Toward greater consciousness in the 21st Century Century Workplace: How Buddhist Practices Fit in (original) (raw)
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Toward Greater Consciousness in the 21st Century Workplace: How Buddhist Practices Fit In
Journal of Business Ethics, 2010
The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of Buddhist practices in today's workplaces. The findings were supported by interviews with Buddhist masters and Buddhist business practitioners, as well as literature review, through phenomenological analysis. As a means of presenting the main reasons why Buddhist practices should be considered in contemporary workplaces, a SWOT analysis is presented. In this analysis, a number of strengths for using Buddhist practices in workplaces are listed such as pro-scientific, greater personal responsibility, and healthy detachment, while potential weaknesses such as non-harming, equanimity, and no competition are also reviewed. Both the strengths and the weaknesses could be listed in reverse if applied to a different extent. Among the opportunities were issues such as re-educating the world of business, enhancing personal ownership and a healthier society, while the threats comprised issues such as creating different imbalances, disinterest, and stationary development.
2015
In recent years there has been a growing interest in the application of concepts and practices that derive from Buddhist thought within organisations in Western nations and this has resulted in an exchange of ideas between Buddhist and Western psychological and organisational scholars and practitioners. The "dialogue" that is now occurring between Buddhist and Western psychological and organisational thought is one means whereby Buddhist thought is being adapted to a new historical and cultural period. The main Buddhist concept and practice that has been applied in organisational settings is mindfulness but the way mindfulness has been understood in the psychological and organisational theory and practice literature diverges from traditional Buddhist accounts of mindfulness. Specifically, the way in which mindfulness has been characterized obscures its relationship to ethical functioning and its role in the development of wisdom and hencemay not lead to the transformation that will result in liberation from suffering. Just as Buddhist concepts and Table of Contents Abstract i Acknowledgment ii Content iii Notes on translations and academic style v Chapters
Buddhism in the United States: Implications for Managers of Buddhist Values in the Workplace
Buddhism Americana is in full development. While it is structured on established Buddhist training practices and ancient Buddhist values, there is a Western-based interpretation of this ancient philosophy in development that is worth recognizing. This paper discusses the recent evolution of Buddhism in the United States with special reference to the contemporary workplace. The paper examines a number of implications of this evolution for managers in today's workplaces, which should be considered of particular significance since these implications fit in well with the contemporary trends of greater awareness, environmental sustainability, and increased social responsibility.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review Buddhism as a potential reform instrument in the workplace and discuss some obstacles in making that happen.
The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of Buddhist practices in today's workplaces. The findings were supported by interviews with Buddhist masters and Buddhist business practitioners, as well as literature review, through phenomenological analysis. As a means of presenting the main reasons why Buddhist practices should be considered in contemporary workplaces, a SWOT analysis is presented. In this analysis, a number of strengths for using Buddhist practices in workplaces are listed such as pro-scientific, greater personal responsibility, and healthy detachment, while potential weaknesses such as non-harming, equanimity, and no competition are also reviewed. Both the strengths and the weaknesses could be listed in reverse if applied to a different extent. Among the opportunities were issues such as re-educating the world of business, enhancing personal ownership and a healthier society, while the threats comprised issues such as creating different imbalances, disinterest, and stationary development.
Journal of Human Values, 2007
This article explores the fit between the lived reality in entrepreneurial organizations and the Buddhist concept of the bodhisattva in order to see whether the juxtaposition of these two very different realities can shed light on the impact of spiritual values in the workplace. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an array of entrepreneurs who have been practising Buddhists for over three years to see whether they were using core elements of this concept in their daily work and, if so, how they experienced the value and impact of these notions. The interviews showed that it was very much a part of the participants' daily work lives and seems to be a force in creating a happier, more nourishing work environment. All participants brought up the notion unasked and provided stories describing how their relationships at work were influenced by this and other fundamental aspects of their spiritual practice. The data have implications at the levels of both individual action and societal change. Buddhism has shown a strong ability to retain its core concepts while developing new practices as it moved from one culture to another over the centuries. Perhaps Western societies will prove to be as conducive an environment for the further evolution of Buddhist teachings as was eighth-century Tibet. As Tibet's unique form of aliveness was infused into Buddhism without changing the core constructs or values, perhaps what is alive about Western culture (such as entrepreneurialism) will nourish analogous new forms.
Buddhism and Organizational Management: A Review
Kelaniya Journal of Management, 2014
Organizational Management is one of the exciting themes in modern economies nowadays. An organization is a collection of people working together towards a common target. The basic building block of any organization is its people; employees. Managing an organization is ultimately getting things done through employees. Hence, more humanistic and pragmatic ways of organizational management which excel in managerial competencies are needed to sustain in this modern turbulent environment. It could be seen that Buddhist 'Sanga Communities' were organizations which excelled in managerial skills. Buddhism offers a pragmatic and an interesting perspective on the proper application of modern organizational management practices. This conceptual paper is done with the objective of exploring the implications of Buddhist perspectives such as moderation, impermanency, the belief in no-self, five precepts, eight-fold path, mindfulness and self-discipline, collectivistic view of team building, value of self-sacrifices for the common good, mutual respect, seven reconciliation rules and four bases of sympathy could manifest themselves in a number of different aspects of modern organizational management. This paper explores the application of those Buddhist concepts and practices in areas of organizational management including interpersonal relations, ethical behavior, emotional intelligence, team building, communication, leadership, conflict management, personal development, good governance, group harmony, goal setting, performance management, knowledge management, and in broader sense managing people at work. The paper suggests that Buddhist concepts and practices are effective to be applied in organizational management and that those concepts and practices have more universal application which could improve the organizational productivity as the end result. It is recommended for modern managers to be mindful, compassionate and flexible, open minded, and recognize that nothing is permanent. In conclusion the Buddhist perspective of organizational management is about accepting change, creating harmony among employees and treating all with dignity and respect to achieve the ultimate goals of the organization. Keywords: Buddhist concepts and practices, Management, Organization, Organizational Management
Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion
The majority of research on mindfulness reflects a secular viewpoint to the detriment of contextualized mindfulness approaches. We contribute to the literature on organizational mindfulness by arguing that mindfulness is a wisdom-based practice that has been exploited as an instrument for stress reduction or moment awareness techniques. We carried out in-depth interviews in Vietnam with 24 organizational leaders who are Buddhist practitioners, using thematic analysis to elucidate our argument. Our findings reveal that the practice of mindfulness is more effectively a personal and contextual choice rather than a universal “band aid,” thus departing from secular interpretations and applications. This choice is based on understanding Buddhist teachings and principles and the combination of the Buddhist qualities of wisdom, compassion, and non-attachment. We argue that this more effectively can enable and contribute to a wise, dynamic, and flexible approach to corporate mindfulness.