In the modern society, with increased internationalization and globalization concept across the world that has developed human interaction in many aspects and fields such as education, business, employment and religious interactions among others, has contributed to the shift achieved in many business organizations and companies that tries to incorporate elements of spiritual growth and development in their strategies, especially through social corporate responsibilities. In the recent past, it was difficult to find any company that has business interests to include spiritual aspects as part of their strategies in any field such as corporate and marketing for example. This was because many had viewed and pursued religion and spiritual matters to be independent and free that should not be associated or used in any part whatsoever in business among other businesses. Business ethics also did not allow incorporating spiritual features among the strategies that are to be used to develop and achieve business goals and objectives. Many features have changed over the recent times that have resulted due to increased innovations and technological developments that have facilitated the increased and rapid changes achieved across many regions and areas in the business and companies. The belief that dominated the ancient times that excluded religion from other developments has drastically changed in the present times and this change has altered many views and opinions regarding the subject. However, this paper explores the developments that have occurred in the modern society regarding spirituality incorporation in companies and business organization that contributes partially to realization of the goals and objectives of the companies.
Lifestyles have changed and environment that organizations and businesses operated in have changed, as well. These changes have also been replicated across many aspects of life including spiritual blending into companies’ strategies. Religion since time immemorial has contributed to the culture that has shaped people lifestyles and ways of life. Culture entails a lot from what to eat to what we wear among many other attributes. However, in the current times culture has changed to a great extent and has borrowed from each other blending unique cultures from different regions and areas (Bouckaert & Zsolnai, 2011). It has, therefore, led to what has been termed as the “modern culture” and organizations and companies have also confirmed and allied themselves in the modern culture that exists today. It is imperative to note that culture up to date keeps on evolving and changing, therefore, it is dynamic changing with times and the different environments that present themselves.
The success of any business and companies not only in the business environment but also across other fields have been determined in one way or the other by culture of the region and place that the group is operating. Culture shapes anything from what to wear to what to eat and religion as an essential component of culture, which fulfills the spiritual aspects and needs of people, it has led to companies and organizations to have a second thought over the issue and change their perspective regarding the subject (Nandram & Borden, 2009). Depending on the country where an organization is situated, it determines how companies achieve the element of spiritual incorporation. There are countries that the majority of their developments are formed along religious lines that have in turn shaped the political, economic and other social aspects of life. For example, in the Middle East where religion has played and continues to play a great role that consequently impacts other areas of life, have made companies both domestic and foreign that venture into such areas to incorporate the spiritual and religious elements in their strategic plans. For business organizations and other companies, relating to or having the spiritual elements within the business that the institution is involved in contributing to a larger degree that determines that success of such entity in those regions. With internationalization and globalization that has made companies and business transact business across borders in the international arena has contributed greatly to the noticed developments that relate to spiritual relationships in companies.
Foreign companies have to use all the available means to reach and associate themselves with their market. Therefore, to eliminate the element and foreign idea, they can use religion and spiritual connections to help them penetrate the markets and received a positive reception from such societies as noted out in Marques, Dhiman and King (2009) piece titled The workplace and spirituality: New perspectives on research and practice. Many companies that have taken this line form such regions have noted positive results as a result of incorporating and using the strategies that incorporate spiritual recognition ad elements among their strategies. Such organizations, for example, as part of their social corporate responsibilities have engaged themselves in projects that are involve in spiritual developments such building facilities such as water joint and places in religious worship centers such as mosques, churches and temples among others. Marketing department of such companies’ uses religion in general and spiritual uplifting specifically as part of the key elements that determines and shapes their destination in the business world among other interests that the group has in the area. For some companies that have gone to the extent that they have located space within the premises of the building where they operate .This is common for business companies that manufacture and that are located in furthest areas where religious organizations are not accessible and reached with ease. They have located space within their premises and constructed worship centers among other spiritually related elopements.
The main reason associated for steps and actions is that they have recognized the importance and relevance of spiritual and religious organizations and the role that it plays not only to the individual employees but the surrounding community as well (Fairholm, 2011). To employees of such business, it shows respect to them and appreciation. Such employees who get the spiritual fulfillment are likely to stay and work with the business for a long time. This is because they get all the desired that are associated with lives such as financial success, comfort and spiritual relationships. All these they can get it from one place that can be described as a complete package of life. To the surrounding community that might have an opportunity to use and understand such religious centers, it creates a good relationship for them with the business, and this is one element that is critical for nay business of creating a good relationship with the surrounding community. Having a good name is relevant since companies do not exist in a vacuum, but they rely on the environment and people to achieve their desired goals and objectives for the short and long term periods. It is common knowledge that human beings are dynamic both in character, beliefs and personalities. Many organizations have appreciated this point and in most organizations it would be necessary according to the human resource professionals to incorporate an element of religion in acquisition of staff for example. Due to the global world hat has shaped and determined many issues and information sharing across the world, it has made it easier for people to appreciate the different religious elements and attributes that are common in the world (Marques et. al., 2009 ). They have been empowered to demystify any myths and beliefs that were wrongly attributed to such religious practices. It is now possible to experience and find different religious practices across many areas and regions that in the past did not exist.
