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Published in: Journal of Business Ethics 2/2021

21-02-2020 | Original Paper

Organizational Spirituality: Concept and Perspectives

Authors: Raysa Geaquinto Rocha, Paulo Gonçalves Pinheiro

Published in: Journal of Business Ethics | Issue 2/2021

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Abstract

There is no agreed-upon, unique concept of spirituality; its dimensions and characteristics depend on the approach used. Spirituality appears in management studies from three main perspectives: individual spirituality, spirituality in the workplace, and organizational spirituality. Spirituality can also be considered from a religious perspective. This article identifies a comprehensive concept of organizational spirituality based on the terms and concepts used in the literature. A systematic review of the literature was made using the Web of Science and Scopus databases; the articles were then subjected to bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software. The results included two clusters: organizational spirituality and workplace spirituality. Cluster analysis suggested that there is scope for research on workplace spirituality and a gap in organizational spirituality studies. The proposed concept for organizational spirituality is an organizational identity resulting from its values, practices, and discourse that is composed of workplace and individual spirituality guided by the leader and other members and influenced by the environment, organizational culture, and knowledge management. This spirituality generates value and social good that is visible in the organization’s image, mission, vision, and organizational values. This article contributes to the literature by the categorization and systematization of the existing literature and proposing a unified concept—a mental and linguistic representation of organizational spirituality—that represents its essence and confers the qualities and attributes inherent to this phenomenon.

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Metadata
Title
Organizational Spirituality: Concept and Perspectives
Authors
Raysa Geaquinto Rocha
Paulo Gonçalves Pinheiro
Publication date
21-02-2020
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Journal of Business Ethics / Issue 2/2021
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04463-y

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