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Transcript of Spirituality and Management-Scott Thor
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 1 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Spirituality in the Workplace: Finishing God’s Work
Scott Thor
George Fox University
Doctor of Management
BUSG 701 Spirituality and Management
Professor Conniry
May 30, 2009
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 2 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Abstract
Why do we work? For many the answer is something to the affect of, “to support my
family”, or “to buy the things I need”, or in more cases, “to buy the things I want”. The
sad truth is, Americans are working more than ever, but are we getting more? Like
many Americans, I too in the past have fallen victim to working to support not just my
personal welfare, but more so my personal desire for bigger and better, which some
may call the “American Dream”. But is bigger really better? Is a bigger house, car, or
even paycheck the goal we should be striving for? I believe it is more than the physical
wealth one accumulates through work that matters. It is more about the spiritual wealth
one gains through work that adds meaning and purpose to life, provides value to
society, creates challenge and meaningful reward, and helps to contribute to the
dreams and aspirations of others. Spirituality in the workplace is one of the ways in
which we gain this invisible wealth. In this paper I discuss my personal path to spiritual
wealth at work sharing the lessons I have learned not only in the research for this
course, but also throughout the journey I have taken from being a “bigger is better”
American to a person who now looks at the world as a place to learn and grow not only
myself, but those around me. I also discuss how spirituality leads to happiness, which
also helps boost productivity, making a business case for creating a spiritual workplace.
I finish with a look ahead to how this course has influenced me and how I will approach
the rest of my doctoral studies.
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The Never Ending Quest for “Enough”
Bogle (2009) writes about an interesting conversation between Kurt Vonnegut
and Joseph Heller at a party hosted by a billionaire hedge fund manager on Shelter
Island. Vonnegut tells Heller that their host has made more money in one day than he
has made over the entire history of his popular novel Catch-22, to which Heller
responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have…enough” (p. 1).
What does it mean to have enough? For many Americans enough does not
exist. We tell ourselves once I make it to the executive team, make six figures, get the
corner office, become CEO, etc., I will have enough. I too once thought this, and like
most ambitious professionals, assumed once I make it to the executive level with the big
salary, nice office, company credit card, and multi-million dollar yearly budget I would
have enough. The reality is once I made it that far I discovered enough was just one
step above it, and before long I had created a new definition of what having enough
meant.
Enough is a never ending cycle for most Americans. We just cannot seem to get
enough. We are always looking for just a little more, but never seem to achieve it. We
continue to work in the never-ending quest for enough only to find out for many of us it
does not exist.
For most of us work consumes the majority of our life, but far too many of us are
working for the wrong reasons. We see work as a means to an end in what we can buy
with our paychecks, always trying to “keep up with the Joneses” who constantly seem to
be one step ahead of us. An argument can be made that the current housing mortgage
crisis is a direct result of an over extended grasp for the “American Dream” by those
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who could not afford it. Work has become more about the physical result of what we
can buy with our newfound revenue streams instead of the spiritual wealth we should be
building in others and ourselves.
Defining Workplace Spirituality
There is no one correct definition of workplace spirituality. It is defined in a
variety of ways. One of the ways the International Center for Spirit at Work (2008),
which gives the International Spirit at Work Awards each year, defines it on their
application is:
Spirituality in the workplace means that employees find nourishment for
both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of their spirituality at work.
Spirituality in the Workplace is about individuals and organisations seeing
work as a spiritual path, as an opportunity to grow and to contribute to
society in a meaningful way. It is about care, compassion and support of
others; about integrity and people being true to themselves and others. It
means individuals and organisations attempting to live their values more
fully in the work they do. (p. 3)
Smith (2006), defines workplace spirituality as, “the ways we express our
spirituality at work. It also encompasses the support we receive in the workplace for our
experience of awe, for our personal spirituality, and for making ethical, just decisions”
(p. 1). She goes on to further define spirituality as, “the inborn desire and ability of
every person to seek, know, and respond to the Mystery that I call God but which others
may call something else: Spirit, Universe, Energy, Life, etc.” (p. 2).
