ABSTRACT
The literature on spiritually oriented leadership has emerged primarily from the field of organizational psychology. Spirituality has been defined in many ways, but the aggregate literature generally holds spirituality as a sense of relationship to a greater presence, a force that is positive and guiding. Spirituality can exist within a religious tradition or outside of a religious tradition. Previous work has identified the capacity for spirituality as innate, and its cultivation through religion as one path of socialization (Kendler et al., 1997; Miller, 2015). A recent literature review of 140 articles in the field has provided an overview of the quantitative and qualitative studies supporting the utility of applied spirituality in the workplace (Karakas, 2010). In the twenty-first century, with the growing evidence that spiritual concerns are intrinsic to wellbeing in the professional environment (Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013), there is a great need for leaders and organizations to understand how and why spirituality works, and develop better methods of assessment (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000). Urbanization and increased work hours have transformed the workplace into the primary source of community for many individuals. Although the time and resources for community involvement are limited, aspects of spirituality, such as the drive for connection and meaning, remain to be addressed. As employees search for meaning through the workplace, employers can lead by example, provide support, or ignore spirituality as a critical resource that directly and indirectly supports organizational goals. Spirituality in the workplace has several aspects which include individual meaning,
interpersonal harmony, and value systems (e.g. morality, altruism, and ethics; Beheshtifar & Zare, 2013). Several studies report improved employee productivity and wellness as a consistent outcome of spiritual values-based organizational design (Ajala, 2013; Karakas, 2010). Additionally, employer/organizational spiritual values are positively correlated with group cohesiveness, a sense of belongingness, and employee interpersonal satisfaction (Garcia-Zamor, 2003). In one study, staff ratings of a CEO’s spiritual intelligence was significantly correlated with assessment of the CEO’s leadership effectiveness, even after controlling for observer ratings on personality and spiritual intelligence as well as differences in company variables (Amram, 2009). This study also provided support for spiritual intelligence as a separate and unique construct from emotional intelligence. Leaders who are open to the guidance and empowerment of ministry and God have been shown to experience positive gains in organizational success (Blackaby & Blackaby, 2001). The growing body of literature on spirituality indicates that there
are several areas of the organizational setting that appear to be sensitive to spiritual value systems and application, with positive outcomes.
