A HINDU PERSPECTIVE ON SPIRITUALITY AND MANAGEMENT

Abstract

One might begin by clarifying the title, which could as well have read: A Hindu Perspective on Religion and Management. It could of course be argued that there are good prudential reasons for preferring the word “spirituality” to “religion.” In a recent probe of the attitudes of several hundred managers, only 30% had a positive view of religion and spirituality. More than half, 60%, had a positive view of spirituality and a negative view of religion.¹ In the case of Hinduism, however, although prudential concerns apply, other reasons also come into play. It could be plausibly argued that Hinduism is better described as a “spirituality” or “wisdom”² rather than religion in the Western sense, a tendency which is already apparent in attempts to describe it as a “state of mind,”³ and even the “mind of India.”⁴ The title, therefore, appropriate as it is, is particularly apposite in the case of Hinduism.⁵ Thus, rather than why spirituality, the first question one must address is: What is Spirituality?

Citation

Sharma, A. (2003), "A HINDU PERSPECTIVE ON SPIRITUALITY AND MANAGEMENT", Pava, M.L. and Primeaux, P. (Ed.) Spiritual Intelligence at Work: Meaning, Metaphor, and Morals (Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, Vol. 5), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 203-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1529-2096(03)05010-7