These grants from the Metanexus Institute are supported by generous funding from the John Templeton Foundation to help develop a new interdisciplinary field of “Spiritual Capital” research. Although religion and spirituality are rich sources of personal meaning, they also have profound public significance. The Spiritual Capital Research Program is designed to fund innovative research that could lead to new understandings of religion’s role in economic, social and political life.

“It is essential in today’s world that scholars take seriously the broader significance of spiritual capital,” says Sargeant. “Although the social sciences have often minimized the importance of religion, there is now a growing openness among scholars to consider how trust, behavioral norms and religion can profoundly shape economic, political and social developments.”

“The mutual interaction of religion and economics is an important, but neglected area for research and public policy,” says William Grassie, executive director of the Metanexus Institute. “The newly funded studies will go a long way towards illuminating these dynamics and providing insights to the benefit of humanity.”

Following a call for proposals, 43 finalists were chosen to submit full proposals from a pool of more than 560 applicants, representing many of the top research institutions in the United States and abroad. The ten new Spiritual Capital grantees, representing disciplines such as economics, history, political science, and sociology, were selected from these finalists following a rigorous peer review process.

The Principal Investigators awarded grants and their projects are:

* Peter Berger, Boston University: Spiritual Capital in Developing Societies
* Wendy Cadge, Bowdoin College: Comparing Spiritual and Other Forms of Social Capital: Lessons from the Immigrant Experience
* Robert Dowd, University of Notre Dame: Religiosity and Political Culture: Christians, Muslims and Spiritual Capital in Sub-Saharan Africa
* Daniel Hungerman, University of Notre Dame: Religious Capital and Public Policy in the 20th Century
* Sriya Iyer, University of Cambridge: Innovation and the Resilience of Religion
* Michael Kremer, Harvard University: The Impact of the Hajj
* John Levi Martin, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Structures of Social and Spiritual Capital in Religious and Nonreligious Groups
* Gary Richardson, University of California, Irvine: A Pious and Profitable Mystery: Guilds, Purgatory, Reformation, the Multiplication of Religious Denominations, and the Evolution of Industrial Society in Late-Medieval and Early Modern England
* David Sikkink, University of Notre Dame: The Dynamics of Spiritual Capital in US Congregations
* Fenggang Yang, Purdue University: Faith and Trust in the Emerging Market Economy in China

These funded projects were launched in January 2006 and are up to 24 months in duration. The results of this new research will be disseminated through scholarly and lay publications, conferences, speaking engagements and websites.

In spring 2005, three scholars each received founding grants of $500,000 to lead teams of researchers in the first projects of the Spiritual Capital Research Program. The Principal Investigators heading these teams and their projects are:

* Laurence Iannaccone, George Mason University: Creating an “Ecology” for the Study of Religion, Economics, and Spiritual Capital
* Timur Kuran, University of Southern California: The Role of Religion in the Economic Performance of Civilizations
* Robert Woodberry, University of Texas at Austin: Project on Religion and Economic Change

Each of these three projects began in March 2005 and is 30 months in duration. All 13 grantees will meet annually in 2006 and 2007 to discuss their projects and begin building the network for this new field of study.
The Spiritual Capital Research Program is interested in supporting high-level, impartial scholarship on the contribution of religion–both for good and for ill–to economic and social developments. The aim of the program is to catalyze the development of this inter-disciplinary research field, which may become a vital new field in the social sciences.

In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith raised key questions for the economic analysis of religion and looked at the effects of competition among religions and the dangers of government of religion. Just 100 years ago Max Weber published his provocative work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

Since then, social scientists have vigorously debated the concept of social capital, but spiritual capital – a sub-set of the field – remains relatively understudied. Only in recent years have leading scholars, including Nobel laureate economists Gary Becker and Robert Fogel and political scientists John DiIulio and Robert Putnam, called renewed attention to the effects of spiritual and religious practices, beliefs and institutions on economics, politics and societies.

The Metanexus Institute advances scientific research, education and outreach on the constructive engagement of science and religion. Metanexus is a leader in a growing network of individuals and groups exploring the dynamic interface between cosmos, nature, and culture in communities and on campuses throughout the world. Metanexus sponsors dialogue groups, lectures, workshops, research, courses, grants, and publications. Metanexus leads and facilitates over 300 projects in 36 countries. Projects include the Local Societies Initiative, the Templeton Research Lectures, and topical interdisciplinary research projects such as the Spiritual Transformation Scientific Research Program, Spiritual Capital Research Program, and the Templeton Advanced Research Program as well as other endeavors. A membership organization, Metanexus hosts an online magazine and discussion forum with over 180,000 monthly page views and 8000 regular subscribers in 57 different countries.http://www.metanexus.net

The mission of the John Templeton Foundation is to pursue new insights at the boundary between theology and science through a rigorous, open-minded and empirically focused methodology, drawing together talented representatives from a wide spectrum of fields of expertise. http://www.templeton.org

Gradually we moved from money to money and benefits. Employees were lured, placated, and retained with money…plus health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance—then childcare, petcare, and concierge services. Eventually, faced with rising costs, employers asked employees to share in the rising costs.

