Spiritual intelligence: Exploring the constituent elements

Abstract

Although first introduced to the western world, by Danah Zohar in 1997, spiritual intelligence (SI) has existed in Indian traditional texts for the last 3000 years. However, the subject has remained an area of infrequent interest for researchers and practitioners in the corporate world because of poor understanding and a lack of consensus on its constituents and the consequent challenges in quantifying and measuring them. SI is often confused with spirituality, religion, and morality or virtue, hence making the task even more difficult. The purpose of this study was to examine the literature in order to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the concept and identify the common constituent dimensions of SI so as to render it usable as a human resources tool for enhancing performance in organisations. Seven dimensions of SI have been identified that may lend themselves to quantification and metrics, making them usable for development amongst individuals in organisations. The research has also revealed that appropriate training tools, if developed, can be used to enhance an individual’s performance along these seven dimensions. The paper’s strength lies in its success in finding common ground in the form of seven dimensions and measurable factors. The paper also draws a distinction between SI, spirituality and religion. It adds value by providing a direction to HR initiatives that can lead to more purposeful, fulfilling, and happy organisations in the long run.