An organization that has staff and employees from different religious groups presents positive image to the public. It also conveys the message that the business and institution has respect of spiritual needs. It also notes and appreciates the different religions of the world and the work that they perform in relation to fulfilling spiritual needs for the entire society and specifically for different people. It is important to note that image is everything in business and, therefore, creating a positive image enhances the chance of success. This, therefore, has seen many companies higher and employs staff in some instance by because of the religious elements. Through religion, there is spiritual connection that bonds people together. Business and psychology experts say that in religious attributes that are revealing such as dress code that denotes particular religion might influence some one to transact and make business with the company. This is because they will feel the spiritual connection. People are related through many attributes and elements such as tribe, race, profession, religion, ancestry among other human diverged features that define the element and concept of humanity. Spiritual connection is a desire that exist and has existed for along time. In modern times organizations and organizations have realized this reality and incorporate it in their organizations to try enhancing their agenda and achieving their desired goals and objectives (Bolman & Deal, 2013).Group dynamics among areas of business allows and expects people to have varied preferences in many aspects including religion.
Company and institution have welfare within them that try and address the concerns of the employees and boost their morale in terms of business and spiritual uplifting. This fact has been realized and recognized by many leaders and people in positions of management. In such companies,, and it is possible in the recent times to find companies that have their won internal programs that have been initiated by the employees themselves. Such programs try to fulfill the spiritual demands of life (Bouckaert & Zsolnai, 2011). In such organizations, they have formed internal groups within their own welfare that tries to address the spiritual elements among them. Employees in such business form internal organizations that teach and inform each other about spiritual developments through their welfares. Leadership of such companies has allowed such employees to conduct and encourage spiritual transformations within the business and have offered them support in many occasions. To some extent, companies have developed internal counseling and guiding centers within the employees themselves to try and help each other address life issues and concerns that affect their lives. Spiritual connection transforms and uplifts people in terms of mental positions and moral values. Employees who are spiritually uplifted and free of worries and problems have contributed greatly to the positive output that is desired and required by employees in such companies. A stable mind of any employee or person generates positive results in terms of what they do because the person concentrates on the performance s they are involved in without external destructions. Fairholm (2011) in his work Real leadership: How spiritual values give leadership meaning pointed out that this state of mind is realized and reached mostly through spiritual connections and uplifting.
Spiritual relationships in most situations answer the metaphysical questions and challenges that affect humanity. It restores hope to people in general making and improving their state of mind and performance. Life entails many issues both positive and negative. Through spiritual uplifting and connection, more peace can be found both within and without the individuals that have concerns and worries about any issues. This is because spiritual elements address and offer solutions to almost all challenges and give reasons to issues of life. Therefore, having spiritual programs within such organizations creates first hand opportunity to help employees overcome many issues, and that can create and lead to anxiety. Stress has many negative effects that can affect people and lifestyles negatively by encouraging disease development that are related to stress. This if it happens can affect the business negatively too by loosing employees through diseases that could be prevented from developing just by incorporating spiritual connection programs within the institutions and businesses strategies. In the long run, if this occurs to any business it is more expensive in terms of costs incurred for treatments of such people and the production time wasted by such companies. Spiritual programs, therefore, offer and promote the welfare of not only the workers involved, but also the entire community in general. Life entails a lot more that jobs and money and god life and this reality in the recent times has led to many companies encouraging programs that target spiritual uplifting of its employees in their businesses by accepting ad applying the concept of group dynamics and diversity. Welfares have been formed within companies that try to help each other spiritually and the management has recognized this fact and offered support in many occasions due to the numerous benefits that accrue from such action and move (Nandram & Borden, 2009). Most of people in such company who are leaders in such spiritual related programs have helped their companies and offered counseling to fellow core workers while trying times of life. This has helped such organizations retain such employees through counseling programs offered by spiritual leaders in such groups.
