Many people today are finding that there’s
more to life—and business—than profits alone. Money as the single bottom
line is increasingly a thing of the past. In a post-Enron world, values
and ethics are an urgent concern. The hottest buzz today is about a
“triple bottom line,” a commitment to “people, planet, profit.” Employees
and the environment are seen as important as economics. Some people say
it’s all about bringing your spiritual values into your workplace. A poll
published in USA Today found that 6 out of 10 people say
workplaces would benefit from having a great sense of spirit in their work
environment.
What is spirituality in business?
There’s a wide range of important
perspectives. Some people say that it’s simply embodying their personal
values of honesty, integrity, and good quality work. Others say it’s treating
their co-workers and employees in a responsible, caring way. For others,
it’s participating in spiritual study groups or using prayer, meditation, or
intuitive guidance at work. And for some, it’s making their business socially
responsible in how it impacts the environment, serves the community or helps
create a better world.
Some business people are comfortable using
the word “spirituality” in the work environment, as it’s more generic and
inclusive than “religion.” Instead of emphasizing belief as religion
does, the word spirituality emphasizes how values are applied and
embodied. Other people aren’t comfortable with the word “spiritual” and
prefer to talk more about values and ethics when describing the same things
that others would call spiritual. But there are some businesspeople who
talk about God as their business partner or their CEO.
There’s some fear about spiritual beliefs or
practices being imposed by employers, but to date this has been extremely
rare. On the other hand, some observers warn about the potential for
superficiality and the distortion of spiritual practices to serve greed.
Key spiritual values embraced in a business
context include integrity, honesty, accountability, quality, cooperation,
service, intuition, trustworthiness, respect, justice, and service. The Ex.
Satyam CEO Ramalinga Raju told workers they are “morally obligated to help
customers solve problems” – they’re not just to sell people products. The CEO
of Mahindra & Mahindra, a popular national vehicle manufacturing company,
honored--instead of fired--an employee who told the truth in a widely
circulated memo. This greatly increased morale and built a sense of trust
in his company.
The sustainable business, social investment
and spirituality in business movements are one of the hopeful signs that
business, as the most powerful institution in world today, may be transforming
from within. What is emerging is a new attitude towards the workplace as a
place to fulfill one’s deeper purpose.
As World Business Academy cofounder Willis
Harman remarked many years ago, “The dominant institution in any society needs
to take responsibility for the whole, as the church did in the days of the Holy
Roman Empire.” Each day, more and more businesses are helping to create a
better world by being more socially responsible in how they treat people and
the environment. They are proving that spirituality helps--rather than
harms--the bottom line.
As Kahlil Gibran reminds us in The Prophet, “Work
is love made visible.”
Photo Credit: Google Images
