Spirituality and Management Analysis - Coursework Example

? Spirituality and Management ARTICLE Lewis, J., & Geroy, J., 2002. Employee Spirituality in the Workplace: A Cross-Cultural View for the Management of Spiritual Employees. Journal of Management Education, 2000; 24; 682, DOI: 10.1177/105256290002400510. This journal presents the importance of articulating spirituality and religion at the work place. There are several spiritual beliefs in our societies as well as other practices. Most employees present these at the work place and occasionally, some are shunned; they are either required to suppress or just simply fail to express such spiritual beliefs. The journal emphasizes the need to value diversity, show some level of tolerance for the so called spiritual beliefs through an incorporation of those who immigrate from the Central America, South America and the Asia, so that we can have a more culturally diverse work force in the United States. It has also advocated for political correctness which has significantly improved the levels of spiritual expression at the work place. Such cultural mix not only represents ethnic diversity, but also a varied behavior and belief system which impacts on roles delegated to employees at the work place. The contents of this journal further illustrate the management challenge as posed by this diversity at the work place. Spiritual differences present managers with the challenge of dilemma when it comes to licensing based on a holistic subjective expression and/or whether to have some form of boundaries or categorization for some people as spirit free, and those with spirit. There is also a fear of those wanting to express their spirituality, of offending their peers who have no religion or do not share their spirituality. This challenge is getting overwhelming especially with the increased integration of people at the work place from different ethnicity. For instance, the Journal points out that American employers are reported not to respect the spiritual values and beliefs of their immigrant employees. There is also a related challenge of the discussion prohibition of matters related to sex, politics, religion and spirituality at the work place, it’s like a taboo. The Journal concludes that a freer spiritual expression at the work place draws equal challenges to the managers as its total prohibition. In addition, spirituality has not totally been readily accepted as a diversity issue as compared to race, sex, gender and ethnicity among others. Therefore not much has been done related to spirituality and management crises at the work place. ARTICLE 2 MSocSci, K., & Kalliath, T., 2000. Spirituality as a Determinant of Health for those with Disabilities. Dissertation abstract. This article tries to establish the relationship between and among spirituality and health and disability. They begin by defining disability as that loss of the social, physical and cognitive aspects permanently by an individual. They also point out that rehabilitation services are offered to an individual to restore their so lost capabilities. They however emphasize that even after rehabilitation, not all functionality is recovered to the affected individual, and then pose a question of whether all those with disabilities, do they ever get healthy? The relationship of spirituality, health and disability clearly comes out in this article in the argument that it is our argument and perception that gives essence to the concept of health. The argument is that if the disabled attach a different meaning other than the loss of social, physical and cognitive functioning to their situation, then we can attribute spirituality as a key determinant to health. As WHO defines it, health is merely the absence of a disease or infirmity. This piece of work therefore distinguishes spirituality from religion and explains why spirituality is a prime health determinant factor. This article has underscored the importance of good inter and intra-personal relationships between and among individuals in order for them to have good health. People should have intimate and close relationships with others as these are directly linked to the physical health status. A person’s cognitive health, the meanings we attach to our daily life experiences, and their esteem levels all have a direct impact to health as reported in this article. Unavailability of them all causes an individual to have stress. Apparently, from the report, it is evident that it is from spiritual dimensions where values and beliefs are derived that govern most relationships. This article also establishes that no rigorous research has been undertaken to show the relationship of health and spirituality, whereas, religion and health can be slightly linked, as those who attend to church or are in religious associations are observed to have good health. However, no convincing variables have been further established to illustrate the relationship between religion and health. The article critiques the idea that there is no proper explanation provided for these arguments so because as much as those attending churches may be healthy due to the exercise of walking and dancing to the venues, what would we say about the healthy people who attend secular gatherings and dance to keep healthy, and who are also benefiting from close interpersonal relationships with their peers. The article states that the individual with a strong and healthy spirituality cope and adjust more easily to death and other life experiences and live longer. Spirituality is therefore the individual and sustainable despite illness or injury. ARTICLE 3 Courtenay, C ., & Flemming, J., 2000. The Role of Spirituality in the Practice of Adult Education Leaders. Dissertation