Title: Workplace spirituality: insights from the Bhagavad Gita

Authors: R. Srilalitha; M.V. Supriya

Addresses: Department of Management Studies, College of Engineering, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India ' Department of Management Studies, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India

Abstract: Spiritual theories in India are based on the principle of unanimity, integrating physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of people through dharma (righteousness). Towards that, the Bhagavad Gita highlights the practice of spirituality and ethics in workplace. This study primarily aims to introduce the underlying dimensions of workplace spirituality in Hinduism taking excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita. This is a conceptual paper that adopted a qualitative research to conduct a comprehensive review of literature from the last 20 years that are fundamental in understanding the evolution of workplace spirituality and tracing its roots in Bhagavad Gita. Insights from Bhagavad Gita on each dimensions of workplace spirituality were studied copiously. We have defined workplace spirituality from a new perspective and delineated its dimensions as a persistent positive state of work environment that promotes spiritual awakening and enhances business ethics. As part of a larger study, this paper, investigates how spirituality influences ethical behaviours of people at different stages, maximising the triple bottom line, finally resulting in peace.

Keywords: Bhagavad Gita; ethics; Karma Yoga; peace; triple bottom line; workplace spirituality; dharma; business excellence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2019.097544

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2019 Vol.17 No.2, pp.210 - 229

Received: 22 Aug 2017
Accepted: 08 Jan 2018
Published online: 28 Jan 2019 *

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