Religion and the Workplace
Pluralism, Spirituality, Leadership

An analysis of the problems surrounding different religious and spiritual commitments in the workplace.

Douglas A. Hicks (Author)

9780521529600, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 30 October 2003

232 pages
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.9 cm, 0.379 kg

'This is an admirable contribution to scholarship, one that will prove invaluable for those working in the fields of religious studies, theology, ethics, business and leadership. … a careful, impressive, well-defended, cogent but modest argument … This work fills more than one gap in the literature. … Leaders who take this book seriously will be greatly assisted in managing to address the needs of the business effectively … Students of (any) religion will find here an examination in depth of how religion is manifested in an arena of life that is too often neglected in their curriculum.' The Heythrop Journal

How can company leaders and employees negotiate their different religious and spiritual commitments in the workplace? At a time of international debate over religious conflict and tolerance, workforces in various parts of the world are more diverse than ever before. Religion and spirituality are, for many employees, central to their identities. From the perspective of the employer, however, they can be distracting or divisive influences. This book analyzes the current interest in religion and spirituality in US companies. It offers conceptual distinctions and comparative examples (from the pluralistic contexts of India and Singapore) to trace the myriad ways that religion is present at work. It offers a model of respectful pluralism, asserting that the task of effective and ethical leadership in organizations is not to promote a single spiritual or religious framework but to create an environment in which managers and employees can respectfully express their own beliefs and practices.

Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
Part I. Analyzing Current Realities: 1. The changing American context
2. The corporate interest in spirituality
3. Which spirituality in the workplace?
4. Conflicts at work: is religion distinctive?
Part II. Mapping Religion and the Workplace: 5. Being religious differently
6. Religions of the workplace
7. Comparative contexts: India and Singapore
Part III. Constructing Respectful Pluralism: 8. Respectful pluralism at work
9. Leadership for a pluralistic workplace
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Business & management [KJ], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Theology [HRLB], Comparative religion [HRAC]