, could it really be
possible to bring spirituality into the workplace? Indeed is it
advisable?
Many people would find
religious expression in the workplace highly inappropriate. However,
spirituality is generally seen as more inclusive. It is viewed as
embracing diversity of expression while underlining the
interconnectedness of all life. Within that frame of reference are
elements such ethics, vision, values, meaning and mission.
Spirituality should not be
mistaken for religious belief. They are not one and the same. With
the former, there is more emphasis on personal experience. In my
opinion, it is a metaphysical expression for a subjective
relationship with a higher, more complex aspect of ourselves and
others. It is, as Mitroff and Denton define in A Study of
Spirituality in the Workplace, "the basic feeling of being connected
with one's complete self, others and the entire universe".
The Mayo Spirituality in
Healthcare Committee class spirituality as "a process by which one
discovers inner wisdom and vitality that give meaning and purpose to
all life events." While Danah Zohar in The Quantum Self believes
that we are all part of everyone and everything.
If we then follow that
logic, it might make sense to incorporate moments of spiritual time
into the work schedule, if only to maximize the collective energy to
mutual advantage. Unless the office is peopled entirely with
nihilists (in which case a review of recruitment profiling might be
in order), spirituality should be accommodated.
Strip away outer dogma, and
the mysticism inherent in all faiths is the same. Belief in an
intelligence of some sort exists even for atheists, and pragmatic
spirituality simply means expanding the limitations of our conscious
mind, and tuning into this other type of intelligence. Intuition,
higher power, God, whatever we choose to call this unlimited
intelligence, it can, and should, be tapped to corporate advantage.
One school of thought is
that an ageing workforce feels more need for 'divine reconciliation'
in its daily life. While I concur with the spiritual sentiment, I
dispute the view that age is making us more aware of our mortality.
Today, more pressing issues - like terrorism, natural disasters and
war - affect everyone. Our beliefs are being questioned, and in some
cases, pushed to the limits.
Mitroff and Denton conclude
that corporates today are 'spiritually impoverished', suggesting
that meaningful change can only occur when 'companies find ways to
integrate personal beliefs with organizational values'. However,
inspirational emails and group 'Morning Mantras' may not go down too
well with the traditional Brit, no matter much inner confusion they
may feel. Indeed, some ideas may raise cynical hackles, often with
reason, having a reverse effect on the corporate unconscious!
But that is not a reason to
deny the enhanced creativity and proven stress reduction from
moments of focused silence. Meditation works.
In the battle for
shareholder value, too often corporates forget social value - the
infrastructure, of people, on which profits are fleshed. It takes an
exceptional soul to sell their shares portfolio because of
environmental reasons or because a board member is a warmonger.
However, an employee's thoughts and actions do have positive or
negative repercussions on revenue growth. The fact that one in four
fakes a sickie bears this out.
Needing to find meaning and
purpose in our lives is nothing new. What could be viewed as
revolutionary in our secular world is that people 'who are more
spiritually involved achieve better results'.
One of the major challenges
with bringing spiritual awareness into corporate life is that most
people are too embarrassed to even discuss their religious
preferences let alone practice them in the perceived materialistic
confines of an office environment. Yet as this earlier study shows,
attention to one's spiritual life can increase creativity,
competitiveness, and even profitability.
Factor in costs of employee
burnout, turnover and absenteeism, and then the value of focusing
attention on our inner lives should not to be dismissed.
If spiritual awareness can
be brought within commercial paradigms, then reactions may skip the
hostile, and move from open-minded indifference to acceptance - to
the benefit of all.
Euphrosene Labon is the
author of several books including Profit From Unlimited Thinking
and a series of pocket guides designed to make learning easy. More
articles and insights, including a free ezine and blog, can be found
at
www.floreo.org
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