Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses

Transcription

1 ISSN ORGANIZACIJŲ VADYBA: SISTEMINIAI TYRIMAI Rasa KATILIENĖ Irena BAKANAUSKIENĖ Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses The article determines the level of spirituality expression of Lithuanian mid-level businesses CEO s. The authors briefly present a scientific premise of spiritual leadership theory that was the basis for the research. Spirituality is represented in three different levels: intra-personal, supra-personal and inter-personal by identifying elements of each level that are interrelated. The article points out links with other similar scientific research, describes research methods and research instrument, provides research scope and stages, and indicates methodologically significant data collection and analysis procedures. Research findings show CEO s spirituality expression that leads to a conclusion that spirituality among leaders of mid-level Lithuanian businesses is not expressed enough in neither of the above spirituality levels. However, the presence of high score allows us to infer that there are some instances of spiritual leadership among these executive managers. Keywords: leadership, spirituality, management in businesses. Straipsnyje atskleidžiamas Lietuvos verslo organizacijų vadovų dvasingumo raiškos lygio tyrimo rezultatai. Straipsnyje trumpai pristatoma dvasinės lyderystės teorijos mokslinė prielaida, kuria remtasi atliekant tyrimą. Atskleidžiami dvasingumo lygiai: vidinis asmeninis, labai asmeninis ir organizacinis, išskiriant visų lygių elementus, kurie tarpusavyje susiję. Straipsnyje pateikiamos tyrimo sąsajos su kitais panašaus pobūdžio moksliniais tyrimais, aprašomi naudoti tyrimo metodai, apibūdinamas tyrimo instrumentas, pristatoma tyrimo imtis, tyrimo etapai, nurodomos metodologiškai reikšmingos duomenų rinkimo ir analizės procedūros. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidžia vadovų dvasingumo raiškos lygį, kuris leidžia formuoti išvadą, kad Lietuvos vidutinio dydžio įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovų dvasingumas nėra labai išreikštas nei viename iš įvardintų dvasingumo lygių. Tačiau labai aukštą vertinimą gavusių vadovų egzistavimas leidžia daryti išvadą, kad tarp vidutinio dydžio Lietuvos įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovų yra dvasinės lyderystės apraiškų. Raktiniai žodžiai: lyderystė, dvasingumas, verslo įmonių vadyba. Introduction The constant global changes in the 21 st century go hand in hand with changes in the business world. The organization management priorities are changing, creating new challenges for their heads. Therefore, the traditional approach towards leadership is no longer sufficient. It is necessary to search for new head power in relationships with subordinates, to ensure efficient business operations and thus the involvement of employees in order to achieve Rasa KATILIENĖ Master of Business administration (MBA); Phd. Student; Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Economics and Management, K. Donelaičio g. 58, LT Kaunas, Lithuania, , r.katiliene@evf.vdu.lt. Organization Management, Leadership; Irena BAKANAUSKIENĖ PhD., Vytautas Magnus University, Faculty of Economics and Management, Head of Management Departament; K. Donelaičio g. 58, LT Kaunas, Lithuania, , i.bakanauskiene@evf.vdu.lt. Professor; Management in organizations: changes, problems, challenges.

2 54 its objectives. This requires leadership, because it is one of the means of impacting workers, when the employees, without being forced, pursue their goals, inspired by the example of their leader, his vision. Through leadership, the organization s values and goals can be personalized. Therefore, earlier leadership theories where the focus was on charisma and transformation are being changed to modern ones, where more and more emphasis is placed on self-realization, awareness and spiritual maturity (Šilingienė, 2012). By no coincidence the scientific discourse of spirituality in leadership models appeared in the last 10 years, when some scientists, specialists and consultants observed that interest in the development of spirituality in leadership can no longer be considered as more than just a popular fad. Theoretical analysis has already shown that the integration of spirituality into organizations fosters positive change in employment relationships and improves their efficiency (Neal, 2000). Workplace spirituality programs not only promote satisfaction, harmony, peacefulness, job satisfaction and commitment, but also increase productivity and reduce absenteeism and employee turnover (Giacalone, Jukiewicz, 2003). Employees who work in organizations they regard as spiritual, are less afraid, more compliant with ethics (morale) norms and are more committed to their work. Theoretical base allows think that a more humane workplace is not only more productive, but also more flexible and creative (Eisler, Montouri, 2003). The establishment of such workplace environment requires spiritual leadership that is related to managers and their subordinates spiritual survival, calling and belonging needs through a vision, hope / faith and altruistic love. By having a spiritual leader, employees become more productive and more committed to the organization. Spiritual leadership is the source of ethical and spiritual well-being and corporate social responsibility (Fry, 2005). By summarizing theoretical insights, we can argue that the purpose of spiritual leadership is to create a vision and value congruence across the strategic, empowered team and individual levels and, ultimately, to foster higher levels of organizational commitment and productivity. This is a new paradigm in leadership theories. The problem, however, is that unlike in theoretical spiritual leadership analysis, empirical research has not identified or developed a link between spirituality and leadership nature. Research that examined the relationship between transformational leadership and spirituality by using multifactor leadership questionnaire and several other spiritual assessment measures provided different results. Attempts to link and integrate spirituality into current leadership theories still cause many challenges and problems for a leadership researcher. Two of them are: (a) to define the link between spirituality and leadership; (b) assessment problems (Klenke, 2003). Thus, the goal of the article is to unveil the existence of spiritual leadership phenomenon in Lithuania and determine the level of spirituality expression among Lithuanian business organization leaders. Research subject: CEOs of Lithuanian mid-level companies. It is assumed that in companies of this segment they also perform the role of a leader. In mid-level Lithuanian companies executives managers usually have both: the formal power, under which they carry out their managerial functions, as well as the empowering power of a leader. Even though according to J. P. Kotter (1990), managers are more

