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  • 1.  Introduction and Measure of workplace spirituality

    Posted 10-28-2007 05:58
    Hello to all members of the MSR.

    My name is Aryeh Lazar and I am a combination Social and
    Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. I am very interested in the
    psychology of religion (including spirituality) and try to combine
    organizational psychology with my interest in religion/spirituality.

    My PhD dissertation dealt with the motivation for religious behavior and I
    haev publishes a modest number of articles in the field of the psychology
    of religion (religious motivation, religious experience, religious support).
    After working in the field of selection with the military for 13 years, I
    moved into academics a number of years ago and I am currently directing an
    MA program in I/O psychology in the Ariel University Center of Samaria in
    Israel.

    I am interested in doing research deling with the worker-organization fit
    in the field of spirituality.
    I have a number of measures fo personal spirituality (e.g. the SOI) but
    have not been able to find a measure of the sirituality of the workplace
    itself.
    I would be most grateful for sugestions (and if possible, e-copies of the
    measure).

    Best to all,
    Aryeh Lazar


  • 2.  Introduction and Measure of workplace spirituality

    Posted 10-29-2007 13:52
    "Yosi Amram" <y@yamram.com> has just completed such a study. Best wishes,

    Andre L. Delbecq
    Santa Clara University

    >>> Aryeh Lazar <lazara@ARIEL.AC.IL> 10/28/07 2:58 AM >>>
    Hello to all members of the MSR.

    My name is Aryeh Lazar and I am a combination Social and
    Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. I am very interested in the
    psychology of religion (including spirituality) and try to combine
    organizational psychology with my interest in religion/spirituality.

    My PhD dissertation dealt with the motivation for religious behavior and I
    haev publishes a modest number of articles in the field of the psychology
    of religion (religious motivation, religious experience, religious support).
    After working in the field of selection with the military for 13 years, I
    moved into academics a number of years ago and I am currently directing an
    MA program in I/O psychology in the Ariel University Center of Samaria in
    Israel.

    I am interested in doing research deling with the worker-organization fit
    in the field of spirituality.
    I have a number of measures fo personal spirituality (e.g. the SOI) but
    have not been able to find a measure of the sirituality of the workplace
    itself.
    I would be most grateful for sugestions (and if possible, e-copies of the
    measure).

    Best to all,
    Aryeh Lazar


  • 3.  Introduction and Measure of workplace spirituality

    Posted 10-29-2007 14:08
    Aryeh,

    Take a look at Richard Barrett's book on spirituality. He
    has a measure of workplace spirituality.

    Bob

    Robert A. Giacalone, Ph.D.
    Department of Human Resource Management
    313 Speakman Hall, FSBM
    Temple University
    1810 N. 13th St.
    Philadelphia, PA 19122
    e-mail: ragiacal@temple.edu
    Work phone: (215) 204-7038
    Fax: (215) 204-8362


    I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.

    Thomas Jefferson

    One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.

    Bertrand Russell

    Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.

    Raymond Lindquist


  • 4.  Introduction and Measure of workplace spirituality

    Posted 10-29-2007 16:02
    Hello Aryeh,

    I am so glad to hear about your continued research.

    I have developed the Spirit at Work Scale (SAWS) which is a measure of
    spirit at work at the individual level. The SAWS assesses employee
    engagement, sense of community, spiritual connection, and mystical
    experience. I presented this instrument at last year's Academy of Management
    where it received best paper award. The reference for the manuscript is:
    Kinjerski, V. & Skrypnek, B.J. (2006). Measuring the Intangible: Development
    of the Spirit at Work Scale. In K. Mark Weaver (Ed.), Proceedings of the
    Sixty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management (CD) ISSN 1543-8643.
    A copy of the longer version (which I distributed at the AOM) is on my
    website. I have since validated the SAWS and, not surprisingly, found
    correlations with job satisfaction, organizational commitment,
    organizational culture, spirituality, etc. We currently have a manuscript
    under review. In another study, we found that we can increase spirit at work
    and as it increases so does job satisfaction, organizational commitment,
    teamwork, and morale while absenteeism and turnover goes down. Another
    manuscript under review.