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 5 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Marques, Dhiman, and King (2007) define workplace spirituality as, “an
experience of interconnectedness among those involved in a work process” (p. 89).
They expand the definition to include what it takes to create a spiritual workplace and its
result. They state that a spiritual workplace is, “initiated by authenticity, reciprocity, and
personal goodwill; engendered by a deep sense of meaning that is inherent in the
organization’s work; and resulting in greater motivation and organizational excellence”
(p. 89).
Mitroff and Denton (1999) write about the results of a study on workplace
spirituality in which they interviewed several executives. One of their questions asked
the executives how they defined spirituality. The following is a summary of their
responses:
• The basic belief that there is a supreme power, a being, a force, whatever you
call it, that governs the entire universe.
• A feeling of this interconnectedness and being in touch with it. Thus, spirituality
is giving expression to one’s feelings.
• A feeling that no matter how bad things get, they will always work out somehow.
There is a guiding plan that governs all of our lives.
• Spirituality is inextricably connected with caring, hope, kindness, love, and
optimism. (p. 88-89)
All of these definitions describe spirituality using different words, but what they
have in common is that spirituality begins with the individual. There is also an
inconsistent theme of spirituality and religion by which some people associate
spirituality with religion while others do not.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 6 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Religion vs. Spirituality
Religion is sometimes confused with spirituality and it is important that we
distinguish the difference between the two. Smith (2006) suggests that spirituality is the
journey we are on and religion is simply an aid in finding the direction. She states, “If
we use spirituality as a metaphor for the life journey we are on, then religion is the way
or set of directions for many people, but it is only the way, not the destination” (p. 2).
The question then becomes, can one be spiritual without being religious?
Fuller (2001) writes that many Americans consider themselves spiritual but not
religious despite the two being synonymous. He believes that intellectual and cultural
forces have separated life into “private” and “public” spheres, and contends that
because of this separation many Americans believe they can be spiritual without being
religious. He writes:
Many [Americans] began to associate genuine faith with the “private”
realm of personal experience rather than the “public” realm of institutions,
creeds, and rituals. The word spiritual gradually came to be associated
with the private realm of thought and experience while the word religious
came to be connected with the public realm of membership in religious
institutions, participation in formal rituals, and adherence to official
denominational doctrines. (p. 5)
I agree, as Fuller writes, that spirituality and religion are two separate entities. I
know of several such people who characterize themselves as spiritual but not religious.
I, however, am not one of them and believe that my beliefs, or religion, is the guiding
foundation I use to establish spirituality in my personal and work life.
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Mitroff and Denton (1999) found that people have four different orientations
toward spirituality and religion. They discovered that people who are positive about
spirituality and religion see the two as synonymous. This group believes that spirituality
is experienced through religion. A second group of people in their study were found to
be positive about religion and negative toward spirituality. These people are very
focused on religious life, especially through rituals and religious practices. A third group
was found to be positive on spirituality and negative on religion. This group found
organized religion to be close-minded and exclusive to those who don’t believe as they
do. To the opposite, they believe that spirituality, unlike religion, is highly individualized
and open to all people. The final group they found in their study was negative on both
spirituality and religion. This group believes that everything is possible through the
application of proper values. They also believe that spirituality and religion have nothing
to do with the modern workplace. Figure one illustrates the differences between the
four groups.
Figure 1. From "A Study of Spirituality in the Workplace" by I. Mitroff and E. Denton, 1999, Sloan Management Review, 19(2), p. 89.
I found the four groups established by Mitroff and Denton (1999) perfectly
describe what I have experienced in the workplace. I would place myself somewhere in
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 8 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
the middle on religion and positive on spirituality because I find the two not to be
synonymous. For me spirituality is more about a state of being and not about beliefs in
any formal religion.
Finding Meaning in Work
Work has many definitions. To many it is simply a “job” they must do in order to
support their family and pay the bills each month. Unfortunately, many Americans fall
into this category and the highlight of their day is when the buzzer rings at five o’clock
and they can go home. We work far too many hours for work to be simply a “job” or a
means to an end. There is no single place we will spend more time throughout our lives
than at work, so should we not be striving to have some meaning in what we do?
