Spirituality in Learning and the Workplace

In response to Lisa Newkirk’s blog that discussed spirituality in leadership and the workplace.  Pawar (2009) proposes that there are three levels from which workplace spirituality can occur:  the individual level, which is about meaning in work; a group level involving a s sense of community at work; and an organizational level wherein the focus is on one’s spirituality and it’s alignment with organizational and corporate values.  With that, I can completely identify with the importance of spirituality in leadership and the workplace.  When a leader is able to effectively communicate the vision and mission of the organization, it encourages employees to connect with the institution in a meaningful way and have a desire to move the mission forward.  Work productivity is improved when employees make a spiritual connection with their leader and the work they are charged to accomplish.  

A prominent leader in the community I live is an excellent example of using spirituality in leadership and learning.  The video below is a compilation of excerpts from various addresses he has given to faculty, staff and students at the institution he oversees...High Point University.  The language he uses and how he encourages those under his leadership to connect with a power outside of themselves for the good of others, exemplifies how effective spirituality can be in the leadership and learning process.  

References:

Pawar, B. S. (2009). Individual spirituality, workplace spirituality and work attitudes. 

Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 30(8), 759–777.

High Point University President Nido R. Qubein - Best North Carolina College. Retrieved March 8, 2015. from http://youtu.be/-ImwxPlpVMw