A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America : A Hard Look at Spirituality, Religion, and Values in the Workplace
Author: Ian Mitroff, Elizabeth A. Denton
List Price: $32.00
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ISBN: 0787946664
Publisher: Jossey-Bass (01 October, 1999)
Sales Rank: 50,536
Average Customer Rating: 3.8 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 4 out of 5
Insightful!
Ian I. Mitroff and Elizabeth Denton proffer that many of the problems faced by business and society are the result of a spiritual impoverishment that they discovered in their research on organizations. The authors bring an authoritative, scholarly tone to their material, yet they write conversationally and make no effort to hide their opinions. While indicting corporate America for its neglect of the spiritual, Mitroff and Denton also cite examples of businesses with soul that encourage the expression of spirit. We [...] recommend this book to all readers interested in the creation of a more spiritually fulfilling workplace.
Rating: 3 out of 5
This book substantially over-promises
This book over-promises based on its title. It offers three things: its company research is based on mailed-back questionnaires from 131 people from companies described only as coming from a "special database" and as being located on the east coast and the west coast; in addition, the authors conducted a number of interviews and "partial" interviews. Many of the "companies" are not-for-profits and consulting firms. The significant problem here is that this cannot be, in any realistic manner, considered to be an audit of corporate America. This is preliminary and exploratory work. There is some interesting writing on spirituality and the differences between spirituality and religion, although the writing suggests (to me) biases on the authors' part. In addition, the book describes companies and organizations that have been much written about elsewhere, such as AA, Tom's of Maine, Ben and Jerry's, the YMCA. The book can be stimulating of your thinking and offer some useful insights, and for that I appreciate it, but it is not a broad based, valid, objective study of spirituality in corporate America.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Not the first empirical study
I applaud Mitroff, the organizational models are right on the mark. Interested readers should also examine my research study entitled "Spiritual Well-Being of Workers: Exploring the Influences of Spirituality in Everyday Work Activities" completed in 1996 at the University of Texas under Dr. Oscar Mink as well as Krista Kurth's doctoral research at George Washington University in 1994 entitled "An Exploration of the Expression and Perceived Impact of Selfless Service in For-Profit Organizations" (I believe under Dr. Peter Vaill or Dr. Jerry Harvey). Krista and I predate Mitroff by a few years and marked groundbreaking research trailheads for students around the country who are continuing to explore this neglected topic. It looks as though the faddish phase of this topical area is waning and serious academic scrutiny is moving to the fore. Great! Similar Products
Bringing Your Soul to Work: An Everyday Practice
The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace
Spirituality@Work: 10 Ways to Balance Your Life On-The-Job
Awakening Corporate Soul: Four Paths to Unleash the Power of People at Work
The Living Organization: Spirituality in the Workplace
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