Spiritual, The: Journal of Natural Spirituality - Spiritual Management, Author's Note

This project was initiated in the final year of my MBA program at RMIT University in Melbourne. The idea for this topic had gradually developed over the first semester, attending various lectures on the subjects of human performance and organisational culture. While we studied a range of management models and theories on these topics, the fact was not lost on us - and as also freely admitted by some distinguished professors - that there was a huge gap between theory and practice in the real world. The notion helped conceive the outline for this project. I must admit that I started with a spiritual paradigm. But then, to call spirituality a paradigm would be ironic as the spirituality I know teaches just the opposite - breaking out of the paradigms and fixed mind sets.

Personally, I felt that most of the management models dealing with motivation, learning and change were largely improvised versions of decades old models and that there was little concrete or original research in the area of human sensitivities and characteristics in relation to management. Perhaps for the simple fact that the human science (dealing with the inner self) was not considered an area relevant to business – since the mind has been the domain of the psychiatrists and the beliefs of one's own. However, as it is evident from the history of management research, the scholars were always faced with the difficult challenge of bringing human motivation, meaning of work and job satisfaction in the context because some of the subjects, such as motivation, cannot be dealt with without first addressing the human necessities. McGregor tried to incorporate human elements in his Theory Y. Maslow, influenced to some extent by the existentialist theory, added “Self-Actualisation” as one of the motivational factors in his model. The same practice followed in other relevant studies. However, it would have inconceivable to authoritatively comment on the human characteristics and sensitivities by any of the scholars without first getting a first-hand knowledge (or measurable data), experiences and awareness about them. In my opinion, that is what the management scholars lacked - they got too bogged down by the concepts, theories and satisfying the academic standards instead of writing what they wanted to write. To authoritatively grasp the knowledge of human consciousness, they would have had to dwell into the area of spirituality and self-realisation. They would have had to first discover themselves in order to make an attempt to apply the knowledge to the others. That is a tall order for an academic drawing his or her so-called “knowledge” from the words, notions and data interpretation. How is it possible to be a management guru and a spiritual person at the time when the two are seen as two different spectrums of the human life? Thus, the idea to undertake this project was born.

There are many scholars working in the field of Consciousness Management but no tangible model has been established so far. There are theories and ideas but the task to make the supposedly soulless organisations work for the community and betterment of human life remains just a utopia. There are organisations such as Body Shop, Xerox and Sony among a few others that uphold some of the human values and give community development a place in their charter. However, the race to build individual dreams and fulfil individual ambitions by means of accumulating material wealth and comforts in today’s free societies leaves little room for utopian objectives. How can the focus of the masses be shifted from self-fulfilment and personal gains to humanity and improvement of collective human life? The inequalities of this world, e.g. rich and poor, are created and maintained by no on else but ourselves. Yet, we take refuse in the very same inequalities when it comes to serving the humanity. Some people will say, “There is not enough to eat for huge masses on this earth. How can they think about spirituality?” Fair question. But then, isn’t the collective wealth of the world enough for everyone’s survival? My question is, “Where most of the wealth of today’s world resides?” And in how many hands? I believe that corporations and institutions of our world have a lot more responsibility and accountability than they assume. The direction towards Consciousness Management and Spiritual Management can be one of the ways to improve the overall human life on this planet.

I decided to give some of the established management theories on motivation, learning and human performance a challenge by bringing the concept of life and meaning of work in the discussion. There was also an inherent danger in touching this topic. It had the risk of being labelled altruistic or existentialist in nature and ignored as a surreal dream away from the realities of the modern world. The concept of spirituality is inadvertently viewed as an alternative way of life and a choice of a few. While religion and religious beliefs still play a major role in our lives, the spirituality has remained confined to a particular group of people – the holistic healers, gurus, monks, fakirs and new-age enthusiasts. Any deeper and the focus shifts to Buddha, Krishnamurthi, Eckhart and other spiritual masters who seem unique and unparalleled – a status beyond the reach of an ordinary human being. The concept of spirituality asks for disengagement, giving up the ego and breaking away from worldly attachments. That scares people. Spirituality sounds like an ancient individual quest that demands complete surrender of self and total acceptance of the world the way it is. That is hard. It will be a hard-sell to a fresh MBA graduate who aspires to be a top consultant in the industry and sit among top corporate bigwigs. Therefore, I found it even more challenging that a research paper can be presented encompassing the most subtle elements of the human life and emphasising their importance in our daily lives and work. If we focus solely on the intrinsic fulfillment of human nature, the management becomes just a metaphor. If the management gurus have been striving to create a perfect management or business model for a complete satisfaction of the human needs, the human nature should be the focus and not the management. It is with this aim that I took upon this project.

The idea is not to propagate or promote a certain ideology or philosophy in the name of management study but to create awareness towards human elements and sensitivities that makeup an organisation or workplace. Organisations do not run people. It is exactly the opposite. Our collective effort and awareness towards human characteristics can make a big difference. It is not a utopia.

***