Marketing and corporate relationship for many companies have broadened and expanded their scope and tactics for doing so and included religious and spiritual elements, which was hard to find In the past. This is because they have achieved and noticed that in deed for any institution or company to get the desired connection with its audience and public it has to be finding something that will relate and associate them with the organization. Through religion, spiritual connection comes in, and this applies to the many religious groups and people in the world. Research has indicated that there s tremendous increase and changes in marketing strategies that have witnessed spiritual elements involved in such programs. Competition for example in the business world has led to companies resulting to new alternatives of reaching their potential clients and targets. As a result, many has shifted and focused their marketing strategies and techniques to incorporate spiritual connection of the people. For example in the current times, companies have come up to sponsor and support programs that are spiritually related to expanding and capture those clients that subscribe and attribute to religious and spiritual connections (Fairholm,2011). It is important to note that spiritual relationships and organizations is very large and broad and, therefore, in an organization will be able to reach their potential targets and clients through the means, it can led to great transformations and positive results to the companies in terms of reaching ad realizing its potentials. For example, it was difficult to find corporations sponsoring non secular music and offering promotions. However, that has drastically changed in the recent times. It is a common practice nowadays whereby big business groups and organizations sponsor spiritual events that concern people spiritually such as religious concerts and programs. This has been said to be brought by the shifting and changing times and the realization that companies have developed and understood that these people are part of the society that use other products in the same way and manner as other people. It is common in the current times to see advertisements that carry spiritual messages and connections with the people. For example, people can advertise products while appearing in religious dresses, and this for many advertising agencies is strategically made to lure those who subscribe and practice particular religion to connect with the product being advertised. In some instances, religious leaders that are so influential have been used to make sure advertisements and promotions that intend and target spiritual relationships through the sponsorship of company and business organizations (Bolman & Deal, 2013). Such measures are common in regions that religion and spiritual connection shape many aspects of their lives. This strategy that been incorporated inn many features in the marketing techniques has led to high growth and improvement for companies that have taken that route in marketing and social responsibility.
Spiritual connections and demands it is cautioned out, however, that when used and involved in marketing, for example, as noted above, it has to be applied strategically for companies and research has to be made prior to use and application of such process as it does not apply to all the conditions and areas. Depending on the product that the intended advertisements and marketing is to improve, it determines how that reception and the spiritual connection are going to be interpreted. Some religious practices and beliefs that form spiritual life controls and determines the food and products that people from that religion use. This therefore has to be involved in the process and approach to use as well to avoid the negative issues that can develop from such piece as noted in Nandram and Borden (2009) article titled Spirituality and business: Exploring possibilities for a new management paradigm. If wrongly applied, it can fail t create the intended purposes and vision hence caution and care have to betaken so ensure that no spiritual belief is abused or conveyed in a wrong manner that jeopardizes certain spiritual connection. Many companies in some instances have partnered with religious organizations as their corporate social responsibility and developed projects that have intended to change the society at large to the better. In some occasions, organizations and business organizations have partnered with religious and spiritual organizations to create programs and projects that alleviate suffering of the most vulnerable in the community. Such companies, therefore, have relied on religious organizations to implement such projects on their behalf. The respect that religious and spiritual organizations have in terms of transparency and promoting moral values in the society has contributed, as well. In such areas, such groups have been tasked with the process of identifying the most vulnerable in the community and the most pressing need that people in such society have. In some occasions, such religious groups have managed the huge amount of funds and have shaped and changed many lives across the world. Spiritual groups also in the current times are involved with programs that try to relieve suffering and improve lives across the world, and they have kitties and charities that solicit for help and funds to conduct such programs (Bouckaert & Zsolnai, 2011). This has led to many companies coming in and partnering with them, and this has helped them market themselves to the people of that religion as well as the world at large.
In conclusion, spiritual developments across organizations both in public and private companies is noted to be n the increase. This is attributed to the development and shift in culture and environments under which such organizations operate organizations have to use it positively to their advantage that enhances development and growth as well as realizing goals and objectives of such companies. While incorporating spiritual elements among the strategies of the company, it should be done with caution to enhance positive results for both parties.
References
Bolman, L. G., & Deal, T. E. (2013). Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice and leadership. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
Bouckaert, L., & Zsolnai, L. (2011). The Palgrave handbook of spirituality and business. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Fairholm, G. W. (2011). Real leadership: How spiritual values give leadership meaning. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger.
Marques, J., Dhiman, S., & King, R. (2009). The workplace and spirituality: New perspectives on research and practice. Woodstock, Vt: SkyLight Paths Pub.
Nandram, S. S., & Borden, M. E. (2009). Spirituality and business: Exploring possibilities for a new manaagement paradigm. Heidelberg: Springer.