abstract. The article illustrates spirituality roles in the practice of adult education leaders. Leaders view spirituality as a guide or a provision to a calling. It is viewed as something that instills ethics to an individual; it comes in quite handy in times of experiencing challenges. It is spirituality that influences the use of power, communication and decision making. The definition and perception that is given to any concept determines how we understand and use it. Until recently, spirituality and religion were considered synonymous by the Americans. The article however states that the two terms are quite different though related. Leaders in this study identified themselves as having moral conduct codes. The article acknowledges the fact that no leader can be without a set of values, hope or vision, thus the importance of spirituality. Spirituality also needs one to reflect and make choices as it evolves with time. As a concept, it shapes leaders and their power perceptions, it’s a resource at times of challenges, and influences decision making and communication too. ARTICLE 4 Welsh, M., & Dehler, G., 1994. Spirituality and Organizational Transformation. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 9 (6), pp. 17- 26. This article shows the aspect of spirituality in connection to organizational change. Change is mostly rejected as it is about feelings. The article aims at linking spirituality to the concepts of vision, leadership motivation, and employees’ psychology in the organization. The vision of an organization acts as the spiritual source for its employees. Leadership on the other hand should be inspirational to the people being led. It is the duty of leaders to ensure that they give intrinsic motivation to the employees and if a change is to be implemented, they should consider how intrinsically rewarding that change would be to the employees. ARTICLE 5 Milliman, J., & Neck, C., 1994. Thought Self-leadership: Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Organizational Life. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 9 (6), pp. 9-16. The article illustrates how a person can be attached to an organizational setting based on the thought self leadership (the mental imageries they have, the self-talks, and thought patterns). This is important and has positive consequences when nurtured and well applied in both personal and organizational context. Emotional intelligence is used to refer to a person’s ability to understand emotions and the approach to use in order to reduce the negative effects of the emotions to the self and the people around them. It is of importance to apply emotional intelligence at the personal level and even in group setting. The emotional intelligence concerns with the ability of a person to manage emotions at a personal level. This is important because it prevents the negative effects that the emotions can have to others if not controlled. It’s good to understand that emotions are important. They help in the process of reasoning, and they should not be suppressed. However, if they are uncontrolled, they can be harmful. It is therefore important to control these emotions. Also, while dealing with one’s emotions, it is important to understand other people’s emotions. This is important because through this, the people in the work place are able relate well without bad conflicts. This is an important situation for productivity in an organization. The human beings are known to have both rational and emotional levels of reasoning. For a person to reason rationally and carefully, emotions have to be the foundation of that reasoning. The person’s commitment and focus of energy is determined by the emotions. The emotions are triggered by feelings and the personal perceptions of something. The person’s reaction to the situation will depend on the nature of the feeling that the person has had. Spirituality enables a person to apply the spiritual values in order to attain their wellbeing. A person operating under spiritual intelligence is conscious of the reality of the ways in which people interact. He has the ability to practice virtuous values without compromise. The spiritual intelligence improves as a person continues to interact with others. This person has the capability to meet other people’s needs when there is need and to the best of their ability. This level of intelligence is crucial because it enables a person to indentify the inner abilities that can be used in helping other. It allows people to be able to be patient with others. In the context of work place, it is only through the spiritual intelligence that the workers can see the value in working as a team despite the challenges of accommodating others. PART 2 THE CULTURAL WEB Workers find it more meaningful to identify with others. The virtuous ability of the employees makes them to exhibit the highest degree of integrity. A person operating in both emotional and spiritual intelligence is a good person to work with. A group of such people working together makes the work environment to be conducive for productivity. Therefore, the level of productivity is influenced by the people’s ability to effectively apply their intelligence in their work (Wigglesworth, 2006). In a work place environment, both the individual emotional and spiritual intelligence are very crucial. At present, workplaces are much diverse. This is in terms of technology, age and race. These differences are causing the nature of work done to be diverse. In order to cope with the current situation, the employees in the workplace are required to be more committed to their work than before. Also, they are required to build positive relationships both within the organizations and outside. The