European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 19, Number 4 (2011)

Achieving Job Satisfaction VIA Workplace Spirituality: Pakistani Doctors in Focus

Sarooj Noor National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad Pakistan E-mail: sarooj_noor@hotmail.com; sarooj.hers@gmail.com Tel: +92-321-5879158 (PAKISTAN) Sajjad Arif Otto-von-Guericke Universitt, Magdeburg Germany E-mail: sajjad.arif@st.ovgu.de; sajjadarifpro@gmail.com Tel: +49-176-60-98-6570 (GERMANY) Abstract Paper explores the consequences of workplace spirituality among medical professionals of Pakistan. Conceptual framework of organizational spirituality and personal spirituality is also presented. The aim was to get lived experiences of medical professionals employed at different medical centers and what spiritual aspects they met during this profession. On analyzing the participants' response, dominant outcome was concluded: job satisfaction. A series of discussion between spirituality & religion is also shown. Content analysis of the data indicates that these medical professionals can face these outcomes as one of the positive dimensions of workplace spirituality. Finally the article summarizes the findings & results of a qualitative study that how these medical professionals incorporate spirituality in their work.

Keywords: Workplace Spirituality, Medical Professionals, Organizational spirituality, Personal spirituality, Job satisfaction, Pakistan.

1. Introduction
Although the physical and psychological dimensions of individuals at work have been studied extensively, the spiritual dimension has been neglected for many years (Walt, 2007). However, interest among academic physicians regarding spirituality in medicine has grown tremendously over the past few years (Puchalski, 2001, p. 30). Spirituality is now beginning to influence health care professionals conceptualizations of health and healing (Dein, 2005, p. 526). Conceptual connections between spirituality and religion have a long history (Harlos, 2000; Almeida & Koenig, 2006). Spirituality is foremost (Braroe, 2002, P. 276), multifaceted (Chaturvedi, 2007, p. 48) and has many definitions (Miller, n.d. p. 1). Workplace spirituality appears to be an important aspect of organizations and a noteworthy theme of inquiry (Pawar, 2009, p. 375). Research indicates that ones spirituality does help decrease the perception of workplace stressors and thus contributes to a sense of wellness (Csiernik & Adams, 2005, p. 4). Many business people consider spirituality as a means of increasing integrity, motivation, job satisfaction and worker's performance (Cavanagh & Bandsuch, 2002, pp. 109-110). Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons, has a key role in the professional development of medical career across Pakistan (Siddiqui, 2007). The objective of this paper is to cover the literature 507

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 19, Number 4 (2011) concerning to workplace spirituality, organizational spirituality, and personal spirituality in relation to medical professionals of Pakistan.

