Organisational spirituality : towards a construct for organisational ethics

Abstract

In the past few years we have witnessed the exposure of organisations that have exhibited unethical practices and individuals displaying far-reaching unethical behaviour that contributed to the recent economic meltdown. Seemingly paradigms that in the past served and governed organisational ethics have proven themselves inadequate for regulating organisational ethics. As a society witnessing these reprehensible actions we try to understand the logic of these actions and to find out whom we should blame. We also ask ourselves if there are no other approaches or perspectives that can change the contemporary logic governing organisations and ethics. Even new approaches presented seem to offer only a slightly remedying effect regarding the scandalous actions executed by organisational leader-founder(s) in the name of their organisations. Giacalone (2004:415) states that we are deluded as a society if we think that these scandalous actions will go away because organisations and organisational members are becoming more ethics friendly. This is because the root cause of these reprehensible actions has not been adequately dealt with in literature. Also, an alternative change agent that will provide a holistic framework for organisational ethics and will enhance intrinsic ethicality within organisations and individuals has not been sufficiently pursued within research. The purpose of this dissertation is to present organisational spirituality as an emerging construct and recognised phenomenon within organisational theory and ethics. More specifically the purpose of this study is to posit that (a) organisational spirituality is a better-suited construct and phenomenon to provide a holistic framework for governing organisational ethics and (b) applied organisational spirituality has the potential to enhance intrinsic ethicality in organisations and individuals. In order to present organisational spirituality as a transforming agent for organisational ethics, a literature review is conducted on organisational culture and organisational ethical constructs that have until recently been significant in serving and governing organisational ethics. Both organisational culture and organisational ethical constructs are problematised with regards to their relationship with unethical behaviours and organisational ethics. This is done in order to highlight the insufficiencies of current frameworks of organisational ethics and also to point out that organisational culture has proven itself to be inadequate in facilitating and maintaining good organisational ethics amongst individuals and organisations. The construct organisational spirituality is a holistic construct and phenomenon that is applicable to all organisational activities and aspects. Applied organisational spirituality accommodates the physical, emotional, rational and spiritual aspects of the individual. To improve the current organisational ethical situation facing organisations, organisational members, and the discipline of organisational ethics, conceptual ideas such as inner life, meaning at work, community, and higher order personal and organisational ethics that underlie the construct organisational spirituality are used to develop a conceptual framework that could significantly influence organisational ethics. The new framework is used to develop spiritual ethical values that can motivate intrinsic ethicality within the organisation and organisational individuals. The ramification of integrating organisational spirituality within organisational ethics is that through implementing conceptual ideas such as inner life, self-awareness, a sense of community, organisations and individuals have a sense of ethical transcendence that is motivated by awareness of self within a community of others. This dissertation also explores the construct spiritual leadership as a relevant leadership construct to facilitate and maintain organisational spirituality. The construct spiritual leadership embodies many value characteristics that are linked to effective leadership within the organisation. Since spiritual leader-founder(s) are also moral leaders spiritual leader-founder(s) play a significant role in promoting good organisational ethics through spiritual ethical values. Finally this thesis reviews case studies of organisations that have been successful through spiritual leadership. Case studies are reviewed to highlight and augment that organisational spirituality managed through spiritual leadership is a better-suited construct to accommodate the ‘whole’ person at work. Furthermore the case studies reviewed provide evidence that applied spirituality increases organisational and individual organisational potential such as organisational profitability, individual productivity, and that through self-awareness the organisation and individuals realise a higher order of organisational and personal ethics.