3 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 55 concerned with the practice that seeks to achieve consistency in an organization, while leaders with constructive changes, in mid-level Lithuanian companies both of these practices are reflected in CEO s work. To achieve this goal scientific literature comparative analysis and empirical research methods were selected. With their help quantitative research was conducted which collected the data necessary to determine managers spirituality expression. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was performed by using 17 th version of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). Research data were processed by using statistical methods: descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney two independent samples comparison criteria, Spearman s correlation coefficient. Normal data distribution was tested by using Shapiro-Wilk criterion. Questionnaire validity by internal coherence was calculated by using Cronbach s alpha. Structural equation modelling path analysis was performed by using 18 th version of AMOS package. Theoretical spiritual leadership expression research premises According to V. Silingiene (2012), the emergence of a new paradigm leadership theories expand leadership scope in terms of emotional, social, ethical and moral effect on followers. They combine the knowledge from sociology, psychology and philosophy and create new leadership conceptions by using three main aspects: personal (leadership as personal development; the way of thinking and living), relationship (leadership as reciprocity with followers; the ability to create vision), organizational (leadership as initiation of changes; organization development). Looking at the definition of spiritual leader, it is not surprising that leadership researchers use transformative and transformational leadership theory (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978) as a guideline in building relationships between these two constructs. Transformational leadership raises questions of the integration of a leader s spirituality into leadership style and spiritual dimension elements in the context of transformational leadership. L. Fry (2003) causal spiritual leadership theory was formed in accordance to inner motivation model that encompasses vision (insight), hope / faith and altruistic love, workplace spirituality theories and spiritual survival through calling and belonging. Spiritual leadership purpose is to create vision and value congruence across organizational (strategic), team and individual levels and to foster higher levels of commitment and productivity. Therefore, in this paper in order to determine managers spirituality expression in business organizations, PRISM Model of Spirituality (figure 1) was used that determines spiritual expression in each of the levels: intra-personal, supra-personal and inter-personal and shows an ideopraxis that is defined as the way to integrate a worldview, encompassing spiritual objects, into everyday practices through alternative human development process. Spirituality is understood as a function of relative dynamics (momentum) between transcendent me and others that helps to unify ideology and the way of life (Rojas, 2005). Under this approach, spirituality is assessed in terms of how current relative forces affect individual s ability to change his life based on the set of related ideologies, beliefs and values.

4 56 INTRAPERSONAL Fulfillment of Self Self-Determination Self-Control Discovery of Self Enrichment of Self INTERPERSONAL Partnership Dynamics Team Dynamics Organizational Dynamics Movement Dynamics Supranatural presencee Ideopraxis SUPRAPERSONAL Tansactional Level Transforamtional Level Transfigurational Level Fig.1. PRISM Model of Spirituality Source: Ronald R. Rojas (2005) Based on this model, a research tool called Independent Spirituality Assessment Scale (isas) was designed to evaluate spirituality independently from sectarian, religious or ideological views (priorities), the base of which consists of relative (relations) methods (approaches, regimens) taken from (selected) scientific literature. In this research spiritual context is purposefully presented independently from religious content as a method to match (adapt) the objections to the inclusion of current theological arguments to management and leadership theories development. In other words, despite the fact that religious component is undoubtedly acknowledged in this research project, it remains in the background. Spirituality is individual while religion is social (Kozeny, 2004).This test allows checking the theoretical assumption that manager spirituality can manifest in three theoretically separated aspects of spirituality: personal (leadership as personal development; thinking and way of life), the aspect of interpersonal relationships (leadership as interaction with followers; the ability to create a vision), organizational (leadership as initiating change; organization development). Research Methodology In order to conduct a study of spiritual leadership, we are faced with a variety of spirituality indicators. Researches (Spilka, Hood, Gorsuch, 1985) note that many spirituality studies use the means of selfreporting. Also, spirituality studies invoke structured or semi-structured interviews (Woods and Ironson, 1999). Also many of the study sources are more associated with religiosity, rather than spirituality, however, in studies they often are used as indicators of spirituality. Recently, for the measurement of spirituality a number of spirituality tools were developed (Ellison, 1993; Rojas, 2002; Wolman, 1997 et. al.). It was established that some of these