Should we not work towards adding value to those we work with and the parts of society
our work touches? Volf (2001) defines work as:
Honest, purposeful, and methodologically specified social activity whose
primary goal is the creation of products or states of affairs that can satisfy
the needs of working individuals or their co-creatures, or (if primarily an
end in itself) activity that is necessary in order for acting individuals to
satisfy their needs apart from the need for the activity itself. (p. 10-11)
Volf’s (2001) definition highlights two key aspects of work that I feel are at the
heart of what we do while we work. First, as Volf describes, work’s primary goal should
be to satisfy the need of the working individual. Each of us has different needs and
work is one of the places where we find many of them. Truly meaningful work is
perhaps the most important ingredient in living a purposeful and happy life. Second, is
that our work must satisfy the needs of others, or what Volf describes as “co-creatures”.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 9 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Volf defines co-creatures as, “the whole human race as well as living nonhuman
creatures” (p. 13). Not only should our work benefit other human beings, but also the
other living organisms that our work comes in contact with. As we face a future in which
our environment is suffering from climate change, air pollution, and the threat of
extinction of many species, it will be ever more critical that our work consider the impact
we put upon the creatures we may not see, but certainly affect. For work to take
meaning we must have passion in what we do. For many of us that passion comes
from being able to incorporate our spirituality at work.
Mitroff and Denton (1999) asked the question in their study what gives you the
most meaning and purpose in your job. The top 7 answers were as follows:
1. The ability to realize my full potential as a person
2. Being associated with a good organization or an ethical organization
3. Interesting work
4. Making money
5. Having good colleagues; serving humankind
6. Service to future generations
7. Service to my immediate community (p. 85)
They note that once pay surpasses a certain threshold it ceases to be the most
important purpose for a job. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs our desire tends to shift
toward self-actualization once our basic (minimum pay) requirements are met.
Bassuk and Goldsmith (2009) describe primary and secondary factors in finding
meaning in work. Primary factors include the actual work being completed, such as
helping the underprivileged, but more often we are finding our meaning through what
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 10 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Bassuk and Goldsmith consider secondary factors. They identify nine secondary
meaning factors that include philanthropy and community service, healthy culture,
ethical alignment, mentoring, creativity, big future vision, multiple perspectives,
exposure to others, and public engagement. After reading this article I found that the
meaning in my current position comes primarily from secondary factors. For me it
comes through mentoring, creativity, and a big future vision.
Mentoring is one of the biggest drivers in my work life. Farber (2009) writes,
“Truly great leaders in life become so because they cause others to be greater than
themselves” (p. 16). Living this is much harder than it sounds in the “me, me, me”
society we live in. We are so competitive with one another it is difficult to help others
become better than ourselves. We have to learn to put our egos aside and spend less
time focused on our own needs, which I too find challenging at times.
Creativity is another way in which I find meaning in my work. Even when I am
working on a task in which the end result is unlikely to make a major societal impact, the
creative process I use in the work brings meaning to it. This really resonated with me
being a former engineer designing machine tooling, which to most people would seem
rather boring. If you think about all the engineers in society designing unglamorous
products such as automotive parts, circuit boards, and bearings, they likely do not
receive meaning from seeing people use the products themselves, but through the
secondary meaning in their work in which they are able to use their creative skills in
designing a product to meet a need.
When Bassuk and Goldsmith (2009) discuss the secondary factor of big future
vision they write, “Leaders want to be part of a big vision. Beyond growing a company
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 11 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
or meeting goals, they want to improve the quality of life for other people, positively
impact global relationships, create a new way for business to be conducted, and invent
ways to influence the greater good” (p. 7). This fits precisely in another way I find
meaning in my current work by focusing on the “big picture”, setting strategy and
developing and sharing my vision for what the future should look like. This is perhaps
the most meaningful part of my current work, especially when it comes to fruition. There
is no better feeling than making a vision become reality by bringing individuals together
to do something they would not have done if it were not for your leadership.
