Spirituality and Business

Author: Dr. Cheryl Cottle

Spirituality and business is a modern day way of thinking about business. We often look at using the best management style to manage our business or identifying the best business strategies we can use, as well as our best customer service strategies — but we only think about them from the perspective of the bottom line of our business.

What drives the business and management approach that we use has not been given full thought. They are however driven by how we value and treat others. Our attitude and attributes play a large part in how we perceive others and threat them. Our love for others also play a great part in how we relate to others and facilitate our customer service, the relationships we formed with our clients and the other personnel that we relate to on a daily basis to keep our business going.

When I talk about spirituality, I am not talking about religion, I am not talking about belonging to a particular religion. It is about a way of doing business. It is a way of leading and managing your business. It is a way of managing your business from a human-centered perspective with love and respect at the core. It is a value system that you can ingrain in to your business. In addition, it can become a part of your business culture and be held by your employees and transcend your customers.  Here are some questions that you can ask your self if you have been able to integrate spirituality into your business:

1. What are some of the attributes or characteristics that one must have to acquire this stage of development? 
2. In what ways has my business benefited as a result of it and 
3. When your business has spirituality how does it affect your customer relations?

Research shows that a company, an organization or small business can integrate spirituality into their environment; and it is not difficult. Research also shows that if one uses an approach to business leadership that focuses on the human aspects of the organization or business, spirituality will be integrated into it. The research also suggests that a "transformational leadership style" will serve to achieve it. Further a decision-making model that looks at the business objectives, the people that your serve (customers) and employees, your profit, and a social/environmental /community contribution, is a design plan that can best meet one's need in bringing spirituality into one's business. 

As a system analyst and an expert in the adoption of a change program into organizations (companies & small businesses), a design plan that includes all four areas will facilitate the integration of spirituality into any business type. The customers and employees must also be included, therefore using a humanistic approach to decision making would facilitate it. In this model, all the areas has to be given the same weight in the decision making phase and through the implementation phase. In making a decision that this is what I want or this is where I want my business to go, all four must be assessed and given equal weight; and the decision making around them must also be done in a proactive methodology. 

Included is a pod cast from the discussion with Dr. Cottle's interview and Donya Zimmerman on Women in Business Radio on the topic of "The importance of spirituality and business: How important is it?.

Check Out Business Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Dr Cheryl Cottle on BlogTalkRadio