work place environment and one’s personal spirituality are intertwined. The work place environment in one way or another affects the employees. Also, the individuals contact can influence the workplace environment. In reality, people working in an organization focus constantly in seeking for infidel improvement ways. At the same time, they have committed to make their contribution to the organization’s well being and success. In consideration to a good working place, one should think of an organization environment that withstands the uncertainties in the changing environment. Since the organization comprises of people, the reaction to change will depend on the people’s decision, and the personal emotional and spiritual intelligence is very essential. The employees are expected to be able to work together, co-operate and do the work as a team. This is quite important especially with the current globalised business situation (Elton-Chalcraft, 2002). The workplace nature and the applicability of emotional and spiritual intelligence The contact of a worker in a workplace matter a lot in as far as the productivity of the organization is concerned. In reality, there are diversities in organization in terms of age, the level of skill and the rank one person occupies in an origination. Also, the employees differ in terms of their background and the live experiences they have had in their past (Elton-Chalcraft, 2002). Based on these facts, it is important to realize that despite working towards common organization goals, these people will have different levels of commitment, engagement and motivation. The happy employees will always be seen committed and productive in the organization. Also, there will be good service provision to the clients because of the good customer relations that the employees will create. If the employees have had stable background in the time of growth, they will be intelligently mature in the areas of emotions and spirituality. When they commit to their respective organizations, they will exhibit intrinsic motivation. The employees will have a sense of belonging in the organization and mostly, their performances will be to the required standards. The challenges experienced in the applying of emotional and spiritual intelligence in a workplace setting The applicability of the emotional and spiritual intelligence in the current world situation is a challenge than it was before. Today, the organizations environment is faced with the challenge globalization in which the level of diversity has been widened. People are required to interact and be productive in an organization despite the linguistic, behavioral, values and preferences differences. Some of the differences appear to be unfamiliar to the workers and dealing with them is a challenge. These differences touch people’s feelings at personal level, triggering different emotional reactions (Elton-Chalcraft, 2002). Because of the wider diversity, many are times that people find reacting ineffectively to a situation created as a result of the differences. For an organization to meet its goals there is a need for the workers to overcome the challenge of diversity. The success or failure of a worker or the organization will largely depend on the ability to overcome the challenge of diversity. These can be overcome by exercising self awareness, self regulation, empathy and social skills. REFLECTIVE REPORT Introduction Globalization has increased the linkage between systems, including businesses and schools. Schools are able to offer a more centralized education system. The education system reflects on the modern times of handling business. The teaching process involves applying lifestyle concepts that aid students to communicate with their working environment. This helps in creating a fundamental understanding of the spiritual and emotional aspects used in organizations. Studying management has enabled me relate the unit as a science and contributed to the growth in knowledge. I can handle barriers in a better way. Relating to my fellow students during group studies has also increased my relations with a variety of views. This enables me handle business ideas in a better manner. The business program indicates a variety of information about the business programs to indulge in. The unit has enabled me exercise my post-conventional areas in my development. I have been able to link my understanding of theories and practice. The program enables a learner to get acquitted with the development of human in terms of strength and ego. As the unit continued, more students got fulfilled of their inner life which means nourishing the works of the organization in relation to the immediate community. The various labs and lecture sessions indicate a variety of foundations that relate to the business world. As students, we end up as individuals, leaders and company owners. Going through such units enables us to do well in decision making and resolve problems quickly. Learning the annotated bibliography and the cultural web comes as an advantage in different ways. Reflection on the annotated bibliography The study has enabled me relate emotion and spiritual aspects applied in organizations. The methods which organizations use to solve arising matters depend with the extent of the program. Analyzing different aspects indicate different scenarios and how organizations solve them. Before the study, I did not imagine the experience leaders go through, but I understood how they link external and internal environments. The articles reveal the importance of analyzing the working environment. The analysis of the articles enabled me think under a wide perspective of the displayed information. Learning annotated bibliography has