Purpose of Study
The study is proposing that ethics in family businesses that are based in
value, ethical practices, spirituality and religious elements help to achieve
a more sustainable and fair approach to business practices. The article
looks at methods of values, religious importance, and traditional values
upheld in the family including spiritual and religious elements and how
those imprint into younger generations and lead the younger generations
in a more sustainable and valuable approach to the world. ( On a personal
thought - the article looks at many businesses in many areas which gives
a highlight to how diverse America is and how inclusive it needs to be in
order to develop a better process to business practices and organizational
standards to include everyone.)
Evaluation of Method
This issue includes ten papers addressing ethics and values in
sustainable family businesses that are lined with spirituality and religious
values. There is a framework (Astrachan et. al, 2020) that pinpoints exact
ideas discussed between the papers. The purpose of the conceptual
framework is to demonstrate that faith led organizational practices have a
better outcome in the family business and its practices. Each paper has a
process in which they looked at the business and traditions of religious
and spirituality including but not limited to rhetorical analysis and case
study analysis. (On a personal note - the collection is valued because it is
not pinpointed to one style of study giving way to the understanding that
spirituality and religion in family owned businesses help them thrive and
become part of something larger.)
Description of Results Found
The studies looked at a view of each of the ten papers and correlated
them to show that family owned businesses offer values that larger
corporations do not often see and those are rooted in spirituality and
religious growth and an imprinting of traditional values. One paper on a
study from United States sums up the purpose of the study in regards to
the 1 out of 10 papers studied and cross studied.
"Tabor et al. (2020) adopt a conservation of resources
theory lens to investigate the relationship between spiritual leadership,
employee commitment and work-family
conflict in family firms. Their unique database, consisting of primary
triadic data from family firm leaders,
family and nonfamily employees in 77 family firms in
the United States lends support to their hypothesis that
spiritual leadership positively affects organizational commitment" (as
cited in Astrachan et. al, 2020)
Evaluation of Purpose and Content
This approach was unique to me. I liked observing multiple studies with
a different methodical approach. Some used rhetoric, some used case
studies, others used surveys. They all addressed the issue of spirituality
and religion in family owned business. This multiple approach left little
doubt that family owned businesses thrive and are sustainable and that
values and traditional understandings help root them firmly. Conflict was
addressed in several of the studies but still led back to the understanding
that spiritual growth and tradition help to overcome the conflict in any
situation. This was an entirely unique approach.
Personal thoughts and connections
I love research. It is special time for me to dig deep into journals and
entries and discover new ideas, thoughts, methods and understandings. I
often do not struggle with the research part. I used to be a copywriter and
a journalist. Everything I wrote was based in fact and truth. I would spend
time researching what I needed in order to justify it and be unbiased. I
think of statistics as not the only approach to life. I find that case studies
(some that we see lawyers using in trial) often help to highlight points. As
I look further down the line at dissertation thoughts of spirituality and
movements of Economics are popping up. I see the light beaming as I
focus on the words of spirituality in an organization. Inclusion is out there.
We should not be limited in what we believe in the world or the workplace
or in school or other organizations. We need to be free to be who we are
no matter what the setting. Spiritual growth even if not fully accepted by
many is something that organizations can offer to their workers or
students. There is a hope for a better tomorrow.
Bowering (as cited in Jordan and Zanna, 1999) offered a quote that
sums up a lot for me. "There is really no such thing as research. There is
only search, more search, keep on searching." It reminds me of the Xfiles.
"The truth is out there"(Xfiles) , but there is more to it than some research
on paper. You need to find out answers on your own sometime. Test the
waters. See the truth. Find it. Reveal it. Search it again. Reveal it. It is a
process that keeps on growing and internally and externally stimulates
the soul into movement.
Research. . .
References
Astrachan, J.H., Binz Astrachan, C., Campopiano, G, & Bau, M. (May 2020).
Values, Spirituality, and Religion: Family Business and the Roots of
Sustainable Ethical Behavior.Journal of Business Ethics163(4), 637-645.
Jordan, C. H. and Zanna, M.P. (1999). How to Read a Journal Article in
Social Psychology.The Self in Social Psychology,461 - 470.
