Spirituality @ workplace

Spirituality @ workplaceThere’s a wide range of perspectives: Some would say that it’s simply embodying their

personal values of honesty, integrity, and good quality work.

Others would say it’s treating their employees in a responsible, caring way.

For others, it’s making their organization socially responsible in how it impacts the environment, serves the community or creates social change.

And for still others, it’s holding religious study groups or using prayer, meditation, or intuitive guidance at work.

Some see God as their business partner or even their CEO.

Need for Spirituality• It is a motivating force in personal and

public life• It is connected to moral development and

ethical behavior• Growth, meaning, development and

purpose in life are not separate from Spirituality

• Workplace is a critical avenue for the expression of spiritual in contemporary life.

• According to a survey conducted by Mitroff and Denton (1999), people in the organizations that have stronger sense of spirituality are:– Less fearful of their organization– Stronger in values and ethical beliefs in their

workplace– Able to show creativity and intelligence at work– Respectful toward the vision of the organization– Able to relate with co-workers better even outside

the workplace

A study of business performance by the highly respected Wilson Learning Company found that 39% of the variability in corporate performance is attributable to the personal satisfaction of the staff. Spirituality was cited as the second most important factor in personal happiness (after health) by the majority of Americans questioned in a July 1998 USA Weekend Poll, with 47% saying that spirituality was the most important element of their happiness.

Success behind Spiritual Organizations

• Work is not solely about stock options, vacations and coffee breaks

• Work is animated by meaningful actions• Work is directed towards wholeness• Work connects to events and people beyond

themselves• Vision is personal transformation• Motto is common wellness

Definitions of Spirituality at workplace• Inner Personality

– Not about social or institutional religion– It is about inner peace and feelings of equanimity in different

situations• Virtuous Behavior

– Rejection of those that threaten human dignity– Following personal code of conduct

• Service– Performing work as a meaningful relationship with others– To act as a healing descent associated with nurturing of

family and group• Personal Motivation & Health

– Renewal of personal awareness and behavior through meditation

– Key factor for physical and mental health

Nature of Action• The definition of action varies from person to person

– profession to profession

• Once you set an ideal of life• Enthusiasm enters in all your actions• Keen appetite for life• Shift from Laborer to Worker • As selfishness in action gets reduced you move from Worker

to Achiever

Category Purpose Goal of life Outcome

Laborer Earn money Ego-Centric/Selfish Stronger ego

Worker Higher Vision Social/political/ religious ideal

Ego reduction

Achiever Ideal life Incarnation of Virtues/morality

Inspiration for generations

Secret of Success

• Value of work is measured by the idea that inspires us to act

• Fatigue in work results mainly from mental dissipation– Mental exhaustion is caused by anxiety for result,

disinterest in work, and unclear picture of personal ideal

• Solution?– Create a larger field of work– Result of work helping more than one’s own self,

and family

What is your role?

Brahman

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Integration

Quality

Sustenance

Innovation

CEO

Manufacturing/Recruitment

Marketing/Finance/Sales/Service

Research & Development

Your Core Values achieve:

Four-fold division of work

Head – Values/ Principles

Shoulders – Responsibility

Thighs – Stability

Feet –Productivity

Visualize & Lead (S+R)

- Responsible

Execution(R+S)

- Develop Resources &

Cash flow (R)

- Productivity- (R)

CEO

Board of Directors

Finance & MarketingDepartment

Production & Sales Dept

Ganesha, the Stress-free Manager!

Listen carefully!

Think before you speak

Use discretion in decision-making

Digest all problems

Use even little skills, efficiently!

Big Head

Big Ears

Trunk withSharp end

BigStomach

LittleMouse

SattvikNoble, Man of Perfection,

embodiment of Love & Compassion

RajasikAggressive, full of selfish

drive, prone toactive life, control-freak

TamasikLazy, sensuous, inactive –

prone to be anti-social

Assertive,Stands forPrinciples& Values

S

R T

Simple minded, lacks worldly expe-rience

Commoner, no guidance, prone to influences

Opportunist, wants others to work for him – power-mad

Personality TypesEnlightened

SoulLeader

With Spirituality

UnmotivatedLearner

CommercialBusinessman

PoliticianCriminal, Law-breakerTrainee

S+R

R+T

S+T

S+R+T

LeadershipLeadershipPersonality Type->

Assertive Aggressive Opportunist

Philosophy at work

Detached, dedicated to work, less influenced by results

Attached to work and anxious about results

Insecure, attached to status and authority

Intention of work Selfless, Works out of compassion, Quality- conscious

Selfish, Works under compulsion, Quantity-conscious

Ego-centered, Works out of need to survive

Attitude at work Considerate and always attempts to make everyone participate

Careful and dominates in all aspects of work

Careless and finds fault with others

Risk taking Steps forward to take risk and protects others

Stays behind and make others take risk.

