Spirituality
in work and management has been an active area of interest for academics
and researchers for the last few years. In the wake of major corporate
collapses and increasingly diminishing sense of purpose in the autocratic
business environment for employees has created urgency for a human solution
in the corporate/business world. Many solutions are being proposed but
the problem is in applying them. This is an area about which the management
gurus have a little or no clue at all. Solution is easy to find if the
problem is first identified and recognised. Spirituality is subtle.
It does not come in the grasp of mere words. No matter how many logics
are developed, this is one area which can not be tackled by words and
thought-based models. And academia needs a framework - a theory or a
rationale to work something out. It needs to put things in perspective,
either quantitatively or qualitatively. That is the dilemma. How can
something that goes beyond the words and logic be explained in words
and logic? What can be a measure of human instinct for example? That
is why there is hesitancy in the academic world about using the terms
"spiritual" or "spirituality". People get nervous.
Alarm bells start ringing. What is Spirituality? How do we define it?
It is not that the efforts are not on. Book stores shelves are filling
up with "Workplace Spirituality" and "Spiritual Management"
titles. In the academic world, the likes of Marcic, Cacioppe and McCormick
are keeping the flame alive while others such as Ken Wilber and Rupert
Sheldrake are amused by the depth and intrigue of the human nature.
There are not alone and not the first ones. The quest for reaching the
depths of human nature is closely associated with our own quest of finding
the meaning of life. After all, the question comes to, "Why do
we do the things we do and for what purpose?" Can we work in an
environment detached from human emotions and qualities? Actually, that
is more or less how the organisations have been for centuries. They
have treated people like components, units and profit centres. Our current
systems, specially the academic and corporate systems, are not geared
for a change. To move from profit to human and society will be a major
shift. Who is ready for it?
How can we dig deep into the human consciousness and find the common
meaning and purpose that puts that human advancement and mutual growth
at the forefront? How can we create a sustainable human advantage? The
challenge is to reach out to the pure human consciousness and find the
elements that make us human beings and bring us together as a collective
force. To call it spiritual or not is a matter of discretion. The label
is not important - the essence is.
This section presents my MBA thesis, which is academic in nature. More
work will be added in the future. Contributions from current students
and teachers are welcome.
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