The impact of spiritual values on employees loyalty: the moderating role of Islamic work ethic

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of spiritual values (i.e. sense of community, sense of meaning and wisdom) on employee loyalty. Spiritual values are widely accepted by scholars and practitioners as a fundamental element for employee performance. This study explored and enriched the body of knowledge on spiritual and Islamic values, as it investigated the interactive effect of Islamic work ethic (IWE). The theoretical foundation of this research is based on social exchange theory.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional design with purposive sampling was used to collect data from the airline industry. A partial least square (PLS) second-generation structural equation modeling method (Smart-PLS software) was used to test the hypothesized relationship.

Findings

The study findings revealed that giving importance to spiritual values could add value to the performance of the organization. In addition, based on study findings, organizations should give high priority to Islamic orientations at work and promote IWEs in the true sense.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the study is one of the limitations. This study was unable to get a random sample due to the unavailability of a comprehensive and complete list of employees. In addition, from a methodological point of view, this research relied on a single source, which is subjected to bias. Future studies should replicate and test the applicability of the current framework in any other global context.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, no studies in past tested these relationships, which is a contribution to the literature. This research should be an avenue for further inquiries using more rigorous approaches.

Citation

Ahmed, A., Arshad, M.A., Mahmood, A. and Barkat, W. (2021), "The impact of spiritual values on employees loyalty: the moderating role of Islamic work ethic", International Journal of Ethics and Systems, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 341-355. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-09-2020-0147