CORPORATE WORLD AND SPIRITUALITY

By:Saurabh Sood

WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?

It is the relationship one has with one’s self...For many people, it is the simple yet sacred act of connecting with something greater than oneself- often referred to as your higher power, the divine, or the absolute.

It is about “inviting God into your life”

S = Sense of,P = Personal,I = Insight,

R = Religious,I = Interests,T = Towards,

U = Universal,A = Acceptance for,

L = Love,I = Integrity,

T = Truthfulness, andY = You (GOD)

Self Awareness

Reduce Stress

Ethical Development

Aims of Spirituality

Abundance and Creativity

Transformation

Wisdom

Power of Rising Sun

S

North

EastWest

South

Sacred Directions

SPIRITUALITY IN CORPORATE WORLDDifferent people have different perspectives, so scope of spirituality in business is very wide.

Different Views about spirituality.•Simply embodying their personal values of honesty, integrity, and good quality work.

•It’s treating their co-workers and employees in a responsible, caring way.

• It’s participating in spiritual study groups or using prayer, meditation, or intuitive guidance at work.

• It’s making their business socially responsible in how it impacts the environment, serves the community or helps create a better world.

Nowadays every organization thinks about three things while doing the business :-

1. Profit.2. Commitment to people.3. Planet.

Employees are as important as Economics .

KEY SPIRITUAL VALUES EMBRACED IN A BUSINESS

Integrity

Honesty

Accountability

Quality

Cooperation

Intuition

Trustworthiness

Respect

Justice

Instruments to Achieve Spirituality

PrayerMeditationYogaSilent sittingChanting mantras, andListening to grasping religious

scriptures

TASK-ORIENTED VALUES

PERSON-ORIENTED VALUES

Emphasis on:

Attitudes:

JobProduction

ProductCompetition

EfficiencyComparisonConformity

PersonGrowthFriendsCooperationLoveUniquenessDiversity

Prove yourselfJudgment from outside

(producing feelings of guilt)UtilitarianFunctional

Striving, strainingSense of accomplishment

Time measured by rhythm of clock

Become yourselfJudgment from within(producing conditions of peace)CreativeExpressiveNon-grasping, non-strivingSense of wonderRhythm of nature

ARE SPIRITUALITY AND PROFITABILITY RELATED ….??

• Bringing ethics and spiritual values into the workplace can lead to:-

• Increased productivity• Profitability • Employee retention• Customer loyalty• Brand reputationAccording to a growing body of research :- More employers are encouraging spirituality as a way

to boost loyalty and enhance morale

RESEARCH ON SPIRITUALITY AND

THE BOTTOM LINE

A recent study done at the University of Chicago by Prof. Curtis Verschoor and published in Management Accounting found that companies with a defined corporate commitment to ethical principles AND PAVING WAY FOR SPIRITUALITY do better financially than companies that don’t make ethics a key management component.

More Researches….

Business Week reported that 95% of Americans reject the idea that a corporation’s only purpose is to make money.

39% of U.S. investors say they always or frequently check on business practices, values and ethics before investing.

The Trends Report found that 75% of consumers polled say they are likely to switch to brands associated with a good cause if price and quality are equal

WHY ALL THE SUDDEN INTEREST IN SPIRITUALITY AT THE CORPORATE

WORLD?

• Survival - To survive into the 21st Century, organizations must offer a greater sense of meaning and purpose for their workforce. •Increased no. of females - Another 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 than men.

The 3 C’s of Spirituality:

Connection

Compassion

Contribution

Putting Spirituality Into Practice

• Learn to forgive• Practice Gratitude• Demonstrate appreciation• Give and Receive• Cultivate Compassion• Honor the sacredness of all life

Attributes of Spirituality within the context of work

• Defining ourselves as having inherent values, greater than our roles, titles and possessions.

• Affirming meaning and purpose in spite of absurdity and chaos.• Emphasizing authenticity, inner wisdom, creativity, and transformation.• Recognizing the immaterial, transcendental and sacred dimensions of reality.• Having a servant’s attitude towards work and leadership.• Embodying spiritual values of integrity, honesty, love, kindness, and respect.• Emphasizing social responsibility toward the community, society and

environment.• Viewing God and spiritual principles as the basis of moral decisions.

How can we create an environment

supportive to the spiritual dimension of life at work?

“Through the process of spiritual awakening we are shown places in ourselves that we have not seen before. Within each of us is a source of great strength, compassion and beauty. When we tap into this place we are inspired to connect to others , give comfort and support to those around us, even in dark times”

Selliken Bernard and Schneider(1996)

REASONS FOR PRAYER AND MEDITATION IN THE WORKPLACE

To prepare for difficult situations, when they are going through a tough time.

To give thanks for something good.

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE CORPORATE WORLD

CULTURAL DIFFERNCES MATERIALISTIC APPROACH Materialism in the age of plenty

eventually makes many people insecure TIME AND COST CONSTRAINTS THE INNER PEACE Technology has brought many comforts but at the

cost of mental calmness

STRESS “Spirit rises, matter falls” That can be panacea for various human materialistic problems

A balance need to exist in material desires PEER AND FAMILY PRESSURES CONFLICT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT VIRTUAL ORGANIZATIONS

Beware of GREED and its fallout

Paths of SpiritualityThe everyday

mystic

Generosity of Spirits

Passion to Serve

The way of the HeartWay of faith

Thy will, Not mine, Be done

Contemplation and

Transformation

GOD

Fruits Of Spirituality

• Forgiveness, control of mind• Control of Senses• Thoughts, words and deeds• Endurance• Faith• Equilibrium ,balance and normalness.

We are not human beings having a spiritual

experience, we are spiritual beings having a

human experience.

Summarizing in Mirage form Paths of Knowledge and enlightenment is never-

ending and infinite We can always look for reality but it never reaches

so easily Keep exploring, questioning, investigating Quest for truth is enlightening intellectually Objectivity in spiritual matters will bring us closer to

spiritual reality

It is not how much you do but how much love you put into the doing and sharing with others that is important.

- Mother Teresa