5 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 57 instruments are unreliable in separating spirituality from religiosity (Howden, 1993), and the suitability of the others was assessed by means of factor analysis to analyze, rather than the converging of diverging validity (Hall, Edwards, 1996; Kass, Friedman, Leserman, Zuttermeister, Benson, 1991). Since Ronald R. Rojas (2005) developed a mutually dependent spirituality assessment scale as an indicator of management theory concerning spirituality, the research was used by the aforementioned author in the 2005 Independent Spirituality Assessment Scale (isas). The scale is used for the measurement of spirituality, regardless of religious or ideological beliefs. Official authorization was received by the author of the methodology for the use of this scale. A double translation of this methodology was performed from English to Lithuanian and vice versa. The methodology was translated from English to Lithuanian by Rasa Katilienė (2011). The translation from Lithuanian into English was done by G. Jarašiūnaitė (2012). A comparison and contrast of both translations revised the definitions of several concepts to correspond more to the original. The questionnaire consists of forty questions in three subscales (spirituality assessment aspects): intrapersonal aspect, suprapersonal aspect, and interpersonal aspect. Each of these aspects of spirituality is made up of several relational modes. Each of these modes is measured by three questions. The intrapersonal aspect is made up of self-determination, self-fulfilment, self-control, self-discovery, and self-enrichment. The suprapersonal aspect is made up of the transactional mode, transformational mode and the transfigurational mode. The interpersonal aspect of spirituality is made up of partnership, participation in a group, the organizational mode, and the movement mode. Also, there is one element of spirituality that does not belong to any of the three aspects of spirituality. This element is called ideoproxy and measures how life ideology coincides with life style. Ideoproxy combines idea and practice in one word, in order to describe a conscious effort to combine theory and practice, or attempts to integrate spiritual worldview into daily activities for a long period of time. This study analyzed only the total level of spirituality, the three aspects of spirituality, without going into their constituent elements and ideoproxy. Questionnaire responses are measured on a 7-point Likert scale, from 0 disagree to 6 strongly agree. It is argued that there is no right or wrong answer here, it is only important to indicate whether it works for the individual under question. It also asks not to skip questions, because they are valuable only when they have all been answered. The 36 scale statements are worded in such a way that with the increase of the response, the spirituality estimate increases. Four claims are reversed. In measuring spirituality, these four claims are reversible The total spirituality score is the sum of all claims and ranges from 0 to 240 points. In checking the ideoproxy subscale s internal consistency, it was discovered that it is small. So, one statement was removed from this subscale. Ronald R. Rojas, in analyzing research data, from further ideoproxy subscales eliminated the same statement because of its low correlation with the other statements. Based on the remaining claims internal consistency using Cronbach s alpha, it was sufficient for further analysis (Cronbach s alpha 0,500) (Table 1).

6 58 Spirituality aspect (subscale) reliability indexes 1 table Cronbach s alpha General spirituality 0,899 Intrapersonal spirituality aspect 0,835 Suprapersonal spirituality aspect 0,718 Interpersonal spirituality aspect 0,770 During the study, a targeted selection was applied, because the sample population was selected from subjects that provide meaningful information about the research subject and best represent the general set. In order to provide a suitable sample of managers, UAB Creditreform Lithuania was contacted, which collects data on all companies registered in Lithuania, of which there is more than (2011). The selection of companies was based on the following selection criteria: the company is not bankrupt, bankrupting, unregistered or liquidated; the number of employees ranges from 50 to 249; the registration date is from to ; the company pays VAT tax. The resulting answer is that the eligible businesses total The CEO addresses and contact telephone numbers were obtained. In total, it was possible to contact 2014 companies. Given the fact that the survey questionnaire isn t short, and at the request of the survey participants and senior management, for the study was used an electronic survey using the Limesurvey survey system. According to T. Yamane, V. A. Jadov s sample calculation formula (p.s.: T. Yamane and V. A. Jadov have created a formula that allows the calculation of a representative sample size of the study population with a 5 % error margin. The statistical tables created by these authors is widely used in various sociological studies), and presents the sample size tables, in order to get a representative sample without more than a 5 % error margin, 333 leaders had to be interviewed. In order to meet the sample size, company executives had to be sent links via s and called by phone, asking them to take part in the survey. In order to collect the required number of participants, reminders of the survey were sent three additional times. The analysis of the data showed 49 only partially completed questionnaires, which were excluded from further data analysis. The study included 333 subjects: 171 men (51,4 %) and 162 women (48,6 %). Distribution of respondents by age is presented in Figure 1. Later analysis of the survey data by age distinguished two larger groups: younger leaders (up to 40 years of age, 40,2 %) and older leaders (from 41 years old, 59,7 %). Distribution of respondents by education level shows that the test sample is comprised of representatives from different backgrounds 78,7 % of those participating in the research had a university degree; 9,9 % non-university higher degree; 7,5 % higher degree; and 3,9 % had a secondary education. However it is dominated by managers with a higher university education. Respondent work experience assessment showed that 32,1 % of those from the participating companies / organizations

