MANAGEMENT BY SPIRITUALITY (MBS): A MANTRA FOR BUILDING ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH (OH) AND EFFECTIVENESS (OE)

Transcription

1 16 Knowledge Economy September 2012 MANAGEMENT BY SPIRITUALITY (MBS): A MANTRA FOR BUILDING ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH (OH) AND EFFECTIVENESS (OE) Dr. R. Amudha (Associate Professor, Karunya School of Business, Leadership & Management, Karunya University) Abstract Dr. M. Anbalagan (Professor & Head, PG and Research Department of Commerce, Voorhees College) Management concepts like organizational vision, empowerment, health, accountability, effectiveness, commitment, and customer orientation do remain as indispensable in the organizational context which can be achieved effectively through compassion and spirituality exercised in organisations. Management by Spirituality (MBS) is a new direction, and in many instances the corporate leaders have inculcated the spiritual transition to solve challenging management problems. Spirituality being the enroute to reach one s target / goal generates more vibrance and harmony in strengthening the organizational health and organizational effectiveness leading to sustainable corporate success. Therefore, there is a greater need for giving a frame work to MBS for its applicability in organizations to be healthy and effective. Key words: Management by Spirituality, Dharma, Moksha, organisational health, organisational effectiveness. Introduction The last few decades are witnessing resurgence in the interest in spirituality in almost all the fields of human endeavours including management. Traditional organizations place emphasis on form and functions. Modern organizations have to operate under the paradigm of spirituality, which emphasize on spiritual energy and flow, shared vision, in aligning employee values with organizational values. The concept of spirituality in organization gained importance in recent years due to various reasons. A few of them are: mid-life soul searching, corporate downsizing, inclination towards holistic living, global spiritual renaissance, corporate social responsibility movement, change in organizational structure (erosion of middle management flat structure) and individual spiritual needs (personal meaning in life and at work place). Goal of Spirituality Spirituality is a matter of the spirit. Some proponents of spirituality believe that the goal of being spiritual is to simultaneously improve one s wisdom, willpower and communion with God/universe, which leads to emotional, mental and physical well-being of a person. Other spiritual proponents point out that spirituality is two stroke processes. The upward stroke relates towards manifesting improvements in the world/ reality around us as a result of inward change. In short, reviving lost relationship with the Lord and understanding one self to serve others is the goal of spirituality. Management by Spirituality (MBS) Management by Spirituality is not based on religious faith. Confusing religion with spirituality is something the management is wary of. An

2 September 2012 Management by Spirituality 17 individual who has an experience of infinite love is guided by the deepest knowing within to become more selfless, and their desire to be of service to humanity seems to grow exponentially *. There is very thin line drawn between religion and spirituality. Spirituality differs from religion in the sense that, religion is outward, focused on rites and rituals; spirituality is inward, non-dogmatic, non-exclusive and gender neutral. Spirituality is about bringing out a quality that is already present in human beings and not about bringing something that is not there. Spirituality is inherent in life, to activate our inner self. Spirituality is the en-route to reach one s target / goal. Spirituality Holistic Experience Spirituality in the work place attempts to connect the driving principle through the setting of a work place and through process of work. Integrating spirituality in the work place means creating a place where it is in congruence with all people to bring their wholesomeness, with all talents and complex emotions. All values (whether cultural, moral or human) are having their roots from the spiritual values. Spiritual values are the core values of all human beings and hence are innately divine. We are spiritual beings first and that to be human is to be spiritual. The essence of spirituality is the spiritual values inherent in human beings. Spiritual values are also human values and are the fundamental roots of a healthy, vibrant and viable work career. These values emanate from a common spiritual foundation and they are indivisible whole; one human value cannot exist distinct from the others. This integrated wholesomeness of the spiritual values gives tremendous strength as well as seek to bring the energy in our work. Management concepts like organizational vision, empowerment, health, accountability, effectiveness, commitment, and customer orientation do remain as terminologies in the organizational context which can be achieved through compassion and spirituality. As Buddha said, You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection. Spirituality in organizations extends beyond the relationships at work and helps the employees to achieve salvation through work and revitalises organizational health and reinforces its effectiveness. Spiritual Values The five basic spiritual values, viz., love, truth, responsible action, inner peace and non-violence are commonly found in all spiritual tradition and how they contribute for organization s effectiveness can be summed up as follows: (i) the value Truthfulness fosters trust and honest communications (ii) the value Responsible action fosters high quality work (iii) the value Inner peace fosters creative and wise decisions (iv) The value love fosters care for others well being and (v) the value Non-violence fosters win-win collaboration. The values of life - truth, righteousness, peace, love, non-violence, justice, forgiveness, gratitude, responsible action, inner peace have come from common spiritual foundation and could be witnessed from the divinely illuminated souls described in sacred texts. These spiritual values are inbuilt in our human nature. The existence and application of these spiritual values in organizations may generate more vibrance in the organizational health and organizational effectiveness leading to sustainable corporate success. Management by Spirituality (MBS) is a new direction, to solve challenging management * Marlise Karlin (2010), Being Spiritual versus Being Religious, The Huffington Post, internet newspaper.

