A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America: A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace (J-B Warren Bennis Series) [Hardcover]

Ian Mitroff (Author), Elizabeth A. Denton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0787946664 | ISBN-13: 978-0787946661 | Publication Date: October 15, 1999 | Edition: 1

This first-ever survey of spiritual beliefs and practices among managers and executives finds that, while most people have strong spiritual beliefs, few feel that they can act on those beliefs at work. And yet, overall company performance is actually higher in companies where company values and spiritual values coalesce. Filling a gap in today's literature on spirituality and business, this book examines five proven models for introducing spirituality to the workplace and spells out the strengths and weaknesses of each model. More than a personal guide to spiritual well-being, it shows how you can harness the immense spiritual energy at everyone's core, and outlines solutions for bringing that energy into the organization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a very important book, I believe, both for its pioneering discoveries about spirituality in the business world and its leading-edge suggestions for putting those findings to good use."--Ken Wilber, author, A Brief History of Everything

"This work contributes a sober, well thought-out, research-based review of spirituality in the workplace--a welcome antidote to the current plethora of superficial treatments of the subject."--Robert M. Burnside, director of products, publications & alternative delivery systems, Center for Creative Leadership

"A masterful release of spirituality onto the center stage of managerial life. Mitroff and Denton have done us all, educators and practitioners, a great service. Someone needed to draw back the curtain to reveal the depth of the alienation caused by the separation of being and doing in the managerial role. Bravo!"--Andre L. Delbecq, J. Thomas & Kathleen L. McCarthy University Professor, Department of Organizational Analysis and Management, Santa Clara University

From the Inside Flap

After years of studying and practicing ways to help organizations change for the better, authors Ian Mitroff and Elizabeth Denton came to a surprising conclusion: All the conventional techniques in the world cannot produce fundamental change. Today's organizations are spiritually impoverished, and only when companies find ways to integrate personal beliefs with organizational values will meaningful change occur.With this book, authors Mitroff and Denton become the first researchers to offer hard, scientific data regarding the effect of spirituality-or the lack of it-on corporate America, that is, on the performance of organizations and executives at large. Their "spiritual audit" is based on surveys and interviews with over two hundred leaders of organizations including the YMCA, Tom's of Maine, Ben & Jerry's, and Alcoholics Anonymous. It identifies those beliefs to which employees are most committed and to what degree they are being met on the job.What the authors found is that spirituality is one of the most important determinants of organizational performance. People who are more spiritually involved achieve better results. In fact, spirituality may well be the ultimate competitive advantage. However, most workers don't know how to express their spirituality in the workplace. Employees and employers alike are hungry for positive models.Based on their research, Mitroff and Denton present five non-religious, non-offensive models for bringing people-body and soul-to work. Recounting the best practices of organizations that have learned to harness the power of spiritual energy, they show managers, executives, and organization designers how to establish policies and procedures that accommodate spirituality and leverage it as a powerful force for positive change. Finally, through a series of critical questions, they help leaders address and correct the lack of spirituality in their organizations in order to make them more creative, competitive, and profitable.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (October 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787946664
• ISBN-13: 978-0787946661
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Book Worth Reading, December 22, 1999

By 

[e-mail] - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America: A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace (J-B Warren Bennis Series) (Hardcover)

There are many good dimensions of this book. In the early chapters, authors Mitroff and Denton examine the estrangement of spirituality and the workplace in Corporate America. These chapters may not contain a lot of new data but they do highlight a basically immature approach to spirituality in many workplaces. It seems that whatever we have experienced as growth and developement in workplace dynamics does not include the essential element of spiritual expression and enrichment. The authors do a good job of highlighting this gap and it's negative consequences.

These early chapters set the stage for the heart of the book. Based upon their own research, the authors identify five existing organizational models that accommodate workplace spirituality to varying degrees. Each model is explained and critiqued. In the interest of offering solutions as well as defining problems, the authors offer a "Best Practice" model that borrows from all five existing models. Still not perfect, this model is offered as a starting point for organizations interested in becoming more spiritual.

Some readers will take legitamte exception to the method used in this book. Can spirituality be reduced to an organizational model? Is any model of value without the proper mind set of those in positions of leadership? Is spirituality all that complex that it requires such organization (aren't we spiritual in other aspects of our lives without models)?

Personally, I give the authors credit for their efforts. They seem well aware of the risks of their approach. Their solution may not be the ultimate answer but it could be a piece of the pie. The book is well worth reading.

As the book concludes, the authors express their belief that the new millennium holds a new experience, indeed a new demand for greater expression of spirituality in the workplace. Amen to that!

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Say, Amen!, November 9, 1999

By 

Mitchell R. Alegre (Glenwood, New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America: A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace (J-B Warren Bennis Series) (Hardcover)

Corporate America has got religion. So it would seem with all the business books and product advertisements that appeal to the soul. Spirituality seems to have become the latest business strategy.This new release from Jossey-Bass explores spirituality, religion, and values in the workplace. The authors share the results of surveys and interviews they conducted with over two hundred organizational leaders. What emerged from the research are five models of organizational spirituality. Mitroff and Denton share the strengths and limitations of each model. The last chapter of the book blends the best from each model to propose a best-practice model for integrating soul into an organization.Why be concerned about your organization's spirituality? According to Mitroff and Denton, the future success of your business depends upon it. They contend that spirituality may well be the ultimate competitive advantage and the management of spirituality is one of the most fundamental tasks of management.Mitroff and Denton strive to bring a scientific approach to the study of spirituality in organizations. This is no airy New Age vision or dogmatic diatribe. However, the authors are passionate about the need to create soul-nurturing organizations. The book is worth reading. When you finish you, too, may see the light. Say, Amen!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book substantially over-promises, February 16, 2001

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[e-mail] (Charlotte, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America: A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace (J-B Warren Bennis Series) (Hardcover)

This book over-promises based on its title. It offers three things: its company research is based on mailed-back questionnaires from 131 people from companies described only as coming from a "special database" and as being located on the east coast and the west coast; in addition, the authors conducted a number of interviews and "partial" interviews. Many of the "companies" are not-for-profits and consulting firms. The significant problem here is that this cannot be, in any realistic manner, considered to be an audit of corporate America. This is preliminary and exploratory work. There is some interesting writing on spirituality and the differences between spirituality and religion, although the writing suggests (to me) biases on the authors' part. In addition, the book describes companies and organizations that have been much written about elsewhere, such as AA, Tom's of Maine, Ben and Jerry's, the YMCA. The book can be stimulating of your thinking and offer some useful insights, and for that I appreciate it, but it is not a broad based, valid, objective study of spirituality in corporate America.