The purpose of this article is to examine the ways spirituality is manifested
within SWA and assess the impact of spirituality on SWA employees,
customers, and organizational performance. Because spirituality is reflected
through values such as making a contribution to humankind, we have adapted
a model of spiritual values-based management as a framework for our analysis.
The use of such a framework minimizes concentration on anecdotal evidence
and forces a more comprehensive analysis of spirituality in organizations.
Spirit and
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First, we articulate a four-step model of spiritual values-based management
which addresses both the development and the implementation of spiritual
values in organizations. Second, we summarize the literature on SWA to
identify the manner and extent to which spiritual values are exemplified in its
organizational practices. Third, we discuss lessons learned about how a
business organization can employ a spiritual approach to gain benefits for both
its employees and the bottom line. Finally, we make suggestions for a
preliminary contingency framework of spirituality in business and suggest
propositions to guide future research in this emerging field.