3 18 Knowledge Economy September 2012 problems. Therefore, there is a greater need for giving a frame work to MBS for its applicability in organizations to be healthy and effective. Spiritual Prescriptions in Organizations India has always taught people to put spirit above the matter to make internal excellence lead the quest for external excellence. Swami Vivekananda exhorts us Put yourself to work, and you will find such tremendous power coming to you that you will feel it hard to bear. Even the last work done for others awakens the power with in. 1 The Advaitha Vedanta inspires us with a positive outlook, exhorts us to live and work with enthusiasm, and to transform our cross self-interest into enlightened self-interest. The end of all work is the attainment of true knowledge of life and unalloyed joy 2. The central theme of Bhagavad Gita is work without expectations of reward and man achieving from work get the double benefit of, namely, social welfare outside, and spiritual growth inside. Three inter connected pathways propounded in Bhagavad Gita are; 1.The path of seeking and gaining spirituality wisdom (Jnana Yoga) 2.The path of strengthening devotion to the source of creation (Bhakthi Yoga) 3.The path of selfless service to others (Karma Yoga) At work place, we have the opportunity to cultivate each of these pathways and to use our work situations as a practice ground for our spiritual growth. The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilise scarce resources optimally. During the Mahabharata war, a curtain raiser event was, Sri Krishna s large army chosen by Duryodhana whereas, Arjuna selected Sri Krishna s wisdom for his assistance. This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective manager - the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom. Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, it is more difficult to control the mind than to control the wind said Arjuna to Sri Krishna. Maharishi calls the Bhagavad Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level. Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight (Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad Gita is preached in the battle field, Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna, counselling him to be dutiful in his work to enforce Dharma. This situation suits with the current management principles to be adopted to achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situations in an organisation. The Bhagavad Gita can be experienced as a powerful catalyst for organisational transformation. The despondency of Arjuna in Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer power of his words of wisdom, inspires Arjuna, transforming from a state of inertia to one of righteous action, from the state of what the French philosophers call anomie or even alienation, to a state of self-confidence in the ultimate victory of dharma (ethical action.) When Arjuna got over his despondency and was reluctant to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of the purpose of his new-found spirit of intense action - not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own greed and desire, but for the good of many, 1. Vivekananda Swami, Work and its Secret, in Real Worship 2003.Vivekanand Institute of Human Excellence, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad. 2. Jitmananda Swami, Indian Ethos for Management, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Rajkot.

4 September 2012 Management by Spirituality 19 with faith in the ultimate victory of ethicality over unethical actions and of truth over untruth. Sri Krishna s advice with regard to temporary failures is, No doer of good ever ends in misery. Every action should produce results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but evil. Therefore, always get rewarded for righteous actions. In Mahabharata, we come across a king by the name of Yayati, who, in order to reveal in the endless enjoyment of flesh exchanged his old age with the youth of his obliging youngest son for a thousand years. However, he found the pursuit of sensual enjoyments but ultimately unsatisfied with his actions and came back to his son pleading him to take back his youth. This yayati syndrome shows the conflict between externally directed acquisitions (extrinsic motivation) and the inner value of conscience (intrinsic motivation). MBS - Enhancing Efficiency and Effectiveness About 200 respondents from various organizations in different countries at varied levels of management were surveyed, almost 99% of the respondents experienced the need of spirituality at work place and how it helps the organizations for better performance, productivity and profits. The survey also revealed that MBS is a better alternative for the critical Management issues of current day. If a doctor is always under stress, his effectiveness to manage the patients, is questionable. Various Scriptures and Vedic management concepts primarily focus on and teaches how to manage oneself, before managing others. What we miss is the spirit of leadership. Soul sick and spirituality impoverished organizations are handicapped to face new challenges. With pockets full, but with empty hearts, a working culture found in the organizations, need to nourish their soul with spiritual nectar, as a prerequisite to profits, performance, productivity and sustenance. There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing oneself and managing an organisation. Effectiveness is doing the right thing. Efficiency is doing things right. Both being inevitable, the critical question in the minds of every manager is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this fundamental question is found in Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that you must try to manage yourself. The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and effectiveness, a distinction from being one in the crowd, in not attained. Three stone-cutters were engaged in erecting a temple. A HRD Consultant* asked them what they were doing. The response of the three workers to this innocent-looking question is illuminating. I am a poor man. I have to maintain my family. I am making a living here, said the first stonecutter with a dejected face. Well, I work because I want to show that I am the best stone-cutter in the country, said the second one with a sense of pride. Oh, I want to build the most beautiful temple in the country, said the third one with a visionary gleam. Their jobs were identical but their perspectives were different. What Gita preaches, is to develop the visionary perspective in whatever work we do. It tells us to develop a sense of larger vision in our work for the common good. Thus the best way of effective performance in management, is the work itself. Attaining this state of mind (called nishkama karma ) is the right attitude to work because it prevents the ego, the mind, from dissipation of attention through speculation on future gains or losses. * by adopting some other source

