Revisiting the Origins of Workplace Spirituality: An Indian Philosophical Perspective on Karma Yoga, Meaningful Work, and Human Development

Abstract

The construct of workplace spirituality has developed into a well-established concept in organisational
behaviour, leadership, and human resource management studies over the last three decades, with scholars
focusing on themes such as meaningful work, connectedness, value congruence, and inner life. While the existing
literature provides ample information regarding what workplace spirituality is and what outcomes it brings about,
there is a shortage of theories that explain how workplace spirituality may be cultivated in practitioners. The
current paper contends that while the developmental process that is currently absent from organisational Western
scholarship was developed by ancient Indian philosophers many centuries ago, through the teachings of the
Bhagavad Gita and specifically through the teachings of the doctrine of Karma Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita, along
with the concepts of Svadharma, Nishkama Karma, Lokasaṃgraha, Samatvam, and Dharma. Relying on the
Bhagavad Gita, major Upanishads, Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, and writings of Swami Vivekananda, the paper
outlines the developmental process that includes disciplined and non-attached actions leading to Citta Shuddhi
(mental purification), which in turn leads to workplace spirituality, spiritual intelligence, awareness expansion,
ethical leadership, and self-realisation. Furthermore, the paper will compare the developed Indian framework with
prevalent Western frameworks such as spiritual leadership, servant leadership, authentic leadership, and positive
psychology, developing a unified conceptual model that regards workplace spirituality as not an organisational
state but a developmental stage within a continuum.