Spirituality in the Workplace: Does it make a difference?
Spirituality in the workplace begins with the individual. Who you are and what
you believe defines your spirituality. Each of us will likely have different views on what
spirituality at work consists of. There is no right or wrong answer to how you define
your spirituality at work. My view of spirituality at work encompasses a variety of
aspects. My view of spirituality at work consists of authenticity, integrity, humility,
compassion, respect, and diversity.
More than anything spirituality has to be about who you truly are. I have come to
learn that who I am is constantly changing. Who I was ten years ago is not who I am
today. I continue to grow as I educate myself and develop new relationships and
nurture the existing ones I have with God and those around me. As Smith (2006)
writes, “There is no list of attributes that you can examine and check off to prove that
you are a spiritual person” (p. 48). You decide whether or not you are spiritual, which
leads to the first characteristic Smith defines as one of the seven essential traits of a
spiritual person-authenticity. An authentic person does not pretend to be someone they
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 12 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
are not. As Smith (2006) writes, “Authenticity is the character trait of being genuine,
real, and honest both with yourself and others.” She continues with, “Authenticity keeps
you from being subject to the pressure to be like your peers and the pressure to give up
your own sense of self to please others and get ahead” (p. 49). Being spiritual,
therefore, begins with understanding who you are.
Being authentic leads to integrity and trust. A great deal of the turmoil in our
modern world is a result of lack of integrity and trust. Smith (2006) includes integrity
along with authenticity, and humility as factors that are interlinked and dependant upon
each other. As Smith writes about authenticity, integrity, and humility, “All together they
form the foundation of your sense of self and of your sense of place and belonging in
the universe” (p. 48). It begins with being authentic and having integrity, which is
perhaps the most critical of the characteristics Smith uses to describe a spiritual person.
Humility is something that cannot be taught in a classroom. Either you have it or
you do not. Smith (2006) states that, “Humility is an admission of our earthiness, our
creatureliness. It means that we don’t try to control people or fix situations that are
clearly beyond us” (p. 51-52). Humility comes from truly knowing yourself and what
your limitations are. Smith continues with, “Humility doesn’t make you guilt-ridden, but
causes you to acknowledge your limitations and admit your needs” (p. 52). This is a
characteristic many of us have a hard time with, especially men, myself included. No
one wants to admit when they have gone beyond their “comfort zone”, but sometimes
we need to ask for help when we need it. One could also argue that going beyond your
limitations is how we learn. I know for myself when I am stretching beyond my abilities I
usually come out learning something from the experience. Humility also requires you to
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 13 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
recognize when you are wrong and accept the responsibilities that go along with it. I
find that being a leader it is hard to be humble. People look up to you for answers and
guidance and when you cannot provide them you feel like you are not doing your job. I
have been in this situation before and I know how it feels, but as truly spiritual beings
we have to know ourselves well enough and be comfortable to admit we do not have all
the solutions to the world’s problems, which is difficult for many leaders who have big
egos to feed. Smith quotes leadership communications consultant John Baldoni who
states it well, “most successful leaders understand that a sense of humility is essential
to winning hearts and minds” (p. 53). People we lead want to be led by someone who is
genuine and knows their limitations instead of an “answer man” who always has the
solution to everyone’s problems. I have always said that if we as leaders are trying to
nurture and grow those we lead it will not come from handing out answers. It will come
from asking questions that provoke thought in the minds of those we lead that will
eventually point in the direction of the answer. When that happens true learning takes
place, changing people forever. This is perhaps the single most important reason I
work.
Perhaps what is lacking the most in the workplace today is compassion. We are
all focused entirely on getting the work done and spend little time thinking about how
what we do will impact others. We live in a “me, me, me” work society that is all about
ourselves and what we can do to get that next promotion and the big paycheck that
comes with it. Smith (2006) defines compassion as, “the ability to feel with another
person as though you are that other person” (p. 56). In the past few months I have
certainly become a more compassionate person having to go through the economic
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 14 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
hardships the US is facing, which has translated into several rounds of layoffs where I
have had the difficult task of telling several people their jobs no longer exist. True
spiritual leaders have to take the focus off themselves from time to time and consider
those around them and how what they do affects those they live and work with.
