There’s much more to business than the bottom line.
DISTINGUISHED guests all, fellow parishioners of the cathedral. Good morning.
Today I will be tackling the fascinating, evolving and completely challenging topic of ‘spirituality in business’.
In advance, I apologise for my wandering thought patterns and possibly obscure analogies.
But in my defence, this is representative of the topic – one for which there are no clear parameters and for which, despite numerous ponderings on the matter, there is no definitive rulebook.
Defining spirituality is a bit like trying to describe what love feels like.
If you asked 10 people you would get 10 different answers. For some, love would be a physical feeling, for others a swelling of the heart.
Some would describe a feeling of peace, or excitement, or contentment, or responsibility.
The definition of spirituality is a slippery fish; and if you then overlay the theme of business and spirituality, it all gets a lot more complicated.
Indeed, some might say that putting spirituality and business in the same phrase creates an almighty oxymoron.
For the purpose of today’s talk I like to define spirituality simply as how one’s beliefs and values are applied in a day-to-day context – how we live our lives, how we think about and respond to the vast array of happenings in our complex existence.
I recognise that spirituality can be interpreted in many ways.
John Armstrong does this in his book In Search of Civilisation.
Armstrong defines spirituality, if I can selectively quote, as relating to: “the whole of a person’s inner life … not just intellectual abilities, but …emotions, attitudes, the character of their imagination and memory. It is their way of being, it is their soul”.
I believe spirituality in business is how we apply ourselves in the workplace – and bear in mind that the definition of workplace is very broad.
For many, the workplace is not just nine to five; the workplace extends to out-of-hours meetings and functions, and even to non-work events when people identify you with the organisation that you work with.
Spirituality in business is also how the organisation for which we work behaves and conducts itself in the marketplace.
It is important to note that in talking about spirituality we are not necessarily talking about religion, although in my personal case the two are linked.
Discussion about religion can, however, be misconstrued in the workplace and prompt fears of dogmatism, exclusivity and missionary zeal.
And there are many religions and I believe that spirituality is in fact broader than them all.
Spirituality takes different forms for different people, but in essence it is about ‘intelligence of the heart and constancy of the soul’.
In the workplace, it is about who we are rather than what we are.
Spirituality is beyond your profession, your experience, your title and your place on the ladder.
It is about working with your heart and soul, as well as the mind, and believing in what you do with all three components.
Over the years, the topic of spirituality in business has become one of mounting curiosity.
I believe the reason this topic is the subject of increasing analysis is that, as individuals, we are seeking more balance in our lives, and a more holistic existence.
We are looking to break down the barriers that exist between body, mind and spirit, and between home, community and work life.
Further, we are living in an era in which it is commonplace to energetically and continually question our motives and values, and those of the society in which we live and the businesses and governments that play such a big role in our lives.
The very topic of this discussion, ‘Spirituality in Business’, suggests that spirituality can apply beyond the typical places with which we associate it – places such as a church, a meditation room, a synagogue, or even a favourite armchair at home.
Today, I hope to stimulate some thinking about how we can ensure that there is no disconnect between Sundays and weekdays; how we can apply the same focus and determination to live according to our moral compass at all times.
And I am not here to tell you it is easy. Spirituality in business is seriously hard.
There is no inspiring stained glass, no wafting organ music; just the phone, emails, endless meetings and unfortunately little time for reflection.
This last point is very important.
There is an old saying that you ‘cannot see your reflection in running water, only still water’.
Taking the time to reflect is almost impossible in an intensely busy working environment. Further, how do we translate very direct learnings into a business context?
Take, for example, the Ten Commandments.
“Thou shall not steal” is absolutely clear.
Or is it?
Many amongst us, it appears, find the waters are murky when it comes to tax return time.
And what about “Thou shall not covet”, when we live in a commercial society in which often the marketeers work flat out to create a need, and then work to have us fill it.
“Bearing false witness” in a workplace where gossip or rumours can be rampant also moves us dangerously close to the edge.
Now, at this point it might appear I’m being far too literal. However, I wanted to illustrate that black-and-white seldom exists in matters such as these.
Spirituality and business can make strong bedfellows, and living a spiritual life in the workplace can be a daunting prospect.
But it is achievable, and it is worth pursuing, and none of us is perfect in our fumbling attempts to aspire to manage operating at a higher plane.
An organisation is made up of many individuals, and it is largely up to the individuals as to the extent that they practice spirituality at work.
But how can spirituality be translated above and beyond single beings? How does a corporation support its employees in practicing spirituality? And what marks one company as spiritual but not another?
And surely, there is a clash of cultures between the search for spirituality and its sense of humanistic, heart-centred goals, versus the culture of many businesses, which can be tough, mechanical, controlling and driven primarily by bottom-line considerations.
The answers to these questions can be found both in the values that a company espouses, and the practical programs a company initiates in support of the welfare of it employees and stakeholders.
Values such as integrity, honesty, ethical behaviour, service to others, respect, dignity, and communication are all important attributes.
Communication is particularly relevant because from communication flows attributes such as respect for others and transparency of message.
How a company treats its employees reflects those values, and is a key area for applying spirituality.
It is an age-old cliche that a company’s most important assets are the ones driving trucks at the mine site or riding up and down in the lifts of the office building, or, developing new technologies in the lab … but it is a truism.
In his book A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, Ian Mitroff surmised that: “spirituality could be the ultimate competitive advantage”.
People are looking to bring a greater sense of meaning and purpose to their work life.
So organisations must also offer a greater sense of meaning and purpose for their workforce.
How a company responds and reacts to difficulties can be another marker of a spiritual organisation.
The world is not a perfect place, and the business world is a particularly imperfect environment, in which the course of true success never runs smooth.
This has, of course, been spectacularly evident over the past 12 months, when many businesses have buckled under the weight of the global financial crisis.
As I mentioned earlier, the practical measures that a company takes to ensure it is a good corporate citizen are an important factor in its spirituality.
Community and social investment is a good example.
Rio Tinto has in place an extensive program of supporting community and not-for-profit organisations, particularly in the areas of health, education, environment and culture.
These are intrinsically examples of personal values and in fact spirituality extended into business.
But it is important to note there is a fine line that we tread in committing resources to the community.
We are a business and not a charity, and we have shareholders and others dependent on our financial success and contribution to the economy.
To this end, we are quite clear that there is a business case behind every community initiative we support.
The secret here is aligning community need with business need and being innovative about finding solutions that benefit everyone.
Spirituality in business requires Christians and others to be bold and courageous and willing to make a stand based on their values and ethics.
There are two particular questions that I believe are central to spirituality in business:
• how do I as an individual add value to society, how do I lead my people, and how do I wish to be remembered? and
• can the workplace really be a place to fulfill one’s deeper purpose?”
Well, I think the answer is yes.
Spirituality in business is not the oxymoron that some people believe.
Just as it is impossible to run a company without organisation and financial control, it is also hugely inefficient to run a business without a soul.
In closing, I would like to quote from an inspirational woman called Eglantyne Jebb, who founded the vital and clearly spiritual Save the Children organisation a century ago.
She said: “The world is not ungenerous but unimaginative and very busy”.
I hope that, in the words of Manning Clark, those in business might re-discover the “shy hope of their hearts”.
I hold on to the hope too that the business world is also not ungenerous of spirit, or lacking in spirituality.
It just suffers from being unimaginative and very busy.
If business can do well by doing good, then we are a long way along the path to spiritual enlightenment.
n This is an edited version of an address titled Spirituality in Business given by Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Sam Walsh at St Georges Cathedral on November 25