7 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 59 worked there for 1-5 years; 26,1 % years; 24,6 % 6-10 years; 7,5 % 1-30 years; 6,6 % up to 1 year; and 3,0 % have been working at the company/organization for more than 30 years. Later analysis of the survey data based on the work experience of the company heads divided the subjects into two larger groups: those with less work experience in the company /organization (up to 10 years, 63,4 %) and those with more work experience in the company/organization (11 years or more, 36,6 %). Thus, most of the respondents were managers working at the company for no more than ten years. In studying the spirituality expression of the leaders, it was important to assess their management period. The survey revealed that 29, 1 % of those in leadership roles worked for 6-10 years; 25,5 % years; 19,8 % 1-5 years; 10,5 % years 8,4 % up to 1 year; and 6,6 % more than 30 years. During later analysis of survey data from manager working experience in an executive position, the subjects were divided into two larger groups: those with less managerial experience (up to 10 years, 57,3 %) and those with more managerial work experience (11 years and more 42,6 %). Thus, a higher proportion was made up of managers who worked for up to ten years in an executive position, even though the two groups are similar in size. The study looked at business leaders, so the respondents were also asked to indicate what legal form of business organization they work for. 95,8 % companies/ organizations had headquarters in Lithuania; 4,2 % in a foreign country. During the study, 39,0 % of managers working in services were questioned; 27,6 % in industry; 12,3 % in construction; 9,6 % in domestic and foreign trade; 2,7 % in tourism; 2,1 % in financial intermediation sectors. 6,6 % indicated the other response option. Among them were mentioned manufacturing, medicine, agriculture, forestry, health, education, transport and agricultural sectors. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 17. The data was processed using the following statistical methods: descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies, averages, standard deviations); Mann-Whitney two independent samples comparison criteria; Spearman s rank correlation coefficient. Data distribution normality was tested using Shapiro-Wilk criteria. The questionnaire s reliability through internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach s Alpha. In performing statistical analysis, a significance level of α = 0,05 was selected. The structural equation modelling path analysis was performed using AMOS package, version 18. Path analysis is a technique which helps prevent individual regression equations analysis, instead integrating them into one model (Norman and Streiner, 2003). Research results or scientific analysis of the problem Prior to performing statistical analysis of the data, the analyzed variables were tested for correspondence with normality distribution (see Table 2). Spirituality, intrapersonal, suprapersonal and interpersonal aspects of spirituality and ideoproxy distributions statistically are significantly different from normal, so data analysis will be used for non-parametric criteria. In order to find the spirituality scale and its subscales (intrapersonal, suprapersonal, interpersonal aspects of spirituality)

8 60 Spirituality, intrapersonal, suprapersonal, interpersonal spiritual aspects and ideoproxy variables normality test results 2 table Kolmogorov-Smirnov test Shapiro-Wilk test Statistic Freedom Meaning Freedom Meaning Statistic degree of p degree of p Spirituality 0, ,015 0, ,0001 Intrapersonal spirituality aspect 0, ,001 0, ,050 Suprapersonal spirituality aspect 0, ,0001 0, ,0001 Interpersonal spirituality aspect 0, ,041 0, ,002 Ideoproxy 0, ,0001 0, ,0001 * when p < 0,05, the differentials statistically are significantly different from the normal. and ideoproxy distribution among the demographic characteristics under research, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used. The statistical analysis showed that both men s and women s spirituality, intraspiritual aspect, suprapersonal aspect of spirituality and ideoproxy expression does not differ (p > 0,05). However, a trend is observed that men s interpersonal aspect of spirituality is more pronounced than that of women (0,05 < p < 0,1). Therefore, we can say that spirituality among men is more pronounced through partnership (friendship, mentoring, work-partnership), participation in group activity (in a community where life, growth and happiness are supporting behaviours), organizational elements (culture, mission, vision) and movement elements (awareness, participation, conversion) than in women (Table 3). Analysis of the data also compared the spirituality and spirituality aspects of the age distribution. Comparison of younger and older leader spirituality and spirituality aspects is presented in Table 4. The results indicate that older managers have higher suprapersonal spirituality and ideoproxy than younger managers (p < 0,05). This means that older manager spirituality expresses itself in a more transactional mode, transformational, transfigurational spiritual elements. Trends have also been observed, that older leader inter-personal spirituality aspects are more pronounced than in younger people (0,05 < p < 0,1). When, in the meantime, spirituality and the intraspiritual aspect Comparison of men s and women s spirituality and spirituality aspects 3 table Average grades Statistical indexes Men Women Mann Whitney Meaning of Z Importance (U) test level (p) Spirituality 170,11 163, ,000-0,605 0,545 Intrapersonal spirituality aspect 166,17 167, ,500-0,161 0,872 Suprapersonal spirituality aspect 167,98 165, ,000-0,191 0,848 Interersonal spirituality aspect 176,28 157, ,000-1,808 0,071 Ideoproxy 165,51 168, ,000-0,293 0,770

