Decolonizing workplace spirituality is like a river fed by many tributaries. It does not arrive as a single, all-encompassing paradigm, but flows into a field through distinct currents that reshape its contours over time. When scholars introduce decolonizing perspectives into a discipline, they rarely replace the entire field. Instead, decolonizing theory enters through specific questions,Continue reading “How Decolonization Flows Into Workplace Spirituality”
Author Archives: Joshua David
Decolonizing: From Theory to Material Change
Decolonizing is not a metaphor – it is an action. It is work performed in real communities, on real lands, and within real systems of knowledge and power. As movements for Indigenous sovereignty and epistemic justice continue to grow, “decolonizing” must remain grounded in material change, relational accountability, and Indigenous-led praxis. What follows is anContinue reading “Decolonizing: From Theory to Material Change”
Indigenous Wisdom as Critical Theory
Critical Indigenous Theory (CIT) brings Indigenous relationality, responsibility, and sovereignty into conversation with Western thought. As an intellectual tradition, critical Indigenous theory (CIT) does more than critique dominant systems; it reorients how we think, research, teach, and lead. Rooted in Indigenous epistemologies and land-based relationality, CIT offers an alternative to Eurocentric assumptions about knowledge, power,Continue reading “Indigenous Wisdom as Critical Theory”
Critical Spirituality: Where Justice Meets the Sacred
What Happens When Work Becomes Sacred?
What if workplaces treated meaning, connection, and compassion as essential to productivity? Emerging research on workplace spirituality suggests that when organizations nurture employees’ inner lives (not as a marketing strategy but as an ethical commitment), burnout decreases, trust grows, and productivity becomes more sustainable. This essay synthesizes current scholarship to help human resources development (HRD)Continue reading “What Happens When Work Becomes Sacred?”
Defining Spirituality: Meaning, Connection, and Healing
What does “spirituality” really mean beyond religion or belief? For many, spirituality immediately brings to mind ritual practices or doctrinal faith. However, spirituality is much broader, more human, and more universal than any single tradition. It is a process of creating meaning, forming connections, and personal growth. Its a way of exploring the deeper aspectsContinue reading “Defining Spirituality: Meaning, Connection, and Healing”
When Workplace Spirituality Becomes Manipulation
Many organizations offer “spiritual wellness” programs that soothe but never transform. In workplaces seeking solutions to burnout, conflict, and disconnection, spiritual language has become an attractive tool. However, when spirituality is used to comfort employees without addressing the structures that harm them, it risks becoming just another way to uphold the status quo. This essayContinue reading “When Workplace Spirituality Becomes Manipulation”
The Perilous Workplace: Why Burnout Isn’t Just About Stress
Modern work drains more than time, it depletes spirit. Burnout, stress, and workplace toxicity are not personal failings but symptoms of deeper structural imbalance. For those who care for others (clergy, HR professionals, social workers, etc.) and for workers who are barely holding on, spiritual disconnection at work may be saying something urgent: something largerContinue reading “The Perilous Workplace: Why Burnout Isn’t Just About Stress”
Introducing…….
Speaking or writing about spirituality is foolishness. The moment words are used to describe the phenomenon, one is moving away from the experience. Spirituality is ineffable. And still…. Spirituality is a vital component of the human experience. An individual’s spirit is a key ingredient in action, from the heroic to the mundane. Spirituality is aContinue reading “Introducing…….”
Church: The Ugly
Intro: Have you ever been in a situation that gets ugly? Maybe it’s a breakup, or a fight. A NASCAR wreck or classic Jerry Springer episode. When things get ugly they aren’t good, that’s for sure. They’re too compelling to be ‘bad’ in a traditional sense. Ugly is part of a different continuum than good-bad.Continue reading “Church: The Ugly”