Why is spirituality integral to management education?: my experience of integrating management and spirituality

Abstract

This article makes a strong case in favour of linking spirituality to management education. The author has used his experiences as a teacher of management studies, as well as the knowledge that he has gathered as a seeker in search of self-revelation to locate the role and significance of spirituality in the managerial context. The analytic-driven search for information and knowledge, the intellect-driven explanations of context and an exposure to lifeskills linked to emotional intelligence are traditional, albeit insufficient, inputs to management education. Such an education is incapable of developing well-rounded individuals capable of handling paradoxes, conflicts and something that managers traditionally have very low tolerance for-ambiguity. This necessitates the inclusion of spiritual intelligence described by the author as a search for inner unfoldment, making the transition from self-consciousness to consciousness of the Self. The article draws heavily on the Advaita-Vedanta tradition of Sanatana Dharma to delineate the tools and processes that are integral to the craft of a practicing manager. The act of managing is perceived as a battle where the three armours of analytical, emotional and spiritual intelligence are to be simultaneously deployed by global managers to negotiate the grey and ambiguous waters of global business. It is spiritual intelligence that enables the manager to awaken the firm to its true potential, address questions of philosophy (including vision and mission) and awaken the firm to its larger role in terms of corporate social responsibility.