Phenomenological case study of spiritual connectedness in the academic workplace
The field of workplace spirituality is plagued by problems of definition due to the ambiguity of the term “spirituality” from the Western perspective. As workplace spirituality is by nature an ephemeral phenomenon approachable from multiple perspectives, this study approaches this topic from the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Human Resource Management Academic Research Society
2019
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| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/76289/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76289/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76289/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76289/1/76289_Phenomenological%20case%20study%20of%20spiritual.pdf |
| Summary: | The field of workplace spirituality is plagued by problems of definition due to the ambiguity
of the term “spirituality” from the Western perspective. As workplace spirituality is by nature
an ephemeral phenomenon approachable from multiple perspectives, this study approaches
this topic from the Islamic perspective. The inductive research method chosen is a
combination of phenomenology and qualitative case study. Phenomenology is chosen as it
describes the meaning for individuals of their lived experiences of a phenomenon. The
International Islamic University of Malaysia is chosen as the case study due to its prominence
as a premier global Islamic university. In-depth interviews with academics, both local and
international, of the International Islamic University of Malaysia are the primary method of
data collection. Thirteen academics, six males and seven females, from this university have
been interviewed for this purpose. Findings suggest that spiritual connectedness is about the
relationship with Allah and the relationship with human beings (habluminallah wa
habluminannas), God consciousness (taqwa), sense of belonging, doing for the sake of Allah,
brotherhood (ukhuwwah), inviting towards what is good and forbidding from wrong (amar
ma’ruf nahi mungkar) and ihsan. The implication of these findings highlights the
understanding of Muslim academics of what being spiritually connected mean to them
personally. The contribution of this study is to enrich the literature on workplace spirituality
by exploring the Islamic perspective of spiritual connectedness and to understand first-hand
how being spiritually connected is defined by Muslim academics. |
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