    Another measure that you might wish to look into is Mathew Sheep’s
    Person-Organization of Workplace Spirituality. His paper won the AOM Best
    Paper Award in 2005. I don't know where he is at with regard to development,
    but here are the details.

    Title: NAILING DOWN GOSSAMER: A VALID MEASURE OF THE PERSON-ORGANIZATION FIT
    OF WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY.
    Authors: Sheep, Mathew L.
    Source: Academy of Management Proceedings; 2004, pB1-B6, 6p
    Document Type: Article
    Subject Terms: MANAGEMENT science
    PERSONNEL management
    PSYCHOLOGY, Industrial
    SPIRITUALITY
    WORK environment
    NAICS/Industry Codes: 56111 Office Administrative Services

    Abstract: This article proposes a measurement scale for person-organization
    (P-O) fit of workplace spirituality. The scholarly investigation into
    workplace spirituality can be traced to the early 1990's. The author
    proposed that a conceptual convergence can be demonstrated to exist based
    upon a review of the workplace spirituality literature from 1994 to 2003.
    The convergence occurs in four recurring themes that are traceable as common
    dimensions of workplace spirituality throughout the literature: first,
    self-workplace integration; second, meaning in work; third, transcendence of
    self; and fourth, personal growth and development of one's inner life at
    work. One perspective of P-O fit is that of a complementary relationship
    between individual preferences vis-á-vis member perceptions of the level of
    organizational supplies of those preferences. The spiritual preferences that
    members bring to the workplace are expectations of the work organization to
    nourish, facilitate, or supply the four components of workplace
    spirituality. Organizational supplies are conceptualized as member
    perceptions of workplace environment and resources such as reward structures
    and communication patterns that are either congruent or incongruent with
    spiritual preferences.

    Author Affiliations: 1College of Business, University of Cincinnati,
    Cincinnati, OH 45221-0165
    ISSN: 0896-7911
    Accession Number: 13862520
    Persistent link to this record:
    http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=vfh&AN=13862520&site=e
    host-live
    Database AOM Archive

    Lastly, Ashmos and Duchon were the first to come up with a measurement
    looking at the individual, team, and organization. References to their work
    follows.

    Ashmos, D. & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work. Journal of Management
    Inquiry, 9 (2), 134-145.
    Duchon, D. & Plowman, D.A. (2005). Nurturing the spirit at work: Impact on
    work unit performance. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 807-833.

    Good luck with your research. Please contact me if you are interested in
    using the SAWS for your research.

    Regards,

    Val
    --------------------------------------------
    Val Kinjerski, PhD
    Spirit at Work
    Speaker, Facilitator, Consultant
    Kaizen Solutions for Human Services
    St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
    Ph. (780) 459-2588
    www.kaizensolutions.org

    "To give life meaning, one must have a purpose larger than one's self."
    Will Durant



    -----Original Message-----
    From: Management, Spirituality & Religion [mailto:MSR@AOMLISTS.pace.edu] On
    Behalf Of Aryeh Lazar
    Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2007 3:58 AM
    To: MSR@AOMLISTS.pace.edu
    Subject: Introduction and Measure of workplace spirituality


    Hello to all members of the MSR.

    My name is Aryeh Lazar and I am a combination Social and
    Industrial/Organizational Psychologist. I am very interested in the
    psychology of religion (including spirituality) and try to combine
    organizational psychology with my interest in religion/spirituality.

    My PhD dissertation dealt with the motivation for religious behavior and I
    haev publishes a modest number of articles in the field of the psychology
    of religion (religious motivation, religious experience, religious support).
    After working in the field of selection with the military for 13 years, I
    moved into academics a number of years ago and I am currently directing an
    MA program in I/O psychology in the Ariel University Center of Samaria in
    Israel.

    I am interested in doing research deling with the worker-organization fit
    in the field of spirituality.
    I have a number of measures fo personal spirituality (e.g. the SOI) but
    have not been able to find a measure of the sirituality of the workplace
    itself.
    I would be most grateful for sugestions (and if possible, e-copies of the
    measure).

    Best to all,
    Aryeh Lazar