9 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 61 Comparison of the spirituality and spiritual aspects of younger and older leaders 4 table Average grades Statistical indexes Younger Older Mann Whitney Importance level Meaning of Z leaders leaders (U) test (p) Spirituality 158,24 172, ,500-1,363 0,173 Intrapersonal spirituality aspect 168,81 165, ,000 -,282 0,778 Suprapersonal spirituality aspect 152,69 176, ,500-2,228 0,026 Interpersonal spirituality aspect 154,50 175, ,000-1,945 0,052 Ideoproxy 153,02 176, ,500-2,194 0,028 * Higher average ranges indicate more spirituality and its aspects manifestation in a group. are not statistically significantly different (p > 0,05). This means that the ability to make a decision (self-determination), self-fulfilment, self-control, self-discovery, self-enrichment (knowledge, learning) is at a similar expression level and age does not have any effect on these aspects. Analysing the data we also looked at whether or not managerial work experience is related to the manager s spirituality or spirituality aspects. The spirituality and spirituality aspects of leaders with lower and higher managerial work experience is compared in Table 5 below. Statistical data analysis showed that those with higher managerial work experience have higher spirituality, and their suprapersonal, interpersonal spirituality aspect and ideoproxy are more pronounced (p < 0,05) than those with lower managerial work experience. However, the interpersonal spirituality aspect s expression is not statistically significantly different among those with higher or lower managerial experience (p > 0,05). These results can also be interpreted, as with older and younger leaders. A comparison of the spirituality and spirituality aspects of managers with lower and higher levels of company management experience is presented in Table 6. Analysis of the data showed that managers with higher company management experience have a more expressed Comparison of spirituality and spirituality aspects of leaders with lower and higher managerial work experience 5 table Average grades Statistical indexes Lower managerial work experience Higher managerial work experience Mann Whitney (U) test Meaning of Z Importance level (p) Spirituality 156,84 180, ,500-2,234 0,026 Intra-personal spirituality aspect 161,63 174, ,500-1,181 0,238 Supra-personal spirituality aspect 153,27 185, ,500-3,021 0,003 Inter-personal spirituality aspect 158,04 179, ,000-1,970 0,049 Ideoproxy 157,52 179, ,500-2,103 0,035 * Increased average grades indicate increased spirituality and its aspects manifestation in a group.

10 62 suprapersonal aspect of spirituality than those with less company management experience (p < 0,05). However, neither overall spirituality, nor other spirituality aspects are related to the greater or lesser period of employment of the respondent s company (p > 0,05). Based on R. Rojas theoretical model of spirituality and the researcher s theoretical insights about spirituality differentiation (different levels), a theoretical model was established, which was designed to examine how manager ideoproxy (independent variable) is associated with the manager s aspects of spirituality (intrapersonal spirituality, suprapersonal spirituality, and interpersonal spirituality dependent variables) (see Fig. 2). Structural equation modelling path analysis (Fig. 2) revealed that manager ideoproxy is statistically significant in determining manager suprapersonal, interpersonal and intrapersonal spirituality. Ideoproxy s relationship with the latter component of spirituality is strongest (see Tables 7, 8). Internal personal spirituality reveals that managers grow by exploiting all their capabilities, their innate talents are used to the maximum, individual requirements are raised for their Comparison of spirituality and spirituality aspects of managers with lower and higher levels of company management experience 6 table Less work experience in company management Average grades More work experience in company management Mann Whitney (U) test Statistical indexes Meaning of Z Importance level (p) Spirituality 160,50 178, ,500-1,622 0,105 Intrapersonal spirituality aspect 160,82 177, ,000-1,540 0,124 Suprapersonal spirituality aspect 155,12 187, ,000-2,963 0,003 Interpersonal spirituality aspect 166,28 168, ,000-0,178 0,858 Ideoproxy 160,87 177, ,000-1,541 0, Intrapersonal spirituality e 1 Ideopraxis Suprapersonal spirituality e Interpersonal spirituality e 3 Fig. 2. Theoretical ideoproxis and spiritual aspects correlation model

