The Role of Spirituality in Organizations: A Conversation with Roger Heuser
This is the 18th video produced in the ‘Just in Case…’ mini-series sponsored by Quality and Equality. In this video we are joined by Roger Heuser, a professor of leadership studies since 1983 at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa California, a delightful human being, and a multi-disciplinary student of leadership through the lens of social science, theology, and spirituality. Roger has co-authored several texts on leadership in religious organizations, while teaching in graduate programs in Asia, Central America, and Europe. Today, Roger shares his wisdom around the question “is there a role for spirituality in organizations”? The four questions we asked are:
What is spirituality?
What is workplace spirituality?
What impact can workplace spirituality have on an organization?
Is there a role for spiritual leadership in organizations that wish to tap into workplace spirituality?
Articles and Resources
Namrata Bhattacharyya and Nishat Afroz, “Workplace Spirituality and Employee Work Outcomes: A Review,” Indian Journal of Positive Psychology Vol. 10, No. 4 (2019): 288-293.
JoAnn Danelo Barbour and Gill Robinson Hickman, eds., Leadership for Transformation. San Francisco: International Leadership Association, published by Jossey-Bass, 2011.
JoAnn Danelo Barbour, ed., Leading in Complex Worlds. San Francisco: International Leadership Association, published by Jossey-Bass, 2011.
Richard Barrett, Liberating the Corporate Soul: Building a Visionary Organization. Boston: Butterworth Heinemann, 1998.
Margaret Benefiel, Louis W. Fry, and David Geigle, “Spirituality and Religion in the Workplace: History, Theory, and Research,” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Vol. 6, No. 3 (2014): 175-187.
Peerayuth Charoensukmongkil, Jose Louis Daniel, & Ruth Chatelain-Jardon, “Enhancing Workplace Spirituality Through Emotional Intelligence,” Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship Vol. 18, No. 4 (2013).
Fares Djafri and Kamaruzaman Noordin, “The Impact of Workplace Spirituality on Organizational Commitment,” Humanomics Vol. 33, No. 3 (2017): 384-396.
Corey Fox, Brian D. Webster, and Wm. Camron Casper, “Spirituality, Psychological Capital and Employee Performance: An Empirical Examination,” Journal of Managerial Issues Vol. XXX, No. 2 (Summer, 2018): 194-244.
Louis W. Fry and Eleftheria Egel, “Spiritual Leadership: Embedding Sustainability in the Triple Bottom Line,” Gradiadio Business Review Vol. 20, Issue 3 (2017).
Louis W. Fry, ed., “Toward a Paradigm of Spiritual Leadership,” The Leadership Quarterly Volume 16, Issue 5 (October, 2005): 619-672. There are eight articles devoted to spiritual leadership in this volume.
Louis W. Fry and Melissa Sadler Nisiewicz, Maximizing the Triple Bottom Line Through Spiritual Leadership. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013.
Louis W. Fry and Yochanan Altman, Spiritual Leadership in Action. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publications, 2013.
George Gotsis and Zoi Kortezi, “Philosophical Foundatiaons of Workplace Spirituality: A Critical Approach,” Journal of Business Ethics 78 (2008): 575-600.
Talat Islam, Muhammad Khalid Khan, and Momina Asad, “Workplace Spirituality in South Asian Context: The Role of Learning Culture, Support and Knowledge Sharing,” South Asian Studies: A Research Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 34, No. 1 (January – June, 2019): 195-212.
Lalatendu Kesari Jena and Sajeet Pradhan, “Workplace Spirituality and Employee Commitment,” Journal of Enterprise Information Management Vol. 31, No. 3 (2018): 380-404.
Manfred Ket de Vries, The Leadership Mystique: A User’s Manual for the Human Enterprise. London: Prentice-Hall, 2001.
Manfred Kets de Vries, Reflection on Character and Leadership: On the Couch… . Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint: Chichester, West Sussex, England: 2009.
Vineet Kumar and Sandeep Kurmar, “Workplace Spirituality: A Strategic Tool in Organizational Development,” International Journal of Education & Management Vol. 5, No. 4 (2015): 278-282.
Nauman Majeed, Norizah Mohd Mustamil, and Mohammad Nazri, “Which Spirituality at the Workplace? Is Corporate Spirituality the Answer,” Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review (Kuwait Chapter) Vol. 7, No. 1 (2018): 49-60.
Lois Ruskai Melina et al., eds., The Embodiment of Leadership. San Francisco: International Leadership Association, published by Jossey-Bass, 2013.
Yishuang Meng, “Spiritual Leadership in the Workplace: Perspectives and Theories (Review).” Biomedical Reports published online, Volume 6, Issue 4 (October, 2016): 408-412.
Parker J. Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening to the Inner Voice of Vocation. San Francisco; Jossey-Bass, 2000.
Parker J. Palmer, The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1990.
Badrinarayan Shankar Pawar, “Individual Spirituality: Workplace Spirituality and Work Attitudes,” Leadership & Organization Development Journal Vol. 30, No. 8 (2009): 759-777.
Badrinarayan Shankar Pawar, “Some of the Recent Organizational Behavior Concepts as Precursors to Workplace Spirituality,” Journal of Business Ethics 88 (2009): 245-261.
Badrinarayan Shankar Pawar, “Workplace Spirituality Facilitation: A Comprehensive Model,” Journal of Business Ethics 90 (2009): 375-386.
Badrinarayan Shankar Pawar, “The Relationship of Individual Spirituality and Organizational Spirituality with Meaning and Community at Work: An Empirical Examination of the Direct Effects and Moderating Effect Models,” Leadership & Organization Development Journal Vol. 38, No. 7 (2017): 986-1003.
Fahime Sadat Saadatyar, Mojtaba Poursalimi, Omar Al-Tabbaa, and Michael Iannotta, “Workplace Spirituality as a Source for Competitive Advantage: An Empirical Study,” International Journal of Organizational Analysis Vol 28, No. 3 (2020): 655-676.
Kathryn Goldman Schuyler et al., eds., Leading with Spirit, Presence, & Authenticity. San Francisco: International Leadership Association, published by Jossey-Bass, 2014.
Kathryn Goldman Schuyler et al., eds., Creative Social Change: Leadership for a Healthy World. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2016.
Timothy F. Slaper and Tanya J. Hall, The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?” Indiana Business Review Volume 86, No 1, (Spring, 2011): 4-8.
Patrick J. Sweeney and Louis W. Fry, “Character Development Through Spiritual Leadership.” Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research Volume 64, No 2, (2012): 89-107.
Other links:
Information Age Publishing Book Series. Advances in Workplace Spirituality: Theory, Research and Application.
International Institute for Spiritual Leadership Website: What is Spiritual Leadership?: and Downloadable Resources.
Biography
Roger Heuser (Ph.D. New York University) is a professor of leadership studies since 1983 at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa California.
Roger enjoys the multi-disciplinary studies of leadership that include the social science, theology, and spirituality. He collaborates with graduate students in the classroom, coaches leaders in the workplace, and consults primarily in religious organizations. Roger has co-authored several texts on leadership in religious organizations, while teaching in graduate programs in Asia, Central America, and Europe. A cancer survivor of Stage IV lymphoma, Roger and his wife, Gayle (hospice chaplain, spiritual director, and professional singer), reside in San Clemente, California.
Contact
Email: rheuser@vanguard.edu