Covid-19 global pandemic, workplace spirituality and the rise of spirituality-driven organisations in the post-digital era

Abstract

Purpose – Despite the growing importance of workplace spirituality, organisations have been reluctant to integrate spirituality into their workplaces; this paper discusses how to integrate spirituality into the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – This is a theoretical paper that builds its arguments on the synthesis of workplace spirituality and contemporary management paradigms. Findings – The study argues that workplace spirituality is an extremely important driving force for the sustainable and healthy growth of any organisation; however, infusing workplace spirituality into companies in the industrial and digital eras would be a futile effort, as industrial organisations are built on an ethos highly incongruent with spiritual principles. Therefore, in the post-digital era, spirituality-driven organisations (SDOs) will emerge, marking the beginning of a true “spiritual paradigm” for business and human society at large. The study also elaborates on the characteristics of the post-digital era and the nature of SDOs. Originality/value – Workplace spirituality has been a research topic for years but has never gained sufficient momentum. The Covid-19 global pandemic has made workplace spirituality a more pertinent issue on corporate agendas. Therefore, this paper provides the theoretical foundation to embed workplace spirituality in contemporary management thoughts and practices.

Keywords

• global pandemic
• covid-19
• workplace spirituality
• interconnectedness
• transcendence
• symbiotic organisation
• spirituality-driven organisation