enabled me develop research and analysis skills while writing my papers and in making conclusions. I now reference my citations in a better way, and have a clear understanding of the arrangement of the articles during referencing. Presenting the annotated bibliography in class has improved my communication skills. My social level during classes and with my peers improved. The articles display different levels of spiritual and emotional intelligence provided to users in terms of health and fulfilling relationships. The study shows the importance of looking at the budget and success. As leaders, looking beyond the surface is important in preventing the employees to carry on with their duties. As managers, it is important to secure the issues while enabling leaders and managers to handle given situations. Reflection on the cultural web Analyzing the cultural web came as an important tool since I was going into employment. The web provides the organization with the advantages and disadvantages of the cultural issues affecting an organization. The cultural web enabled me understand the formulation of strategies, objectives and solutions to problems. Understanding the cultural web has enabled me come up with better ways of deploying the performance of the organization. Organizations have to continuously adapt to new technologies to survive the competitive market. Having a spiritual intelligence background comes as an important aspect in linking the beliefs to the working conditions. The individuals are able to link emotional and spiritual intelligence, making them stronger. Deploying the ideas with those presented by my fellow students led to a better understanding of ideas. The link between the mind and body helps if you understand the environment, and not let it affect your thinking. One is able to think at a more stable basis of thinking. The research links leadership with communication and spiritual intelligence. The environment for conducting business is dynamic and complex. As leaders, it is important to ensure the pressures that come with handling change are resolved in a correct manner. Analysis of strategic, operational and tactical decisions is important in securing a well-functioning organization. As a matter of understanding, a concept of spiritual intelligence helps in creating better individuals. Knowledge attained in this course is necessary in overcoming the challenges faced in applying the emotional and spiritual intelligence in an individual and organizational level. It has been proven that it is applicable to all people in an organization despite their rank. Scholars have established facts that the positive outcome of the above model cannot be disputed. Leaders should be in the forefront in facilitating the creation of a conducive work environment free of negative conflicts. Conclusion The individual’s competences and abilities should always be coupled with their inner motivations and commitment. This results into high productivity in the work place and a sense of belonging by the employees. Wigglesworth (2006) says that the success of an employee or manager in a work place is crucial in the current business world than before. It is therefore required of every individual in an organization to go through the four stages of emotional and spiritual development. The four stage model results to effectiveness in the working in a team context. The model is relevant and applicable at the individual and organizational level. All the team members including the leader should focus in developing an emotionally and spiritually intelligent team. At the personal level, individuals should focus on developing emotionally and spiritually. At the organizational level, the overall management should ensure creation of balanced environment between the individual and organization’s values and goals. The organization’s goals and values should not conflict with the individual’s values. The organizational environment balance avails an emotional and spiritual intelligent environment. This is achievable through the integrity of the leaders. The leaders in an organization are expected to be honest and rational in their decisions. The organization’s management should focus on helping the employees to be satisfied and productive. It should be the .dream of every leader or manager to treat his employees or team members with respect and provide the necessary assistance where necessary (Zohar & Marshall, 2001). References Courtenay, C., & Bradley, J., 2006. The Role of Spirituality in the Practice of Adult Education Leaders. Dissertation abstract. Elton-Chalcraft, S., 2002. Empty wells: how well are we doing at spiritual well-being? International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 7, pp. 309-328. Lewis, J., & Geroy, J., 2002. Employee Spirituality in the Workplace: A Cross-Cultural View for the Management of Spiritual Employees. Journal of Management Education 2000, 24; 682, DOI: 10.1177/105256290002400510. Milliman, J., & Neck, C., 1994. Thought Self-leadership: Finding Spiritual Fulfillment in Organizational Life. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 9 (6), pp. 9-16. MSocSci, K., & Kalliath, T., 2000. Spirituality as a Determinant of Health for those with Disabilities. Dissertation abstract. Welsh, M., & Dehler, G., 1994. Spirituality and Organizational Transformation. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 9 (6), pp. 17- 26. Wigglesworth, C., 2006. Why spiritual intelligence is essential to mature leadership. Available at http://www.leadsoach.com/archives/e-journal/ (Accessed 16 September 2006). Zohar, D., & Marshall, I., 2001. SQ Spiritual intelligence the ultimate intelligence. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. Read More