Skip to main content
Log in

Exploring the Supportive Effects of Spiritual Well-Being on Job Satisfaction Given Adverse Work Conditions

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Interest in spirituality as a protective factor in various aspects of daily life has increased over the years. Still there has been relatively little research attention paid to the effect of spirituality in the workplace. The current study was conducted to explore the role of spiritual well-being as positive spillover effect on job satisfaction when adverse workplace experiences are reported. Spiritual well-being was related to job satisfaction even when the adverse workplace conditions of job frustration, work tension and victimization were present. The context of the findings with other research and theory are discussed, as are directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  • Ahrens, C., Stansell, J., & Jennings, A. (2010). To tell or not to tell: The impact of disclosure on sexual assault survivors’ recovery. Violence and Victims, 25, 631–648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Altaf, A., & Awan, M. A. (2011). Spirituality on the relationship of job overload and job satisfaction. Journal of Business Ethics, 104, 93–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aquino, K., Grover, S. L., Bradfield, M., & Allen, D. G. (1999). The effects of negative affectivity, hierarchical status, and self-determination on workplace victimization. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 260–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aquino, K., & Thaus, S. (2009). Workplace victimization: Aggression from the target’s perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 717–741.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashmos, D., & Duchon, D. (2000). Spirituality at work: A conceptualization and measure. Journal of Management Inquiry, 9, 134–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowling, N. A., & Beehr, T. A. (2006). Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: A theoretical model and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 998–1012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, D., & Klesh, J. (1979). The Michigan organizational assessment questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

  • Chowdhury, R. M. M. I., & Fernando, M. (2013). The role of spiritual well-being and materialism in determining consumers’ ethical beliefs: An empirical study with Australian consumers. Journal of Business Ethics, 113, 61–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daaleman, T. P., & Frey, B. B. (2004). The Spirituality Index of Well-Being: A new instrument for health-related quality of life research. Annals of Family Medicine, 2, 499–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575.

  • Duchon, D., & Plowman, D. A. (2005). Nurturing the spirit at work: Impact on work unit performance. Leadership Quarterly, 16, 807–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. (1999). The psychology of ultimate concerns: Motivation and spirituality in personality. New York: Guildford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernando, M., & Chowdhury, R. M. M. I. (2010). The relationship between spiritual well-being and ethical orientations in decision making: An empirical study with business executives in Australia. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 211–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, S., & Spector, P. E. (1999). A model of work frustration-aggression. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 915–931.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fry, L. W. (2003). Toward a theory of spiritual leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 14, 693–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ganster, D. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2013). Work stress and employee health: A multidisciplinary review. Journal of Management, 39, 1085–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Zamor, J. C. (2003). Workplace spirituality and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 63(3), 355–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2003). Toward a Science of Workplace Spirituality. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 3–28). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenhaus, J. H., & Beutell, N. J. (1985). Sources of conflict between work and family roles. Academy of Management Review, 10, 76–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • House, R. J., & Rizzo, J. R. (1972). Role conflict and ambiguity as critical variables in a model of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 7, 467–505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jawahar, I. M. (2012). Mediating role of satisfaction with growth opportunities on the relationship between employee development opportunities and citizenship behaviors and burnout. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42(9), 2257–2284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., Scott, B. A., & Ilies, R. (2006). Hostility, job attitudes, and workplace deviance: Test of a multilevel model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 126–138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jurkiewicz, C. L., & Giacalone, R. A. (2004). A values framework for measuring the impact of workplace spirituality on organizational performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 49, 129–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karakas, F. (2010). Positive management education: Creating creative minds, passionate hearts, and kindred spirits. Journal of Management Education, 35, 198–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazemipour, F., & Amin, S. M. (2012). The impact of workplace spirituality dimensions on organisational citizenship behaviour among nurses with the mediating effect of affective organisational commitment. Journal of Nursing Management, 20, 1039–1048.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kazemipour, F., Amin, S. M., & Pourseidi, B. (2012). Relationship between workplace spirituality and organizational citizenship behavior among nurses through mediation of affective organizational commitment. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 44(3), 302–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koenig, H. G. (2013). Spirituality in patient care. West Conshohocken, PA: Templeton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolodinsky, R. W., Giacolone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2008). Workplace values and outcomes: Exploring personal, organizational, and interactive workplace spirituality. Journal of Business Ethics, 81, 465–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kutcher, E. J., I. I. I., Bragger, J. D., Rodriguez-Srednicki, O., & Masco, J. L. (2010). The role of religiosity in stress, job attitudes, and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 319–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D., Sirgy, J., Efraty, D., & Siegel, P. (2003). A study of quality life, spiritual well-being, and life satisfaction. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 209–230). New York: M.E. Sharpe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynn, M., Naughton, M., & VenderVeen, S. (2009). Faith at work scale (FWS): Justification, development, and validation of a measure for Judaeo-Christian religion in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 85, 227–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marques, J., Dhiman, S., & King, R. (2007). Spirituality in the workplace: What it is, why it matters, how to make it work for you. Fawnskin, CA: Personhood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milliman, J., Cszaplewski, A. J., & Ferguson, J. (2003). Workplace spirituality and employee work attitudes: An exploratory empirical assessment. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 16, 426–447.

