The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Spirituality and Fulfillment

Abstract

Within the last two decades, organizational scholars and practitioners have paid increasing attention to the concept of workplace spirituality, which draws on the notion that people seek to find a sense of meaning and fulfillment in their performance of work. However, its emergence as a field of interest might also suggest a contemporary approach to an age-old quest of connecting work to a higher purpose, reflecting a trend dating back to antiquity. As a result, this chapter places the development of workplace spirituality within a historical context, tracing the antecedents of the recent emergence of workplace spirituality as a field of interest. The chapter also highlights current conceptualizations and key empirical findings in the field and concludes with a discussion of possible directions for future research.