Putting workplace spirituality in context. Examining its role in enhancing career satisfaction and reducing turnover intentions with perceived organizational support as an antecedent
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2018-0305 |
| Date | 04 November 2019 |
| Pages | 1848-1865 |
| Published date | 04 November 2019 |
| Author | A. Uday Bhaskar,Bijaya Mishra |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Global hrm |
Putting workplace spirituality
in context
Examining its role in enhancing
career satisfaction and reducing turnover
intentions with perceived organizational
support as an antecedent
A. Uday Bhaskar
Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, India, and
Bijaya Mishra
Indian Institute of Management Ranchi, Ranchi, India
Abstract
Purpose –Workplace spirituality (WPS) has emerged as a key concept in management literature but has,
thus far, remained inadequately explored in research studies. The purpose of this paper is to draw WPS upon
the organizational support theory and WPS literature to develop and test a model. The role of WPS and its
moderating effect is examined in its relationship with perceived organizational support (POS), career
satisfaction (CS) and turnover intentions (TIs).
Design/methodology/approach –Using a survey research design, data were collected from 314
respondents to test the proposed model. Serial mediation was tested using the two dimensions of WPS
(meaningful work (MW) and sense of community (SC)) as mediators between POS and CS. For moderation,
these two dimensions of WPS were used to test the variables of POS and TI.
Findings –This study found that the relationship between POS and CS is sequentially mediated by the two
dimensions of WPS, namely, MW and SC, while WPS is found to enhance CS among employees, it has been
found to significantly reduce their TIs by moderating the relationship between POS and TI. Thus, employee
TIs are found to be lower when the relationship between POS and MW is stronger.
Practical implications –The findings of this study will help managers develop strategies and formulate
effective interventions that would improve the CS of employees and reduce their intentions to quit, leading to
desirable individual and organizational outcomes.
Originality/value –WPS is a relatively new construct both at the workplace and in academia and to the
authors’knowledge, this is the first study which has examined the role of WPS in the relationship between
POS, CS and TIs. By examining how organizational support has a significant influence on the employee in
shaping positive work attitudes, the study will contribute to the existing knowledge and address questions
hitherto unexplored. The findings of this research will thus have direct implications for the practitioner as
well as the manager.
Keywords Quantitative, Turnover intentions, Perceived organizational support, Workplace spirituality,
Career satisfaction
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The nature of work and the work environment have witnessed sweeping changes due
to restructuring, downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, technological advancements, and
development in communication technologies. Consequent to these changes, some of them painful,
employees were demoralized, having to adjust and adapt themselves, all too frequently, to these
structural changes, and that left them with a dent on their soul (Brandt, 1996). To increase
employee engagement and resurrect their faith and confidence, the management extended
organizational support to enable them to cope with the radical organizational changes by
investing in their spiritual capital and nourishing it (Valente, 1995). The “spiritual movement”
that started in organizations stemmed from what may be described as the employees’
Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 7, 2019
pp. 1848-1865
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-08-2018-0305
Received 18 August 2018
Revised 1 April 2019
Accepted 19 May 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
1848
PR
48,7
“internal call”to find meaning, purpose and a sense of community (SC) at work (Ashmos and
Duchon, 2000). A Gallup study poll in 1998 found that the majority of Americans credited that
their “work”had contributed to their feelings of spirituality, so much so, that this “faith”had
transcended church and home and reached the workplace (Lewis, 2001). For the purpose of this
study, the original definition of workplace spirituality (WPS) has been borrowed from Mitroff
and Denton (1999), who defined it as “the effort to find greater purpose and meaning in life,
establish connections with co-workers and strive for alignment of one’svalueswiththatofthe
organization”(Milliman et al., 2003, p. 427). In a bid to meet the socio-emotional needs of
employees, organizations started extending support to them and were ready to reward their
efforts. Employees, on their part, developed “global beliefs concerning the extent to which the
organization values employees’contributions and cares about their well-being”(Eisenberger
et al., 1986). Increasingly, businesses have started moving from just working for economic ends
to a more holistic approach encompassing higher-order needs like spirituality, social
responsibility and interconnectedness (Karakas, 2010; Neal, 1997).
Workplace spirituality and perceived organizational support
Outlining the link between perceived organizational support (POS) and WPS, Pawar
(2009a, b) observed that when employees perceive organizational support is being extended
to them, they start working harder. This, in turn, translates into benefits for the organization
in terms of improved employee performance, greater efficiency and yielding increased
profits (e.g. Ouimet-Cordon Bleu Inc.; Cordon Bleu-TOMASSO Corporation, The Body Shop,
Timberland, etc.). The norm of reciprocity helps explain the positive responses of employees
toward POS (Armeli et al., 1998). Various organizational support factors like leadership (Fry,
2003), culture ( Jurkiewicz and Giacalone, 2004) and organizational practices (Pfeffer, 2003)
contribute toward promoting WPS (Pawar, 2008), which enhances career satisfaction (CS),
job involvement, even as it boosts the self-esteem of employees and significantly reduces
their turnover intentions (TIs) (Milliman et al., 2003). The practice of WPS provides
employees with a sense of purpose and enables them to find greater meaning in work. When
employees discover a soul–work connection, and find meaning in their work life, the upshot
is that their business performance is positively impacted (Ashmos and Duchon, 2000).
In a study of WPS literature, Karakas (2010) reviewed 140 papers and found that when
spirituality is practised at the workplace, it imbues employees with a sense of well-being,
and provides them with a sense of purpose and meaning at work, while it fosters a sense of
interconnectedness and community in them. For the purpose of this research, two of these
three aspects of WPS, namely, meaningful work (MW) and a SC have been taken into
consideration. Changes in the work landscape have brought with it a shift in thinking,
where the essence of work has been redefined. Work, then, is not just about the income it
generates but the social recognition and self-esteem it provides employees with. Work
becomes meaningful when there a shift from the economic or transactional focus to one that
is transformative, providing employees with a feeling of alignment to a higher sense of
purpose at work (Duchon and Plowman, 2005; Ashmos and Duchon, 2000; Kurth, 1995),
creating a feeling of joy and giving them not only a sense of connectedness to things they
consider important in life, but also a feeling of interconnectedness, of sharing a common
purpose with co-workers (Kinjerski and Skrypnek, 2006) and of working together as
spiritual beings (Ashmos and Duchon, 2000; Duchon and Plowman, 2005). This gives
employees the required impetus to elevate themselves by utilizing their unique talents and
developing their potential to the fullest (Fry, 2003). The practice of spirituality at the
workplace, thus, transforms an organization into a community where even routine work is
perceived as having a deeper sense of meaning and satisfaction (Chappell, 1993). The feeling
of oneness with the organization and its members promotes a sense of bonding with
co-workers and managers, and provides greater job and CS (Gupta et al., 2014). As a natural
1849
Putting WPS
in context
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