11 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 63 Regression Weights: (Group number 1 Default model) 7 table Evaluation S.E. C.R. Meaning of p Suprapersonal spirituality <--- Ideoproxy 1,796 0,155 11,597 *** Intrapersonal spirituality <--- Ideoproxy 3,502 0,213 16,434 *** Interpersonal spirituality <--- Ideoproxy 2,230 0,204 10,928 *** *** meaning, that p<0,001 and the obtained link are statistically significant Standardized Regression Weights: (Group number 1 Default model) 8 table Evaluation Suprapersonal spirituality <--- ideoproxy 0,537 Intrapersonal spirituality <--- ideoproxy 0,670 Interpersonal spirituality <--- ideoproxy 0,514 personality s development, manage the behaviour through strong moral beliefs, have a strong will, a purposeful life. Executives easily cope with adverse situations, they know how to adapt, constantly strive to know themselves, live by vocation, the quest of self-discovery is a priority in life. These leaders carry out the activities related to the formation of personality, strive to be a better person, and lifelong learning is a priority. However, the results should be interpreted with caution because the model s comparative fit index is low 0,692. The correlation between spiritual dimensions (subscales of the questionnaire) and ideoproxy variables have also been tested. For the data analysis the graded Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used. Analysis of the results revealed that all aspects of spirituality and ideoproxy are statistically significantly associated (p < 0,001) and all the correlations are of moderate strength (correlation from 0,5 to 0,7 is defined as moderate (Čekanavičius, Murauskas, 2000). All relationships are positive and mean that when the values of one variable increase, the others also increase. For example, with the increase of ideoproxy, intrapersonal spirituality increases and vice versa. The most relevant are the estimates of intrapersonal spirituality and suprapersonal spirituality (r = 0,687). Ideoproxy is most associated with intrapersonal spirituality (r = 0,671) and a suprapersonal spirituality (r = 0,522). For more details, see Table 9. The author of the independent spirituality scale, Ronald R. Rojas, does not exclude specific numerical parameters, based on which a person can be considered spiritual or non-spiritual. However, the survey data can be compared to the presented data in validating the scale. As was already mentioned above the common spirituality rating ranges from 0 to 240. According to the survey, Lithuanian mid-level business manager spirituality assessment ranged from 53 to the 194. For the intrapersonal spirituality aspect, the maximum number of points possible was 90. According to the survey, the Lithuanian mid-level business leaders collected a maximum score of 81, the average being 46,7. The suprapersonal spirituality aspect

12 64 9 table Correlation of intrapersonal spirituality, suprapersonal spirituality, interpersonal spirituality and ideoproxy Intrapersonal spirituality Suprapersonal spirituality Interpersonal spirituality Ideoproxy Spearman rank Intrapersonal Suprapersonal Interpersonal correlation coefficient spirituality spirituality spirituality Ideoproxy Connection strength 0,687 ** 0,536 ** 0,671 ** Significance level (p) 0,0001 0,0001 0,0001 Connection strength 0,687 ** 0,515 ** 0,522 ** Significance level (p) 0,0001 0,0001 0,0001 Connection strength 0,536 ** 0,515 ** 0,517 ** Significance level (p) 0,0001 0,0001 0,0001 Connection strength 0,671 ** 0,522 ** 0,517 ** Significance level (p) 0,0001 0,0001 0,0001 could collect up to 54 points. The study participants, in the suprapersonal aspect of spirituality, collected a maximum score of 54, the average rating being 28,1. Interpersonal spirituality could collect a maximum of up to 72 points; the study participants collected a score of 65, the average being 27,3. Ideoproxy could collect up to 12 points; Lithuania s maximum points 12; average 5,8 points (Table 10). However, the results also show that there are managers with a very high level of assessment, whose spirituality is close to (or reaching) the maximum possible number of points collected. And this leads to the conclusion that the average Lithuanian company top executives are spiritual leaders who have the power to encourage greater commitment to the organization and productivity. This shows, however, that the relationship between leadership and spirituality exists. Conclusions After the top-level manager s spiritual expression study we can conclude that the Lithuanian mid-level companies are managed by leaders of various levels of spirituality. Although the independent spirituality scale s author Ronald R. Rojas does not exclude specific numerical parameter ranges, from which a person can be considered spiritual or non-spiritual, but the statistical data shows that there are leaders with a very high score and some who have received a very low score. Therefore, this Spirituality aspect statistical indicators assessment of the distribution of Lithuania s mid-level enterprise managers 10 table Intrapersonal Suprapersonal Interpersonal spirituality spirituality spirituality Ideoproxy Minimum Maximum Average 46,7 28,1 27,3 5,8 Standard deviation 12,6 8,1 10,4 2,4 Median 46,0 27,0 27,0 6,0 Mode 42,0 23,0 20,0 6,0

13 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 65 study can confirm the assumption that Lithuanian mid-level business executive management expresses aspects of spiritual leadership. The results of the study allow us to form the conclusion that the Lithuanian top-level manager spirituality is not really expressed at the intrapersonal, suprapersonal or interpersonal levels, and this is reflected at the ideoproxy level, because all these parts together are very much connected. By strengthening one of the spirituality levels, leaders can strengthen the others as well. In terms of the relationship between executive management and spirituality, it is necessary to take into account demographic data. Research findings indicate that the interpersonal aspect of spirituality is expressed more between men than it is between women. We can argue that men s spirituality, as compared to women s, manifests itself more through partnership (friendship, mentoring, work partnership), participation in group activities (community where life, growth and happiness are supporting behaviors), organizational elements (culture, mission, vision) and work elements (awareness, participation, conversion). Data analysis also showed that senior managers and managers with seniority in a company have a better expressed individual spirituality aspect than those with lesser seniority. It reveals that the spiritual aspect of these managers consists of transactional, transformational and transfigurational spirituality elements. It means that the spirituality of the above managers depends on their emotions: they persevere in the case of moral decisions, always stay loyal to their beliefs and feel comfortable without having fully solved the ambiguities in their decisions. Their spirituality also depends on their faith, while moral beliefs only intensify as the time goes by. These managers have defeated their fears: they are the same both in their personal and in public lives. They tolerate environments with various doctrines and beliefs that differ from their own. Research findings also revealed that senior managers have greater ideopraxis than their younger counterparts. Thus, it can be stated that they integrate their spiritual worldview into everyday activities for a long term. Research findings analysis allows to note the tendencies that the interpersonal spiritual aspect amongst senior executive managers is expressed more as compared to younger executive managers. It means that the spirituality of senior managers is not managed (controlled) by others. Usually, they may have a person who gives them a spiritual encouragement a mentor that helps to find a direction in life. These managers can be a part of a small group that takes care of all aspects of their lives, provides happiness and joy a group where a sense of community prevails. The organizational principles of these executive managers foster (stimulate) their individual spirituality, an organizational mission matches their spiritual goals, while an organizational vision conforms to their life vision. These managers also think they have to change things that are wrong in the company. They can be influenced by the ideals of certain social, political and religious movements, while their personal life ideals are supported by one or several social, political or religious movements. By summarizing the research findings, it can be stated that spiritual leadership expression aspects can be noticed in mid-level Lithuanian companies. While performing the role of a leader, these top level managers, with the help of spiritual