  • Milliman, J., Ferguson, J., Trickett, D., & Condemi, B. (1999). Spirit and community at southwest airlines. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12, 221–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitroff, I., & Denton, E. (1999). A Study of Spirituality in the Workplace. Sloan Management Review, 40(4), 83–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moberg, D. O. (Ed.). (1979). Spiritual well-being: Sociological perspectives. Washington, DC: University Press of America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moberg, D. O. (1986). Spirituality and science, the progress, problems, and promise of scientific research on spiritual wellbeing. Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation, 38, 186–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mount, M., Ilies, R., & Johnson, E. (2006). Relationship of personality traits and counterproductive work behaviors: The mediating effects of job satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 59, 591–622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osman-Gani, A. M., Hashim, J., & Ismail, Y. (2012). Establishing linkages between religiosity and spirituality on employee performance. Employee Relation, 34, 360–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pawar, B. (2009). Some of the recent organizational behavior concepts as precursors to workplace spirituality. Journal of Business Ethics, 88, 245–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, L. H., O’Connor, E. J., & Rudolf, C. J. (1980). The behavioral and affective consequences of performance-relevant situational variables. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 25, 79–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J. (2003). Business and the spirit: Management practices that sustain values. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 29–45). Armonk: NY: M.E. Sharpe.

  • Posthuma, R. A., & Campion, M. A. (2009). Age stereotypes in the workplace: Common stereotypes in the workplace: Moderators, and future directions. Journal of Management, 35(1), 158–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saari, L. M., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Employee attitudes and job satisfaction. Human Resource Management, 43, 395–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saks, A. (2011). Workplace spirituality and employee engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 8, 317–340.

  • Sharabi, M. (2009). Work values, employment and ethnicity. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 16, 398–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, J. M., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D. (2001). A New Measure of Quality-of- Work Life (QWL) Based on Need Satisfaction and Spillover Theories. Social Indicators Research, 55, 241–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E. (1978). Organizational frustration: A model and review of the literature. Personnel Psychology, 31, 815–829.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E., & Jex, S. M. (1998). Development of four self-report measures of job stressors and strain: Interpersonal conflict at work scale, organizational constraints scale, quantitative workload inventory, and physical symptoms inventory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 3, 356–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E., & O’Connell, B. J. (1994). The contribution of individual dispositions to the subsequent perceptions of job stressors and job strains. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spring, J. M., Sliter, M. T., & Jex, S. M. (2012). Spirituality as a moderator of the relationship between workplace aggression and employee outcomes. Personality and Individual Differences, 53, 930–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternthal, M. J., Jun, H. J., Earls, F., & Wright, R. J. (2010). Community violence and urban childhood asthma: A multilevel analysis. European Respiratory Journal, 36, 1400–1409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tart, C. (1983). Transpersonal psychologies. El Cerrito, CA: Psychological Processes Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tepper, B. J. (2003). Organisational citizenship behavior and the spiritual employee. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance (pp. 181–190). Armonk: NY: M.E. Sharpe Publishers.

  • Wilensky, J. L. (1960). Work, careers and social integration. International Social Science Journal, 12, 543–560.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manuel J. Tejeda.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tejeda, M.J. Exploring the Supportive Effects of Spiritual Well-Being on Job Satisfaction Given Adverse Work Conditions. J Bus Ethics 131, 173–181 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2269-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2269-6

Keywords

Navigation