Interestingly, the movement is now not toward higher monetary compensation, fringe benefits, or negotiated cost-sharing. Employees are seeking what we might call compensation of a different nature. They want something more for themselves; they want control of their time. They want balance. Not work-life balance, but life-work balance. Life comes first today for more and more people.

More research is being conducted to learn more about what people want in their lives. As more organizations and researchers discover the richness of attitudes and beliefs that underlie the significant shifts taking place, we expect to see the frequency of studies increasing. One example: Nearly half of 2,586 workers surveyed last year by Yankelovich Monitor felt they are devoting too much energy to work and too little in “other things in life that really matter”. And 28 percent of all workers polled said they would take a pay cut to get more time off.

The movement, which we have been watching for a while, is based on a growing awareness of personal values. More people, in their work environment, are basing work and life decisions on personal and organizational values. People are talking about values with their co-workers and their employers. We saw this trend emerging almost a decade ago when we conducted the research that led to our book, “Lean & Meaningful.”

Employers and employees are moving to a more meaningful culture, an environment that emphasizes meaning and contribution in each person’s job. Each role in the organization will take on new importance, giving workers reasons to join and remain.

Copyright 2005 by The Herman Group–reproduction for publication is encouraged, with the following attribution: From “Herman Trend Alert,” by Roger Herman and Joyce Gioia, Strategic Business Futurists, copyright 2005.

www.hermangroup.com.

Knoxville, TN (PRWEB) September 11, 2006 – After the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, the economy slowed down for businesses and public organizations. Employees were losing jobs and forced to change their lifestyles.

However, America regained its composure, refocused itself, and went back to normalcy. Yet the aftermath of such tragedies have produced a spiritual void in America’s workplace. Essentially, 9/11 exposed this emerging trend of workers seeking more meaning in the workplace. However, today’s leaders are not prepared for this cultural change.

Today’s employees are undergoing some unparalleled changes, such as outsourcing and restructuring. These work and cultural pressures have sparked a demand for a more meaningful work existence. This revelation may cause managers to take notice as workers start leaving in hoping of something more.

Why are American employees in general desiring something different from their jobs? Some employees note the lack of concern by organizations for their individuality. Historically, organizations have had no room for spirituality of any kind. The underpinning assumption is that well-run organizations are impersonal.

The current workforce is therefore expecting more quality-of-living improvements in organizations. Ashar and Lane-Maher, authors of Success and Spirituality in the New Business Paradigm, maintain that the workplace has an aspiration for something more than employment.

Some experts call this need spirituality, which is characterized by individuals feeling good about themselves and carrying a sense of godliness in their living. However, this concept is not about organized religion but recognizing the reality that people want to meet an inner desire by having meaningful work.

Daryl and Estraletta Green, authors of More than a Conqueror: Achieving Personal Fulfillment in Government Service, have been studying these cultural changes for many years. They have over 20 years of management experience. They explain that most organizations have completely ignored this emerging employee need.

Daryl clarifies, “Managers want an impersonal workforce while employees want an intimate relationship. They want to be valued and to know their efforts are valued by management. This is obvious to us in the federal workforce.”

The Greens offer suggestions for employees desiring a more, purpose-driven life in the workplace:

• Vision. Develop an overall purpose for your life.

• Priority. Identify your top five priorities.

• Purposeful Living. Find a worthy cause.

• Ideal Job. Discover your ideal job, consisting of your interest, talents/skills, and personal values.

Fortunately, some employers are taking this spiritual void seriously. However, some executives still appear indifferent about these cultural shifts in the workplace.

Green argues, “With the impending retirement of the baby boomer generation drawing near, organizations that neglect the needs of their employees will find themselves in an unfavorable position for future hiring.”

Some workers are taking personal responsibility for their lives in order to gain a more fulfilled life. Therefore, future managers will need to understand how to deal this new trend of spirituality.

About PMLA Company:
Daryl and Estraletta Green, Performance Management & Logistics Associates (PMLA) owners, have presented workshops across the country and provide advice on making good decisions in life. For more information, visit them at http://www.darylandestraletta.com