Respect and diversity go hand in hand in the workplace. Never before have we
seen so much diversity in our workplaces. For most of my life I have lived in the
Midwest where cultural and religious diversity is nearly non-existent. A few years ago
when I moved to California, for the first time in my life I was immersed in both a cultural
and religious melting pot. At first it intimidated me, but as I began to understand some
of the differences between myself and those within my new community, I began to feel
that I really missed out on a lot of what America is about by growing up in Nebraska.
The spiritual workplace must include respect for those who are not like us. Marques,
Dhiman, and King (2007) make an excellent argument for why diversity should be
considered an advantage to the workplace. They state:
When people are aware of each others’ unique perspectives and
contribution capacities, they respect each other more and perceive their
differences as useful, which leads to better team performance and, hence,
richer outcomes for the organization as well as the individuals involved. (p.
96-97)
This goes against what many business leaders do in the real world. We typically
focus on surrounding ourselves with people like us, in other words, minimal diversity.
For many it is easier to respect those who are like you, but what they are missing out on
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 15 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
is the benefit of creating a rich work environment where diversity thrives and leads to
greater learning, and ultimately better results.
Creating a Spiritual Workplace
The best part of a spiritual workplace is the results that come from it. I have
been living in a spiritual workplace for a number of years. Even though my employer
may not formally preach they have a spiritual workplace I make it one on my own, and
the results are an environment that is exciting, rewarding, energized, creative, and
perhaps most important, fun to work in!
Creating the spiritual workplace no doubt begins with the people who work in it.
Those people have to be authentic with integrity in all they do while being
compassionate about those around them. It is also critical that they respect each
other’s point of view and honor the value of a diverse work force.
Rutte (1996) argues that working in a spiritual environment means, “that work
would move from merely being a place to get enough money to survive-from just
earning our daily bread-to being a place of livelihood.” I like the way Rutte describes it
as a place of livelihood. A spiritual workplace is full of energy that leads to what modern
business needs most to stay competitive, creativity and innovation.
The challenge that lies ahead for leaders is creating this environment. Rutte
(1996) describes the modern workplace as less about survival and more about
transforming it into a place of livelihood. I agree that we are no longer working to simply
survive and put food on our table. We have gone past this point and for many it is now
about the toys we have in the garage of our oversized homes that we work for. As I
stated earlier, I too once was focused on “keeping up with the Joneses”, but have since
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 16 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
then realized my work is not about the “things” I can buy, but more so about finding true
meaning in what I do. It is also now more about helping others in what they do, helping
them to find true meaning in work. Both of these activities are how I feed my spirit in all
that I do while working.
Rutte (1996) discusses how we have moved from survival mode where
command and control techniques reigned supreme, to the spiritual environment I work
in today where increasing productivity is done through, as Rutte describes, “nurturing
the expression of the self and the spirit.” This nurturing comes from doing work that has
true meaning. Rutte discusses a conversation he had with an executive from a large
utility company on the future of leadership that I believe captures the essence of what
we as spiritual leaders in business need to be doing in our quest to create the spiritual
workplace. Speaking to Rutte the executive said, “Imagine what would happen if you
had a company in which all the people were doing their life's work. You would have
more loyalty, more resilience, more creativity, more innovation, and a deeper sense of
self-reliance, self-renewal and self-generation." I can only dream of one day working in
such a company surrounded by people doing their life’s work. I firmly believe spirituality
can exist in a workplace even if you are not doing your life’s work. I work in one every
day and see others doing the same, but what a different world this would be if everyone
was doing their life’s work.
Does Spirituality Lead to Profitability?
