Mediating role of workplace spirituality between spiritual leadership and employee commitment

Abstract

Spiritual leadership approach inspires employees to find meaning in their work and through a sense of belonging because of a satisfied need for spiritual survival in the workplace. Societal and organisational challenges are driving leaders to look at alternative approaches to traditional leadership styles to improve the working environments and deliver on organisational outcomes. The growing scholarly interest in spiritual leadership has resulted in studies demonstrating both organisational and individual benefits of spiritual leadership and workplace spirituality. Despite the growing interest in the topic, only limited empirical studies were conducted to understand the relationship between spiritual leadership and employee commitment mediated by workplace spirituality. To contribute to the current debate, a quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey to collect responses from 277 South Africans who are currently employed in various organisations. Data analysis used Partial Least Squares-based Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results showed a significant relationship between spiritual leadership and employee commitment mediated by workplace spirituality. Interestingly, the results showed varying outcomes in how dimensions of workplace spirituality influence the dimensions of employees’ commitment. The theoretical implications of the findings stimulate further interest in understanding how the dimensions of workplace spirituality affect employees’ commitment dimensions and consideration of workplace spirituality in organisational theory. The practical implications of the findings offer insights into an alternative approach to leadership that considers the spiritual needs of employees and embraces spirituality at work.