5 20 Knowledge Economy September 2012 Spiritual Values - A Mantra for Organizational Health and Effectiveness Corporate leaders/ CEOs are the creators of culture in an organization. CEOs/ Corporate leaders who embraced spiritual values and practicing both in personal life and organizational work life, are catalytic in permeating spirituality into the organisational system, gradually transforming to achieve organisational effectiveness. CEOs driven by spiritual values such as justice, love, humility, forgiveness, non-violence, dharma, karma yoga, gratitude, etc., would pave way for creating a supportive, spiritually embedded environment establishing healthy interactions and team spirit among the employees. A healthy environment encourages employees to become a complete man. So practicing spiritual values in the workplace creates new ethos based on Indian Philosophies which makes everyone in the organization feel happier and perform better. When employees start realizing their wholesomeness they become karma yogis, whose inner joy emerges out of selfless service through serving and respecting divinity present in all souls. Thus, the process of spirituality in organization will enhance organizational health and effectiveness. Indian Philosophy and Ethos offer a new mantra for organizational health and effectiveness. This is a four stage process consisting of (a) Inculcating spiritual values among employees (b) Practicing spiritual values in the (c) Experiencing values of spiritual Gurus organizations (d) Triple bottom line: people, profit, planet in building Organizational Health (OH) and Organizational Effectiveness(OE). (a) Inculcating spiritual values among employees To inculcate spiritual values in the workplace, interactions with renowned and genuine spiritual leaders and their biography would throw light on this aspect. The leaders preach what they practice. They walk the talk. Their mission statement is tailored in such a way that gives the impression; it is not only the ends, but also the means should be honest. Many organizations have felt the need of spirituality in the organisational system, have facilitated for yoga and meditation for their employees, a transformation, slow but sturdy. (b) Practicing spiritual values in organizations Practice of yoga regularly and meditating profoundly gives perfect tranquillity, to understand the meaning in life, and its purpose. Now the employee attains self-awareness and helps to identify his spiritual values. These spiritual values applied in work life, found to realise the resonance of thought, word and deed of the employees. The resonance is a sufficient testimony of mastery over choice and application of suitable spiritual values, as a Karma-yogi is free from personal concerns and is found to experience selflessness. (c) Experiencing values of spiritual Gurus This stage directs how individual has to take a spiritual journey. As the saying by sacred texts go: work exists for two reasons 1. Societal benefit 2. Inner spiritual growth. Hence the application of Spiritual Value System in the work place tantamount to a spiritual journey. Sri Sathya Sai Baba once remarked about spirituality, Start early, Drive slowly, and arrive safely. In the first stage, inner spirituality will be developed and it will ensure the application of spiritual values. In the second stage, building supportive environment will help one to gain self confidence. Now the spiritual employee entitles to put spiritual values into action. And the last stage is the achievement oriented stage which leads to quality of work life. (d) Triple bottom line: Profit, People, Planet Organizations are discovering that their unfaltering success depends on practicing spiritual values. Every spiritual value is directly related with business concepts and pave way for tremendous success. There is nothing more powerful than Love. When love emanates from spirituality, it inspires, motivates, energizes and strengthens all aspects of our day-to-day

