Spirituality and Workplace Spirituality
A Pragmatic View with Reflections on Jaina Scriptures
ABSTRACT
Spirituality implies faith in an entity that is beyond material world and is capable of guiding and controlling activities in the material world. Behaviorally it implies to cheerfulness, humility, forgiveness, gratitude, kindness and free from hatred and jealousy from others. It further implies to working for non-personal higher causes. If spirituality is practiced at workplace it can provide long-lasting, easy and inexpensive solutions to various organizational problems.
The organizations have now realized that people at workplaces are whole being of their body, mind and spirit. If their mind and spirit are nourished they can lead to better organizational performance. This paper is an attempt to narrate the fact that materialistic approaches do not lead to the quality enhancement of the life and work life. But spirituality, if practiced, brings good results. This paper also throws light on the practices suggested in Jaina Scriptures for spirituality and workplace spirituality.
Key words : Spirituality, Materialistic Approaches, Quality Enhancement, Organizational Performance, Jain Scriptures.
Introduction
People, in modern times are in acute need of peace and happiness. Many materialistic approaches in society have been tried to achieve this but they created more problems than they solved. The materialistic models have gifted the humanity, problems like stress tension, frustration, depression, diabetes, heart diseases and many psychosomatic diseases.
The so-called prosperous western countries are not necessarily happy. These models have hit hard on psychological as well as physical well being of the human race. Drug addiction in almost all strata of society in general and youth in particular has increased. Intolerance and haste is cannibalizing our psychological system.
Though there is large amount of empirical data available to support this claim but the purpose of this paper in not to provide statistical evidence of human suffering which the world is witnessing. Sole purpose of this paper is to narrate the fact that materialistic approaches have not given sustainable models ensuring happiness and bliss with material progress. As a matter of fact the human race does not want material progress at the cost of health and peace.
Therefore the world, particularly corporate world is turning towards spirituality. Spiritual columns in newspapers and popular magazines stand testimony to this. Jaina scriptures relate to one of the oldest philosophies and way of living the life. There are many things in Jaina scriptures, doctrines and tenets that contribute to spirituality and can be related to workplace spirituality.
A brief of the work done in on spintuaiity and workplace spirituality is summarized here in form of Literature Review.
Review of Literature
Large amount of literature is available related to this topic. The glimpses of a few are presented here.
Tharenou (1979), Feldman an arid (1983) opined that respect for employees increases their job satisfaction and performance, resulting in less absenteeism, weakening the desire to unionize, and increasing the length of tenure with the organization
Elkins et.al. (1988) stated that spirituality as an experience of human dimension can include a variety of values, attitudes, perspectives, beliefs and emotions. Wijewardene and Wimalasiri (1996) have argued that it took a long time for Asian managers to learn the meaning of such Western concepts as ‘ambition’, ‘aggression’,‘achievement’, ‘profitmaximisation’. ’competition’, ‘risk-taking’, and ‘forcefulness’. Asian businesspeople were more comfortable with such values as ‘loyalty’, ‘trust’, ‘co-operation’,’ compassion’, tolerance’, ‘morality’, and ‘empathy’. S.Krishna Kumar and Christopher Neck (2002) summarized different views on spirituality and also discussed benefits of practicing spirituality in the organizations
Giacalone and Jurkiewicz, (2003) opined that Workplace spirituality at the individual level refers to a personal set of values that promote the experience of transcendence through the work process, facilitating a sense of connectedness to others in a way that provides feelings of completeness ana joy Fry (2005) suggested that “spiritual leadership theory provides the ethical cement in terms of the values which emphasize the issues of standards and criteria of behavior that lead to positive health and ethical and spiritual well-being.
Chieh-Wen Sheng (2012) designed measurement tools for workplace spirituality. through a cause-and-effect relation model, that concerns factors of workplace spirituality as the criterion for future researches. Apart from the above literature, some of the prominent texts in Jaina scriptures are Tatvartha Sutra, Same asuru. Chahadhala, Purusarthasiddhyupaya, Niyamasara and Jinagamasara.
These pieces of literature are very mature and have passed test of time. Jaina principles emphasize more on practice of spirituality rather than its theory, and suggest many easy to adopt methods for infusion of spirituality in life.
Spirituality and Workplace Spirituality: Critique and Relevance It is a frequently asked question that is spirituality useful? Is it necessary in today’s world? In fact, the question should be, is materialism useful? Is it necessary in today’s time or anytime in future? Is materialism a source of permanent pleasure and capable of giving joy and peace?