2. Literature Review
There is a profound argument between spirituality and religion since many years. Despite the rising popularity of spirituality, conceptual ambiguity remains as organizational researchers continue to struggle over its meaning (Harlos, 2000, p. 614; cf. Walt, 2007, p. 4, Zinnbauer, et al., 1997, p. 549). Further, according to Dein (2005) the division between religion and spirituality has increased greater prominence since the 1960s. The terms are often used synonymously in the literature although they are slowly becoming distinct (cf. Delgado, 2005, p. 158; Tuck, Alleyne, & Thinganjana, 2006, p. 246, Zinnbauer, et al. 1997, p. 550). Both terms, however, are used in various ways, and there is a lot of ambiguity about their meaning (p. 527). Hill, et al. (2000) suggested that spirituality is a central and essential function of religion, therefore, they can (and often do) co-occur (p. 70). Debatably, however, according to Gotsis & Kortezi (2008) spirituality does not necessarily involve any religious affiliation or religiousness in general (p. 5789). McGhee & Grant (2008) are of the view that spirituality is clearly a broader construct than religion (p. 62) (cf. Hufford, 2005, p. 2). Some researchers have also identified spiritual but not religious group separately from the spiritual and religious (e.g. Zinnbauer, et al., 1997, p. 549, Hill et al., 2000, p. 61). Shahjahan (2004) defines his personal spirituality as emphasizing connectionthe association between him and the divine Allah and the acknowledgement of interconnections between all Being and Nonbeing (p. 297). While, after reviewing various definitions put forward by different researchers from time to time Walt (2007) puts forward an operational definition of spirituality. According to him, spirituality refers to finding meaning and purpose in living, an inner experience of events of living through thoughts, and the behavioral expression thereof, as well as connectedness to a Higher Being. (p. 9). 2.1. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is complex concept which has been the focus of numerous publications in organizational behavior literature (Walt, 2007, p. 61). Viewing job satisfaction from a materialistic or extrinsic perspective is outdated. It is generally felt that it is time to move beyond these materialistic factors to more intangible and intrinsic factors (such as spirituality) in order to obtain a better understanding of the contemporary meaning of work and how it can influence peoples experience satisfaction (Walt, 2007, p. 15). It has been found that people regard work as more than a means to achieve an equitable salary at the end of every month (Walt, 2007, p. 104). 2.2. Workplace Spirituality Several explanations have been offered as to why spirituality at work has become such an important issue. One explanation was the growing concern for work-life balance prevalent today. Another explanation was that workplaces had become impersonal and even insecure environments due to organizational and societal changes. This insecurity in the workplace has increased the importance of a heightened spirituality (Hayden, Barbuto, & Goertzen, 2008, p. 3). The most acknowledged definition of workplace spirituality is one put forward by Giacalone & Jurkiewicz. They define workplace spirituality as those aspects of the workplace, either in the individual, the group, or the organization, that promote individual feelings of satisfaction through transcendence (Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2003, p. 13; Giacalone & Jurkiewicz, 2010, p. 13). Gotsis & Kortezi (2008) define workplace spirituality as an experience of transcendence, interconnectedness, personal wholeness and delight, examined in diverse theoretical frameworks (p. 579). 508

European Journal of Social Sciences Volume 19, Number 4 (2011) Workplace spirituality suggests that people bring exceptional and individual spirits to the workplace and are highly motivated by the spiritual need to experiencing a feeling of transcendence and community in their work ( (Fry & Matherly, 2006, 2007). Spirituality results in connectedness among beings and has the potential to change the workplace into something extraordinary (Krishnan, 2008, p. 12). Further, Walt (2007) proposed that a spiritual individual possess personality traits such as a positive self-esteem, internal locus of control, coping effectively with stress, high levels of tolerance, as well as emotional intelligence (p. 107) (cf. Cavanagh & Bandsuch, 2002; Goldstein, 2007). Configuring workplace spirituality as a measurable aspect of an organizations culture, working in unison to provide a sense of continuity with the world through ones work processes, allows for further development of the paradigm. Organizations can then be assessed on each of these values, culled from the theoretical work on workplace spirituality, along a continuum (Jurkiewicz & Giacalone, 2004, p. 130). According to Smith (2007) the crux of researchers' argument is that promoting spirituality in the workplace actually promotes organizational performance (p. 12). On this basis, this paper indentified two prominent constructs of spirituality, namely organizational spirituality & personal spirituality. 2.1.1. Organizational Spirituality Csiernik & Adams (2002), as cited by Csiernik & Adams (2005), noted that people with a great sense of spirituality also perceive their own organizations as being healthier and improved (p. 4). Spiritually based organization leads to organizational outcomes such as increased organizational performance, organizational commitment eventually lead to another organizational outcome viz. job satisfaction (Walt, 2007). Organizations could become more successful if they thoroughly meet their members needs, which also include allowing individuals to express their spirituality (Oliveira, 2004, p. 18). The results of the study by Walt (2007) indicated a positive relationship between organizational spirituality and job satisfaction. Moore & Casper (2006) used affective organizational commitment, and intrinsic job satisfaction as proxy measures for spirituality, and all the three values were found to be significantly related to one another. H.1: There is a positive relationship between Organizational Spirituality and Job Satisfaction of Medical Professionals of Pakistan. 2.1.2. Personal Spirituality When employees are permitted to bring the spiritual side of them to work, they become more innovative and imaginative which leads to contentment and satisfaction (Ayo, Henry, & Adebukola, 2009, p. 13). Personal spirituality was positively related to satisfaction (Kolodinsky, Giacalone, & Jurkiewicz, 2008). However Walt (2007) found a weak negative relationship between personal spirituality and job satisfaction. Spirituality is positively correlated with increased health and wellbeing, greater life satisfaction, and a higher quality of life (Utsey et al., 2007, p. 126). There are several positive correlations between alternative spirituality and wellbeing, including optimism, sense of purpose in life (Kaldor et al., 2004). H.2: There is a positive relationship between Personal Spirituality and Job Satisfaction of Medical Professionals of Pakistan.