6 September 2012 Management by Spirituality 21 work. Compassion among the fellow mates, makes committed and it helps in empowering employees, which leads to organisational growth. Karma yoga (dexterity in action) helps one to be detached from the results and work selflessly that lead to innovation and excellence. The Spiritual value Service depends on the impression that all human beings are godly. Hence service to others is the real service to God. An organization, which is legendary in service, is customer-oriented. Such an organization fosters customer loyalty, create brand image and assure increased sales. Justice in the work place derives from profit sharing and equal opportunities for all by which organization comes to forefront in the pioneering aspects of employee ownership, gender equality and concern for the society. An attitude of Gratitude is a noble value and makes employees and the organization socially responsible. Serenity in Corporate responsibility increases goodwill & image. Humility is an essential spiritual value of giving highquality service and very relevant to employees who deal with customers. It is directly related to quality service to customers. Forgiveness is a divine quality. Dealing with employees, by the management, to keep unity intact, act as a mentor, so that the employees become followers of the leader. Non-Violence, when applied in the course of customer disputes and union dealings create win-win situations for both the organisation and employees. Doing business becomes impossible unless Truth fills in the business atmosphere. It is the live link between customers, suppliers and clients. All the spiritual values put together in the organisation system is the epitome of spirituality. Spiritual corporate citizen endowed with spiritual values is a personification of spiritual value system. Profit to the organization, contentment to stakeholders and safety and prosperity to the planet are the objectives of this paradigm shift. That is why world business leaders are described as the first planetary citizens. The spiritual value system when employed in letter and spirit gives tremendous corporate success, eventually the triple bottom line (people, profit, and planet) is well taken care of. Management by Spirituality (MBS) Model Triple bottom line: Profit, People, Society Inculcating spiritual values among employees Phase IV Phase I Organizational Health and Effectiveness through spiritually embedded Organizational Culture Phase III Phase II Experiencing values of spiritual Guru s Practicing spiritual values in organizations

7 22 Knowledge Economy September 2012 Issues to Ponder Over The following research issues are recognized to understand the behavioural implications of workplace spirituality in organizational context. 1. Spirituality or the aspects of community have an important place in organizational development efforts of leaders in organization. 2. There exists relationship between workplace spirituality dimensions and job satisfaction of employees and organizational commitment. 3. Spirituality permeate and transcend leadership, ethics and culture in organizational stories. Organizational stories differ in moral and spiritual dimensions among different types of organizations such as between private and public, financial and health care etc. A study of organizational stories would reveal the intricacies of workplace spirituality. 4. Spirituality and religious beliefs are compatible, though not identical; they may or may not coexist. In office setting, it is absolutely crucial to unearth the difference between the two to take the organization towards the right destination. 5.Spirituality in the workplace creates new organizational culture and facilitates for sharing and caring of culture by all the stakeholders of organization such as suppliers, customers, and shareholders etc. An in-depth examination of how the stakeholders share and care the new organizational culture would disseminate the salience of workplace spirituality. Conclusion Spiritual based training and transformational exercises will create sereneness in mind, which in turn will enable people in the Organization to do things rightly, that will lead to individual efficiency and Organizational excellence. It is high time to state that spiritual practice have been considered as the last resort, to inculcate in a system for bringing the paradigm shift in the businesses and other professions, as a measure to tackle issues and problems. In this era of global cut throat competition, the survival and sustenance becomes easily possible for those companies and businesses which apply and follow spiritual values besides being professional. This mantra would provide necessary tools for excellence throughout the business. Organizational Effectiveness comes out of doing right things in the Organization. People in the organization by adopting Spiritual Values and practicing spiritual values will be driven to do only right things in the organizations. To quote from Bhagavath Gita Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow, And whatever standards he sets be exemplary acts All the world pursues. (Chap. 3.27) References: Aburdene, P. (2005). Mega trends 2010: The rise of conscious capitalism. Charlottesville: Hampton Roads Publishing Company. Ashmos, D.P. and Duchon, D. (2000), Spirituality at work: a conceptualization and measure, Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp Cavanagh, G. (1999). Spirituality for Managers: Context and Critique. Journal of Organizational Change Management. 12(3): Donald W. McCormick, (1994). Spirituality and Management. Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol.9 (6): 5-8. Flier, L.L. (1995). Demystifying mysticism: Finding a developmental relationship between different ways of knowing. The Journal of transpersonal psychology, 27(2), Freshman, B, (1999). An Exploratory Analysis if Definitions and Applications of Spirituality in Workplace. Journal of Organizational Change Management. 12(4):

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