It is great to talk about spirituality at work, but what matters most to business
leaders are results. Even if you work in the most spiritual of environments if the results
do not meet owner and/or shareholder expectations none of it matters.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 17 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
There is no doubt that people who are personally satisfied at work are going to
be more productive. You do not need any data to prove this point. Look around you
and you will notice that the successful people you work with are happier than those who
are not as successful, but is it leading to increased profitability?
McLaughlin (2004) writes that a growing body of research shows that profitability
and spirituality are not mutually exclusive. McLaughlin reports on a recent study by
Professor Curtis Verschoor at the University of Chicago that found those companies
that had a defined corporate commitment to ethics did better financially than those who
did not. She cites the scandal involved with Nike and their use of child labor that led to
a 27 percent decrease in Nike’s stock price, and the fall of companies such as Enron
and Arthur Anderson because of ethical violations as evidence that a spiritual workplace
leads to an ethical environment where long term profitability is more likely than in
companies where unethical activities are taking place. Mclaughlin goes on to report on
additional research done by David Lewin, a UCLA business professor, in which he
found that companies involved with the community had a greater likelihood of showing
an improved financial situation over a two-year time period.
A final data point Mclaughin (2004) discusses is perhaps the most convincing
argument that spirituality in the workplace leads to increase profitability. It comes from
a Trends Report that found 75 percent of consumers they polled said they are likely to
switch to brands linked to a good cause, assuming price and quality remain equal. I
have found myself in this situation a number of times, having to choose between two
brands, and in a lot of cases my selection comes down to how I “feel” about the
companies I have to choose from.
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Garcia-Zamor (2003) cites two studies linking profitability to spirituality in the
workplace. The first study completed by the Harvard Business School compared 10
companies with what he calls “spirited workplaces” to 10 with weaker cultures selected
from a list of 207 corporations. Over an 11 year period the researchers found that a
strong correlation existed between the strength of the organization’s culture and
profitability. The study showed that some of the companies with strong cultures
outperformed the weaker companies by as much as 500 percent in net earnings, return
on investment, and shareholder value. The second study was completed by Vanderbilt
Universitiy’s Business School and found similar results, selecting companies from
Fortune magazine’s 100 best companies to work for.
It is clear that spirituality in the workplace will lead to an environment where
ethical behavior is more likely to exist. There is obviously more to profitability than
ethical behavior, but the data certainly exists to make an argument that it is one of the
factors leading to it, giving leaders trying to implement spirituality in the workplace
another argument for the initiative.
Spirituality and Happiness
As I researched topics for this paper more and more I realized that for me, and
likely many others, there is a link between spirituality and happiness. Layard (2003), an
expert on happiness from the London School of Economics, argues that despite our rise
in incomes around the world people have not become happier. Layard defines
happiness as, “feeling good-enjoying life and feeling it is wonderful” (p. 25). He goes on
to define unhappiness as, “feeling bad and wishing things were different” (p. 25).
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 19 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
Layard’s (2003) research suggests that neuroscientists have been able to link
feeling happy to brain readings, making measurement of happiness a possibility. Many
of us would generally link happiness to income levels, and to some degree research
shows that it is linked to happiness until it reaches a certain level. Layard writes, “41
percent of people in the top quarter of incomes are “very happy”, compared with only 26
percent of those in the bottom quarter of incomes” (p. 25). He concludes that once a
certain level of income is reached “extra” money no longer leads to an increase in
happiness.
Layard (2003) points out six main factors research shows increases happiness.
These factors include mental health, satisfying and secure work, a secure and loving
private life, a secure community, freedom, and moral values. One could argue that
several of these factors, especially good mental health and satisfying work, are linked to
spirituality.
I find that my spiritual coworkers are generally a “happy” group, and for me
happiness is a direct link to my spiritual workplace, primarily coming from when I do
satisfying work. I think the word “spiritual” for many leaders is still too closely tied to
religion and perhaps focusing on creating a “happy” environment may be another way,
albeit having somewhat of an ulterior motive, to begin the work of creating a spiritual
workplace. I believe, despite the data, it will be a lot easier to convince corporate
leadership to transform a working environment into a spiritual workplace if the strategy
were to focus on ethical behavior and happy employees. There is too much workplace
taboo in the word “spiritual” that still has executives running away thinking the next thing
they will be asked to do is provide a Bible in every desk drawer and allow time for
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prayer each day. Focusing on ethics and happiness is most likely to be an easier sell
when striving for a spiritual workplace.