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3. Theoretical Framework
Figure 1:

WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY PERSONAL SPIRITUALITY ORGANIZATIONAL SPIRITUALITY

JOB SATISFACTION
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

4. Research Methodology
The scenery of our research was medium, medical professionals of various hospitals and medical institutions. Personally administered, on-phone calls, and electronic survey questionnaires were collected. 4.1. Questionaaire Individuals were informed for the reason of this study and were openly invited. Questionnaire enclosed eight main parts having a total of 30 items on Likert-type Scale. Study also examined the perceptions and opinions of biographical variables and selective are detailed in this study. The following instruments were used to carry-out the study: Job Satisfaction: Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weiss, Dawis, England & Lofquist, 1967) Organizational Spirituality: Organizational Spiritual Values Scale (Kolodinsky et al., 2004:28) Personal Spirituality: The Human Spirituality Scale (Wheat, 1991:165) 4.2. Sample and Participants Out of 350 questionnaires, 253 valid filled questionnaires were returned. The sample consisted of professional doctors, randomly selected from various hospitals and medical colleges in Pakistan. 4.3. Data Analysis and Findings The data analysis was done using the Student Version of SPSS 13.0 for Windows. Relationships among variables was also measured using descriptive statistics. Pearsons correlation analysis was also used to decide the potency and direction of relationships among all the variables. Above data illustrates that majority respondents were male 73.9 % and 26.4 % were female. This gender gap is present in the general population as well, as for women doctors a common scenario has been made to get married after graduation and leave the profession and perform family

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commitments even if there is a full unwillingness to do so (Siddiqui, 2007, p. 6). Pakistan has a Male Dominant society which has although enrolled new educational areas in the field of Medicine, many people (both male and female) want to endeavor more learning and erudition.
Figure 2:
Description AGE Range 16-24 25-33 43-above Bachelors Masters MBBS/BDS M.Phil/FCPS Doctoral Male Female Urdu English Punjabi Sindhi Pashto Balochi Others Frequency 12 102 139 0 0 28 12 213 187 67 163 23 36 7 12 9 3 %age 4.74 40.3 54.94 0 0 11 4.74 84.18 73.9 26.4 64.42 9.09 14 2.76 4.74 3.55 1.18

EDUCATION

GENDER

LANGUAGE

A. Correlation Analysis DEMOGRAPHICAL DATA

Figure 3:
Variable PS OS JS WS Mean 4.82 4.89 4.91 5.01 S.D 0.632 0.395 0.436 0.983 PS 1 0.548** 0.662** OS 1 0.439** 0.717** JS WS

1 0.549 **

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND INTER-CORRELATIONS

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed) A Number of Respondents = 253; PS=Personal Spirituality, OS=Organizational Spirituality, JS=Job Satisfaction, WS= Workplace Spirituality, S.D. = Standard Deviation, p< 0.05; ** p <0.01.