To experience the mundane ness and uncertainty of the world, there is no need of philosophical knowledge. The world is uncertain and will end some or the other day. When the life itself is imperishable how the things associated with this like money, status, honour youth can be perishable. Attachment to all these things is the reason for sorrows and suffering.
The first and last step towards peace and pleasure is evacuation of fascination and attachment. Materialism invites sorrows and spiritualism brings pleasure.
Now the question arises-shall we all evacuate the world-No. To be spiritual in true sense, there is no need of evacuating the world or escape from it. Actually no escape or abandonment from the world is possible because wherever we go our mind goes with us and the world is basis of life. Our mind is the root of sorrows, pleasure and also the peace and happiness.
Therefore we need to train our mind in a way it becomes neutral to the sorrows and pleasures to be spiritual we need not adopt something or abandon something, we just have to make ourselves neutral.
No one wants sorrows and agony. All of us want happiness and bliss. The entire humanity is in search of permanent bliss but at those places where it cannot be found. The non-permanent material world can provide temporary comfort and pleasure not the permanent bliss. One needs to be spiritual for permanent bliss.
For that matter, leaving the world physically is not necessary but a feeling of detachment from the it is must. Living in the world and performing its functions with a sense of detachment is spirituality. Contrary to this materialism is trying to seek permanent pleasure in the world and remaining detached to it.
In a summarized way it can be said that spirituality is practical, we can remain bonded with it. The world is mundane so it should be detached from the mind. This leads to a path of permanent bliss. One who choose to be tied to mundane world remains unhappy and dissatisfied always and one who choose to practice detachment lives happily
Now. It’s up to you what you choose between these two.
When spirituality can give permanent bliss to human life. If it is practiced in organizations, it can give long lasting solutions to IR problems.
The corporate world has realized the potential of workplace spirituality and has started exploring spirituality to ensure better productivity, wealth creation along with happiness of all those who are involved in the process of creation and distribution of goods, services and ideas. Workplace spirituality is about practicing values like respect, trust, love, humanity integrity and dependability and justice in the workplace. It’s a quest of finding meaning and purpose in the work and experiencing transcendence through work.
As a matter of fact the big corporate houses are spending a fortune to enhance the organizational effectiveness, reduce employee conflicts and creating a congenial working environment but still far from the long lasting solutions to these problems. Practicing spirituality is an inexpensive tool to solve the organizational problems.
If the interpersonal behavior of managers and employees is mutually respectful, truthful and trustworthy, the root cause of conflicts will be put to an end. Monetary motivators only do not suffice nowadays to motivate the employees but they look for inner satisfaction and bliss and also at their workplaces.
As discussed earlier in this article that the mind of human being is responsible for the happiness, sorrows and also the salvation, the companies allover the world have agreed upon the fact that individual’s body, mind and soul work in a coordinated manner at workplace. In order to tame the mind and to control the negative emotions many companies promote exercises like meditation, Pranayama and yoga.
The role of these activities in achieving a balance between physical and mental constitution and well-being is scientifically proved. Jain doctrines have suggested various spiritual practices to be performed on daily basis in order to tame the mind. These activities are care for others, care for people in need, reading of scriptures, repentance for harm done during the day (Pratikramana), self-control through sitting in meditation for 48 minutes (Samayik).
Jaina Scriptures talk about Samyak- jnana (Right Knowledge) Samyak Caritra (Right Character) and Samyak Darshan (Right faith) Right Knowledge combined with Right faith and Right Conduct leads to quality life. Conclusion:
Spirituality plays a key role in shaping the lives of people. Workplace spirituality creates better working environment in organization. People have started looking for meaning in life as well as in their work. The technology driven economy has satisfied the material needs but has given birth to a rat race resulting in to values bankruptcy at personal as well as organizational level.
Values are imperative to spirituality. When personal values are aligned with organizational values the effectiveness of organization increases manifolds.
If people and organizations practice and promote values and spirituality it canbring charismatic results in the personal and well as workplace life. Concern of spirituality is exploration of self and self-realization where as concern of workplace spirituality is to create a humane organization, which is productive and effective.
Though the concept of workplace spirituality in modern organizations and its implementation are in the nascent stage of development but here it is to note that Jaina scriptures are full of practical wisdom and can form basis for inculcation of spirituality in the workplace.
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12. Asst.Professor, International Institute of Professional Studies, Devi Ahilya University, Khandwa Road, Indore-452001
Pooja Jain
Asst.Professor,
International Institute of Professional Studies,
Devi Ahilya University,
Khandwa Road,
Indore-452001
