|Spiritual performance from an organizational perspective: the Starbucks way |
|Joan F. Marques. Corporate Governance. Bradford:2008. Vol. 8, Iss. 3, p. 248-257 |
Abstract (Summary)
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate spiritual performance from the perspective of a globally operating corporation. The paper uses spirituality at work as its subject-matter and takes the form of a literature review. The paper approaches the topic by: giving a general overview of the shift in global corporate behavior; a short historical review of American business culture; defining workplace spirituality; examining Starbucks Corporation's performance from three angles: suppliers and societies, employees, and customers; and a conclusion and postscript. The paper finds that: spiritual behavior at the organizational level does lead to enhanced corporate performance; workplace spirituality, when encouraged by top management, is oftentimes instigated by personal life experiences; and spiritual behavior, at the organizational level, leads to advantages for multiple stakeholders. Limitations to the research are that the research findings were of a secondary nature. The information was gathered through massive readings, but not through primary research-gathering processes. This study only reviews the performance of one major corporate entity, which reduces the justification of generalizability. Suggestions for future re ...