Never

Distribution of authority

Based on willingness to work and capabilities

Based on contribution to earlier accomplishments

Based on one’s own pet preferences.

Relationship with others

Participates in others’ life – shares ideas, feelings and emotions

Professional. Never involves in others’ emotions & feelings

Prejudiced.

Outcome Goodwill, Peace-of-mind, Security, Caring and harmonious relationship.

Stress, Loneliness, poor health and disharmony with others.

Insecurity, hatred, restlessness

Spiritual Leadership• Capacity to integrate:

– Spirituality as a vision setting & awareness raising– Spirituality as a social servant & justice leader– Spirituality as task competency and exemplary

behavior– Spirituality as moral leadership and agent for

cultural change“Leadership that acknowledges and integrates the

spirituality does not flee the deep divide between the private and the public…It is the integration of the inner and outer worlds that true spirituality can be distinguished from false”

Spiritual Perspective

If you want your mission statement to reflect more soul, ask questions about the larger community. As how your company fits into the whole, as if we – our business, our employees, everyone in our community – were one. This is a spiritual perspective.

- Alan Nohre (2001)

Practice of Spirituality• It is about the connections between the whole

person and the whole community• Organizations demand more of us all the time.

Without nourishing the whole person, it can’t have the whole person

• Organizations must give and contribute much to the whole person as they want in return

• Enthusiasm (a Latin word) means ‘god within’ or ‘spirit’

• Charisma (a Greek word) means ‘divine gift’• Willing (in old English) means ‘well-being’

Important traits of a manager who has human approach

1. Thoroughness (clarity in thought, word and action)

2. Fairness

3. Initiative (courage, self-confidence and decisiveness)

4. Loyal to the group he leads

5. Genuine appreciation

6. Enthusiasm & Creativity

7. Emotional Balance

8. Maturity in thinking

9. Skill in communication

10. Readiness to assume responsibility

How to integrate Spirituality and work?

• Strengthen your spiritual awareness through yearly retreats and daily meditation

• Shift your center from Individual Ego to the Self• Look at the world from the platform of the Self• Do not disengage from work to practice

spirituality• No need to change your work, but surely

change the purpose of your work

Work

• Work is an indulgence when your aim is only money

• Work becomes a labor when you do not like what you do

• Work becomes a service when you love what you do

• Work becomes worship when you offer it to God

• Work becomes spirituality when you enjoy your own company at work.

Trend of Spirituality @ work

An evident factor in the popularity of spirituality at work is the fact that there are more women in the workplace today and women tend to focus on spiritual values more often.

Using spiritual values as guiding principles has many positive effects on business.

Business Week reported that – • 95% of Americans reject the idea that a

corporation’s only purpose is to make money. • 39% of US investors say they always or

frequently check on business practices, values and ethics before investing.

The Trends Report of 1997 reported that • 3 out of 4 consumers polled say they are likely

to switch brands associated with a good cause if price and quality are equal.

The ABC Evening News recently reported that • American Stock Exchange has a Torah study group • Boeing has Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayer

groups • Microsoft has an on-line prayer service. • “Lunch and Learn” Torah class in the banking firm of

Sutro and Company, Woodland Hills, CA. • Koran classes at defence giant Northrop Grumman. • Wheat International Communications in Reston,

Virginia has morning prayers open to all employees, but not compulsory.

• Spiritual study groups at noon are sometimes called “Higher Power Lunches” - replacing the usual “power lunches...”

In addition to prayer and study, other spiritual practices at companies include

• Meditation• Centering exercises such as deep breathing to

reduce stress• Visioning exercises• Building shared values• Active, deep listening• Making action and intention congruent• Using intuition and inner guidance in decision-

making. According to a study at Harvard Business School

published in the Harvard Business Review, business owners credit 80% of their success to acting on their intuition…

Tom Chappell, CEO of Tom’s of Maine, stays mindful of profit and the common good by giving away 10% of pre-tax profits to charities, giving employees four paid hours a month to volunteer for community service, and by using all natural ingredients that are good for the environment.

Chappell re-engineered his business into a sort of ministry, saying “I am ministering - and I am doing it in the marketplace, not in the church, because I understand the marketplace better than the church.”

The American Manufacturing Association recently organized a conference called “Building Community at Work: Profiting from a Values-Based Corporate Culture,” saying “Spirituality and ethics or ‘doing the right thing’ are proving to be crucial components of your strategy for success.”

Consulting firms using spiritual approaches are doing a booming business.

The Enlightened Leadership International in Colorado has been teaching top executives at major companies such as GTE, Georgia-Pacific and Lockheed Martin how to focus on what’s positive, instead of problems, because our beliefs create what we experience.

Other major firms such as the Covey Leadership Centre and the Centre for Generative Leadership teach Fortune 500 executives how to align their company’s mission with their deeper values…

Do not do your work as a ritual. Bring in Spirit in what you do

– make it Spiritual