My Journey Forward and the Pursuit of Happiness
Four months ago I had never heard of George Fox University. It was not until my
doctoral program research that I came across GFU and knew it was the only option I
wanted to pursue once I read the school’s mission, vision, and values. Unfortunately, I
was a month past the deadline for applying to the doctoral program, but not wanting to
wait another year I took a chance and applied.
God was smiling down on me and no doubt was part of how I received
acceptance into the program. It was not until the week of residency in May that I knew I
had made the right decision in coming to GFU. A large part of the learning process is
not just the subject matter you read and write about, but also those you take the journey
with. Professors, fellow students, and staff all play a part in making the journey
challenging and rewarding. After meeting those who will join me in this journey there is
no doubt I will leave the program a better person.
I have always been what I consider a spiritual person. I grew up a Lutheran and
spent the first seven years of my education at a private Christian school struggling to
grasp the religious aspects of my studies. I was eventually successful in convincing my
parents to place me in public school and quickly moved away from all organized
religion. It was not until I returned to graduate school in 1999 at the University of Sioux
Falls, a Christian liberal arts university similar to GFU, that religion came back into my
life. Somehow God led me to USF and through the process helped me find my true
vocation of leading and helping others succeed in achieving their goals.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 21 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
The doctoral program at GFU is a continuation of my journey in helping others
succeed. This class has reinvigorated my spiritual side through the readings and
interaction during the residency. In short, it has set the stage for the next chapter in my
journey forward at GFU and my personal and private life.
What I will take most away from this course throughout the doctoral program
came from reading Palmer (2000) who writes:
Vocation does not come from willfulness. It comes from listening. I must
listen to my life and try to understand what it is truly about-quite apart from
what I would like it to be about-or my life will never represent anything real
in the world, no matter how earnest my intentions. (p. 4)
I have realized that the voice I have been hearing lately is the vocation Palmer
discusses. It is what has been speaking to me the last few months telling me that I am
not doing my life’s work. It is what has led me to GFU. I have discovered, as Palmer
states, that I have not been listening to my life trying to understand what it is truly about
until I started the doctoral program. Parker’s (2000) words really resonated with me
when I read:
Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I must listen to my life
telling me who I am. I must listen for the truths and values at the heart of
my own identity, not the standards by which I must live-but the standards
by which I cannot help but live if I am living my own life. (p. 4-5)
I feel as if I am more “in-tune” with what my life’s purpose is since completing the
readings and residency for this course. I can honestly say GFU is part of God’s plan for
me.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 22 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
God has a plan for everyone and part of that plan, I believe, is carried out
through the spirituality we bring into our workplaces. It has some to do with us as
individuals and finding our true meaning in work, but I feel it has even more to do with
those we lead. Chittister (1995) sums it up best with the following parable:
Once upon a time, the ancients tell, past the seeker on a prayer rug came
the beggars and the broken and the beaten. The pray-er was appalled and
looking up to heaven cried out, "Great and loving God, if you are a loving
God, look at these and do something!" And the voice came back from
heaven, "I did do something. I made you."
I agree with Chittister in her response to this story in which she states, “A
spirituality of work is that process by which I finally come to know that my work is God's
work, unfinished by God because God meant it to be finished by me.” My hope for the
remainder of the doctoral program is that I further reinforce my true calling by mentoring
and leading others utilizing the tools I gain during my studies at GFU. I believe that is
the work God meant for me to finish and I know without the knowledge I will gain
through the doctoral studies at GFU it will be difficult to carry out God’s plan for my life.
Scott Thor - Finishing God’s Work - 23 BUSG 701 – Spirituality and Management – Conniry
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