Lefebvre, Solange (2000)
The "crises of belief" in business and the need for a dialogue on the meaning of work , in T.C. Pauchant and Associates, Ethics and spirituality at work. Under revision in the U.S.
In this chapter, theologian and anthropologist, Solange Lefebvre, retraces the different meanings attributed to the notions of religion, spirituality and work through out the centuries.
She suggests that a serious dialogue based on these ideas is required to address the "crisis of belief " observed today in business and in society at large. Based on in-depth interviews conducted in the business world, she tackles the taboos surrounding the notions of spirituality and religion in the business world and the negative connotations generally associated with work. She stresses the need for "respect" and "connection" pursued by many when confronted with the "fragmentation" of their life experience, a condition evoked by Ian I. Mitroff in the previous chapter.
Reminding us that happiness is also found in adversity, and that one of the functions of religion and spirituality is to allow people to become aware of their limits - to realise that they are not Gods and Goddesses - Solange Lefebvre proposes that an ethic and spirituality of work must be founded not on an escape from this world, but on the imperative of communal life and a reinterpretation of notion of work itself. She further suggests that the integration of ethics and spirituality in the business world must be supported by very specific policies, like the encouragement of mentors and work place rituals. Finally, she suggests that the world of business and the economy, which are at the base of vital exchanges, must integrate ethical and spiritual values in this century, during which "progress", as she beautifully puts it, "has penetrated our bodies".
