People are not only physical beings (a body). They are as much emotional, mental and spiritual beings. These four dimensions constitute a complete human. From these four dimensions, there emerge four different sets of needs, i.e. physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs. Physical needs include life security, food, clothing, housing, health, etc. Mental needs include opportunities for learning and development, a challenging work requiring the use of intellect, etc. Emotional needs are respect, appreciation, recognition for the work, respect, a need to be heard, someone to love and loved by, family, friends, etc. Whereas spiritual needs include knowing self, a fulfilling life purpose, living with character, association with some specific religious beliefs and practices, opportunities to talk about God (i.e. divine power). Spirituality is the inborn desire of every person to seek, know, and respond to the laws of nature. We believe that until all four needs are addressed, people will not be motivated fully and hence, will not fully commit to any work.
Unfortunately, neither the current leadership nor the organizational management and governance practices including some recent development such as emotional intelligence, ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility, etc. are inclusive of all of these four distinct human needs and therefore, cannot guarantee personal and organizational effectiveness and success. Our approach to workplace spirituality[1] is inclusive of all the four dimensions and addresses all four distinct human needs simultaneously.
[1] By workplace spirituality we refer to the ways organizations and their people express spirituality at work, both for personal support and in making ethical and just decisions.
