Spirals of Spirituality: A Qualitative Study Exploring Patterns of Spiritual Organizing

Based on case studies of five organizations and 40 qualitative interviews, we identify three key themes of organizational spirituality that capture positive patterns of spiritual organizing. The first is organizational spiritual reflexivity, which captures a shared sense of reflection across organizational members to find deeper meaning. The second is organizational spiritual connectivity, which denotes an organizational climate characterized by high quality connections and interpersonal sensitivity. The third is organizational spiritual responsibility, which represents assumed collective responsibility for the impact of the organization’s actions on the spiritual well-being of employees, customers, and other stakeholders. These three themes trigger upward spirals of inspiration, engagement, and calling respectively. However, the study also reports on negative dynamics of organizational spirituality; namely downward spirals of incivility, silence, and fatigue. When taken together, these spirals provide dynamic pictures and narratives of collective spiritual organizing; contributing to a non-linear and dynamic perspective on workplace spirituality.