Images of God and their role in the workplace

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between an individual’s religious beliefs, conscientiousness, and ethical development. A survey was given to 250 business and psychology students at a mid‐sized university in the southeastern United States that included questions pertaining to ethics, conscientiousness, and the students’ beliefs about God based on the Baylor Institute Typology. Our findings indicate that God Image had significant but differential effects on conscientiousness and ethical development. Recognition of these important relationships may assist managers in developing an improved understanding of values, attitudes, and resulting behaviors of employees in the workplace, and may present opportunities for organizational interventions to improve employee and team performance.

Muslims’ View of God as a Predictor of Ethical Behaviour in Organisations: Scale Development and Validation

“…The article has theoretical and practical implications. One is to the literature on spiritualty and ethics by demonstrating that the view of God is a significant predictor of ethical behaviour (e.g., Buchko and Witzig 2003;Froese and Bader, 2004;Hardesty et al 2010;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Walker et al 2012). Specifically, the SMVA is essential to tests The predictive validity of the scale indicated that the SMVA might help to forecast the religious practice of Muslims holding different views of Allah.…”

“…Many believers reference their God as a key role model for their behaviour Bader 2007, 2010) while an individual's connection to, and views related to, Allah or God (the sacred) are essential parts of many religions and the basis of an adherent's spirituality (Smith, 2009). Specifically, an individual's view of God provides us with a straightforward proxy for understanding different interpretations individuals hold regarding beliefs in the divine (Bader and Froese 2005;Buchko and Witzig 2003;Evans and Adams 2003;Froese and Bader 2004;Hardesty et al 2010;Kurt et al 2016;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Walker et al 2012). An individual's view of God therefore constitutes the ontological basis of a person's sense of self and society (Bader and Froese 2005), which might in turn influence his/her attitudes and behaviours in work and business situations in organisations.…”

“…This suggests that a better understanding of how individuals view God can build a greater knowledge of how religiosity and spiritualty can affect ethical behaviour within organisations. However, to date only two studies (Walker et al 2012;Hardesty et al 2010) have examined the relationship between a person's view of God and its impact on ethical judgment and conscientiousness at work. Both studies have focussed exclusively on Christian samples and relied on notions derived from a Judeo-Christian perspective that may not apply to other religions.…”

“…Many studies in psychology, criminology and theology have suggested that an individual's view of God is a significant predictor of behaviour both for religious and non-religious people (Bader and Froese 2005;Buchko and Witzi 2003;Evans and Adams 2003;Froese and Bader 2010;Shariff and Norenzayan 2011;Unnever et al 2005;Unnever et al 2006). Surprisingly, there is a striking lack of studies linking individual views on God to ethical behaviour in the workplace within organisational research, notwithstanding some notable exceptions (Walker et al 2012;Hardesty et al 2010). Moreover, these exceptions solely concern themselves with religious beliefs derived from Western Christianity, and the linking of these beliefs to individual workplace behaviours and ethical outcomes.…”

Founded by Faith: Social Entrepreneurship as a Bridge Between Religion and Work

“…For instance, religious beliefs can play a powerful role in shaping personal attitudes and behaviors (e.g. Hardesty, Westerman, Beekun, Bergman, & Westerman, 2010); while occupations can influence individuals' identities and self-image (e.g. Watson, 2008).…”