14 66 leadership, can transmit their spirituality to organization and encourage greater commitment to the organization as well as greater productivity. However, it needs strengthening all aspects of spiritual level, since they are interrelated. Concealed inner individual spirituality is not enough to transmit spirituality in the organization. Spirituality has to manifest in each of the three levels in order for the spiritual leadership to be meaningful and for the followers to devote themselves to the organization through calling and membership and to strive for ethical and spiritual well-being, feel socially responsible and seek for the company goals. References 1. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press, New York. 2. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. Harper & Row, New York. 3. Čekanavičius, V., Murauskas, G. (2004). Statistika ir jos taikymai. I knyga. (Statistics and its Applications. I Book). TEV, Vilnius. 4. Eisler, R., Montouri, A. (2003). The human side of spirituality. In R. A. Giacalone & C. L. Jurkiewicz (Eds.), Handbook of workplace spirituality and organizational performance. New York: M. E. Sharp. 5. Ellison, C. W. (1983). Spiritual well-being: Conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Fry, L. W., Toward a theory of ethical and spiritual well-being, and corporate social responsibility through spiritual leadership. IA249- Giacalone. Wednesday, January 5, doi: 7. Fry, L. W. (2003). Dvasinės lyderystės teorijos link. The Leadership Quarterly Giacalone, R. A., Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2003). Toward a science of workplace spirituality. In R. A. 9. Hall, T. W., Edwards, K. J. (1996). The initial development and factor analysis. 10. Howden, J. W. (1993). Development and psychometric characteristics of the Spirituality Assessment Scale. Dissertation Abstracts International, 54 (1-B): 166 (UMI No ). 11. Kass, J. D., Friedman, R., Leserman, J., Zuttermeister, P., Benson, H. (1991). Health outcomes and a new index of spiritual experience. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Klenke, K. (2003). The S Factor in Leadership Education, Practice, and Research. Journal of Education for Business. 79 (1). doi: / Kotter, J. P. (1990). Force for change: how leadership differs from management. Free Press, New York. 14. Kozeny, G. (2004). Dancing with dogmas: The fine line between religion and spirituality. Cummunities, Neal, J. (2000). Work as service to the divine: giving our gifts selflessly and with joy. The American Behavioral Scientist. Vol. 43 No Norman, G. R., Streiner, D. L. (2003). PDQ Statistics. Third Edition. Internet access: < fhs.mcmaster.ca/surgery/documents/pdq_stats. pdf>. 17. Rojas, R. R. (2005). Management theory and spirituality: A framework and validation of the Independent Spirituality Assessment Scale. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63 (2-A), 668. (UMI No. AAI304030). 18. Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., Gorsuch, R. L. (1985). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 19. Šilingienė, V. (2012). Lyderystė. Technologija, Kaunas. 20. Wolman, R. (1997). Spirituality: What does it mean to you? New Age Journal, 14, Woods, T. E., Ironson, G. H. (1999). Religion and spirituality in the face of illness. Journal of Health Psychology, 4. doi: / The paper submitted: November 12, 2012 Prepared for publication: December 17, 2012

