Constructing Workplace Spirituality in an Indian Context: A Study on Working Professionals

Abstract

Spirituality has entered into the world of management today and is being recognized by scholars and practitioners alike. However, being a culturally sensitive construct, spirituality has had multiple interpretations. The sociocultural and religious prism of every society colours the concept into its realities. This study tries to construct spirituality as perceived by working professionals of India. India being home to many spiritual and religious traditions has its own socially construed and individually moulded conceptions of spirituality. Through in-depth interviews of 23 working professionals, this chapter brings forth the “terminal state and instrumental processes framework” for defining spirituality. This chapter also establishes a close link between religiosity and spirituality, which is in contrast with those who propose them to be very distinct concepts.