The study conducted by Walt (2007) found a negative relationship between personal spirituality and job satisfaction (r = -0.30, p < 0.0001), while a positive relationship was determined between organizational spirituality and job satisfaction (r = 0.47) (p. 170). B. Regression Analysis
Figure 4 (A):
Variables PS OS 1 JS WS a) Dependent Variable: Job Satisfaction (Constant) Model B .167 .281 1.461 .199 t 6.760 7.203 7.158 7.553 Sig. .000 .000 .000 .000

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Figure 4 (B):
R Square = .824 Adjusted R square = .811 F = 84.810 Number of Respondents: N = 253 Significance = 0.000 (a) a) Predictors: Job Satisfaction (Constant), Personal Spirituality, Organizational Spirituality, Workplace Spirituality

5. Dicussion
Organizations have to rethink their current approach to work and employees. This requires organizations to institute new systems in order to successfully embrace the changes which can be achieved with the introduction of spirituality to the workplace (Walt, 2007, p. 23). Like many poor countries, Pakistan has both severe scarcities of health care professionals and a high level of unemployment among physicians an inconsistency grounded in inadequate and inappropriate investment in local health care systems (Shafqat & Zaidi, 2007, pp. 442-443). Nandram (2009) confirms that spirituality is a multidimensional concept, so one definition could not summarize its vast concept. The debate on the two terms of religion and spirituality was to discover the distinct behaviors among them. Religion means System of Faith or Iman in Islam, whereas spirituality means Roohaniat (Urdu Dictionary, 2009). So there exists a difference between these two terms. Religion is a pathway to spirituality. Organizational Spirituality is the foremost indicator of job satisfaction and is positively related to it. Physicians, nurses & clinical practitioners are not promote widely for their profession, although quality medical care is available in Pakistan (Khan, 2008), female gender is not widely encourage & supported for their work, so this concept has to be removed. Measures of emerging job attitudes such as job involvement, and perceived organizational support allows for the prediction of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in individuals job (Wefald et al., 2008). Recognizing the importance, numbers of possibilities are suggested to make the employees fully involved into their managerial issues. Low job involvement gives employees feelings of disaffection and unfriendliness of purpose, and the job they do (Hafer & Martin, 2006). Develop an atmosphere in the presence of spirituality organizational in addition to personal, following the pioneer factors that encounter the positive treatment of job satisfaction. Because, organizations as a-spiritual places are indeed have a strong position regarding workplace spirituality (Cunha et al., 2006).

6. Implications & Recommendations

Although this empirical study included the study of organizational spirituality, personal spirituality, job satisfaction, religion versus spirituality, with multiple referencing facts, it would be more interesting to study & discover more new variables on spirituality at more large scale. Since we all know that in Pakistan literacy and enrollment rates are very low, especially for women in rural areas (Birdsall et al., 2005), serious challenges & productive measures could possibly make betterment. If employees will be provided incentives, fringe benefits, sense of belongingness, protection of work, their own job then spiritual beliefs will secular adequately. The debate on the utilization of spirituality at organizational level will benefit the medical profession to understand the problems at a societal level covering managerial and executive issues which all along laid down to organizational commitment & organizational performance. Organizational spirituality meets as a technology of the self, whose reach is still to be, explored (Cunha et al., 2003). Similarly, personal spirituality demonstrates the liberating forces to fall into the category of job satisfaction. Job satisfaction among doctors may be increased by reforms in service structure and by offering better salary package (Ghazali et al., 2007). Future research might design interventions aimed at increasing social support and assess what impact they have on spirituality scores (McBride et al., 1998). To understand more deeply the concept of spirituality in Islam, students are urged to read the 512

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book titled: Tazkara-tul-Aulia. It is the biography of more than 250 spiritual personalities, including Hazrat Data Ganj Baksh and Yousaf Bin Halajj.

7. Conclusion
Since every organization varies in their structure, therefore, each organization would have different organization culture and an exclusive spirituality. Some hospitals will be more responsive to patients demands as a spiritual manifestation, whereas others may take more time to react. Generally, religion is the motorway for spirituality, so spirituality and religion co-occur interchangeably. Spirituality in a personal perspective is individual reflection, feeling, and an emotional experience. This study concludes that spirituality in the context of workplace should not be neglected. Because this study proves that spirituality has a key role to inculcate employees job satisfaction.

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