15 Expression of Spiritual Leadership in Lithuanian Businesses 67 DVASINĖS LYDERYSTĖS RAIŠKA LIETUVOS VERSLO ĮMONĖSE Summary Kartu su nauja paradigma lyderystės teorijose, atsiranda naujos teorijos, kurių patvirtinimui ar paneigimui reikalingi sisteminiai empiriniai tyrimai. Tačiau problemą sudaro tai, jog, skirtingai nei teorinėje dvasinės lyderystės analizėje, empirinių tyrimų metu nėra nustatytas ar išplėtotas ryšys tarp dvasingumo ir vadovavimo pobūdžio. Atlikus tyrimus, kuriais buvo nagrinėtas ryšys tarp transformacinio vadovavimo ir dvasingumo pasitelkiant įvairias dvasingumo vertinimo priemones, buvo gauti nevienodi rezultatai. Bandymai sujungti ir įtraukti dvasingumą į esamas vadovavimo teorijas iki šiol sukelia daugybę kliūčių ir problemų vadovavimo srities tyrėjui, pavyzdžiui, dvasingumo santykio su vadovavimu apibrėžimas bei vertinimas. Todėl šio straipsnio tikslas yra atskleisti verslo organizacijų vadovų dvasingumo raiškos lygį vadovaujant, kad būtų galima teigti, jog Lietuvoje egzistuoja dvasinė lyderystė, galinti skatinti didesnį įsipareigojimą organizacijai ir produktyvesnį darbą. Tyrimo objektu pasirinkti Lietuvos vidutinio dydžio įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovai. Daroma prielaida, kad tokio segmento įmonėse jie atlieka ir lyderio vaidmenį. Vidutinėse Lietuvos įmonėse vadovai paprastai turi formalią galią, kuria remdamiesi ne tik vykdo vadovavimo funkcijas, bet turi ir lyderio įgalinimo galią. Nors, pasak J. P. Kotter (1990), vadovams rūpi veikla, kuria organizacijoje siekiama sukurti darną, o lyderiams labiau konstruktyvios permainos, tačiau Lietuvos vidutinėse įmonėse abi šios veiklos atsispindi vadovo veikloje. Tikslui pasiekti pasirinkti mokslinės literatūros lyginamosios analizės ir empirinio tyrimo metodai. Juos taikant, atliktas kiekybinis tyrimas, kurio metu buvo surinkti duomenys, reikalingi vadovų dvasingumo raiškai nustatyti. Duomenų rinkimui naudota anketinė apklausa. Tyrimui pasirinkta R. R. Rojas 2005 metais sukurta Nepriklausoma dvasingumo įvertinimo skalė (angl. Independent Spirituality Assessment Scale (isas)). Ši skalė skirta dvasingumui tirti, neatsižvelgiant į religines ar ideologines nuostatas. Duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant statistinio paketo socialiniams mokslams (SPSS) 17 versiją. Tyrimo duomenims apdoroti naudoti statistiniai metodai: aprašomoji statistika, Mann-Whitney dviejų nepriklausomų imčių palyginimo kriterijus ir Spirmeno koreliacijos koeficientas. Duomenų skirstinio normalumas buvo tikrinamas naudojant Shapiro-Wilk kriterijų. Klausimyno patikimumas vidinio suderinamumo būdu buvo skaičiuojamas naudojant Kronbacho alfa. Struktūrinio lygčių modeliavimo kelio analizė atlikta naudojant AMOS paketo 18 versiją. Straipsnį sudaro keturios dalys. Įvade apibrėžiama mokslinė problema bei aktualumas, nurodomas tyrimo objektas bei tikslas, atskleidžiama problematika, įvardijami tyrimo metodai. Teorinės dvasinės lyderystės raiškos tyrimo prielaidos dalyje trumpai pristatoma dvasinės lyderystės teorija ir mokslinė prielaida, kuria remiamasi atliekant tyrimą, atskleidžiamos tyrimo sąsajos su kitais panašaus pobūdžio moksliniais tyrimais. Dvasinės lyderystės raiškos Lietuvos vidutinio dydžio verslo įmonėse tyrimo metodika dalyje aprašomi naudoti tyrimo metodai, apibūdinama tyrimo priemonė, pristatoma tyrimo imtis, tyrimo etapai, nurodomos metodologiškai reikšmingos duomenų rinkimo ir analizės procedūros. Dalyje Tyrimo rezultatų analizė pateikiami tyrimo rezultatai, jų analizė, atliekama mokslinės problemos analizė. Išvadose pateikiamos glaustos ir struktūrizuotos išvados, apibendrinimai, atspindintys užsibrėžtą straipsnio tikslą, aptariami ir interpretuojami rezultatai. Atlikus tyrimą paaiškėjo, kad Lietuvos vidutinių įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovų dvasingumas nėra labai išreikštas nei asmeniniame, nei grupiniame (komandiniame), nei organizaciniame lygiuose, o tai atsispindi ideopraktikoje, nes visos šios dalys tarpusavyje yra labai susijusios. Stiprindami vieną iš dvasingumo lygių, vadovai stiprina ir kitus. Tačiau rezultatai taip pat parodo, jog yra labai aukštą vertinimą gavusių vadovų, kurių dvasingumas beveik siekia (arba siekia) maksimalų galimų surinkti balų skaičių. O tai leidžia daryti išvadą, kad tarp vidutinių Lietuvos įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovų yra dvasinių lyderių, kurie turi galią skatinti didesnį įsipareigojimą organizacijai ir produktyvesnį darbą. Tai parodo, kad visgi ryšys tarp vadovavimo ir dvasingumo egzistuoja. Apibendrinant tyrimo rezultatus galima teigti, jog Lietuvos vidutinėse įmonėse galima pastebėti dvasinės lyderystės raiškos aspektų. Šių įmonių aukščiausio lygio vadovai, atlikdami lyderio vaidmenį, gali savo dvasingumą perkelti į organizaciją siekiant skatinti didesnį įsipareigojimą organizacijai ir produktyvesnį darbą.