Adding a new dimension to the spirituality at work concept: Scale development and the impacts on individual performance

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding and measure of the concept of spirituality at work (SW) by adding a new dimension to traditional conceptualizations labeled emotional balance and inner peace (EBIP). While the traditional literature refers to the fulfillment of workers’ spiritual needs, the authors propose a new approach based on Maslow’s ideas that consider the impact of individual spirituality on the attitudes/feelings of workers in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological design is quantitative and includes item generation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to assess construct validity and 273 valid questionnaires were collected. The authors developed the EBIP dimension with six items based on previous studies, and the new second-order variable was compared with the traditional measurement using confirmatory factor analysis, based on AMOS 21.

Findings

The hypothesis test supports the positive impact of SW on individual productivity, valid for both models, but with an additional explanation capacity when the authors add the EBIP.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new conceptualization for SW, based on Maslow’s ideas, who played a key role in the humanistic resource movement. This new dimension may be an important finding for scholars and practitioners since organizations have to take care of both the mind and spirit of their employees to establish a genuine balance between the meaning of their lives and their work.

Citation

Joelle, M. and Coelho, A. (2019), "Adding a new dimension to the spirituality at work concept: Scale development and the impacts on individual performance", Management Decision, Vol. 58 No. 5, pp. 982-996. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-05-2017-0505