Foundations, lessons, and insider tips for MSR research

Abstract

Any new field of inquiry struggles with issues such as domain uniqueness, research methodologies, construct definition and operationalization, and foundational literature identification. Following Hambrick's (1990) seminal study of strategic management, we similarly examine the management, spirituality, and religion (MSR) field. Using Hambrick's methodology for citation analysis and a dataset of the founding decade of MSR empirical articles, we offer a guide for those doing MSR research. Study outcomes include the 50 most cited MSR works, the 50 most cited journals that MSR scholars use as the foundation of their research, and a theme analysis of the 50 foundational works. Our goals are threefold: to list the seminal works that should inform the framing of future work, to list a variety of possible MSR journal scholarship inspirations and outlets, and to empirically demonstrate current and past MSR research topics so new and experienced MSR scholars can move beyond extant work.

Spirituality, religion, and emotional labor in the workplace

“…Most of our propositions concern the effects of religion and spirituality, so some consideration of how we define these constructs is a critical starting point. As several authors in the MSR literature have noted, there is no clear consensus on the distinction between spirituality and religion (Giacalone and Jurkiewicz 2003;Mitroff 2003;Fornaciari and Lund Dean 2009). Consistent with previous research (e.g.…”

The relationship between the Personal Ethical Threshold and workplace spirituality

“…Such a definition has been elusive and there have been recurrent calls to clarify key terms (see e.g. Krishnakumar and Neck 2002;Fornaciari and Lund Dean 2009;Geh and Tan 2009). We are comfortable with Giacalone and Jurkiewicz's (2010) definition of workplace spirituality as aspects of the workplace, either in the individual, the group, or the organization, that promote individual feelings of satisfaction through transcendence.…”

“…Giacalone and Jurkiewicz (2010) have called for research on the effect of spirituality on ethical behavior. Very few of the seminal peer-reviewed journal articles on management spirituality and religion published from 1996 to 2005 explored the relationship between spirituality and business ethics (see Fornaciari and Lund Dean 2009). The organization-level analog for the positive relationship between individual spirituality and personal integrity would be a positive relationship between workplace spirituality and organizational ethics.…”

Manager Perspectives on Embedding Workplace Spirituality into the Business Curriculum: Bridging the Gap

“…Workplace spirituality has been described as a “movement” (Barnett, Krell, & Sendry, , p. 562) that appears to be growing without abatement (Banyhamdan, Harrim, & Al‐Qutop, ; Deshpande, ). As a term, it is used relatively generically in management, spirituality, and Religion (MSR) literature (Fornaciari & Lund Dean, ), reflecting a capacity to encompass various lines of inquiry exploring spirituality at both the organizational (Mitroff, ) and individual employee level (Banyhamdan et al, ).…”

“…Key lines of inquiry associated with workplace spirituality include its relevance to leadership (see Benefiel, ; Bento, ; Cavanagh, ; Conger, ; Crossman, , ; Dent, Higgins, & Wharff, ; Fairholm, ; Fry, , ), how managers and employees find meaning in their working lives, making connections between work and the spiritual persona, and the implications for relationships between coworkers and with wider communities (Chawla & Guda, ; Epstein, ; Long & Mills, ; McCormick, ; Mitroff & Denton, ). Some literature has also explored the relationship between spiritual values and business ethics (Cavanagh & Bandsuch, ; Fornaciari & Lund Dean, ; Giacalone, ; Giacalone & Thompson, ; Gotsis & Kortezi, ). Still others consider the potential for transcendence, bliss, joy, and connectedness by bringing spiritual perspectives to the workplace rather than viewing work as an activity for which the employee is paid (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, ; Haroutiounian et al, ).…”