Creating Enlightened Organizations

There is a growing movement to incorporate faith and spirituality in the workplace, to do things better, to utilize all the human capabilities of employees, and to truly revolutionize the role of business in the world. Creating Enlightened Organizations is the first book to provide a truly comprehensive approach to creating an organization designed to unleash full human potential in the workplace. Businesses have learned how to involve employees in problem solving, improve the emotional intelligence of their leaders, reengineer the business processes and create customer delight, but they have left out one essential ingredient that makes all the difference - the human spirit. There is a hunger for meaning and purpose in our workplaces and in our institutions. This book simplifies and organizes the best of what is going on in organizations at the individual, team and systems levels and provides guidance for putting it to practical use. It also offers a radically new view of the purpose of business in society and provides examples of leading edge organizations that make a positive difference in the world. Spirituality is the new competitive edge, and enlightened organizations know how to integrate the human spirit and spiritual values into their business practices.

"Creating Enlightened Organizations isn't just a book that will be well received by a broad readership, it is an important book that will fill a gap in the spirituality in the workplace landscape. There aren't many models people can use for investigating this topic and fewer still that respect the entire range of sacred journeys. Judi Neal has created a guidepost for anyone serious about learning how his or her spirituality can be incorporated into day-to-day organizational life." - Daryl Conner, Chairman, Conner Partners; author, Managing at the Speed of Change; recipient of the 2008 International Spirit at Work Award

"Speaking as a business executive with extensive experience in numerous Fortune 100 organizations and as an academic, I know that there are many of us who have long awaited something like this book that could tangibly and rigorously bridge the theoretical with the practical in bringing faith and spirituality into the workplace. This book is germinal, ground-breaking, and timely. As one who has followed and participated in the development of this area within organizations and academia, I am confident that this work will be a tremendous addition to the relevant leadership and organizational lexicon." - Arthur L. Jue, Coauthor, Social Media at Work and Leadership Moments: Turning Points That Changed Lives and Organizations

"Judi Neal's book, Creating Enlightened Organizations, provides a concrete framework for exploring what many consider tobe soft and squishy, the concept of workplace spirituality. Her pioneer work in this field is evidenced by the many practical tools, suggestions, and resources offered in this book. If you are interested in exploring the many manifestations of spirit on the job, this is the book for you." - John Fassnacht, Director of People Strategies, Novation

"Creating Enlightened Organizations is an eminently practical guide to establishing best practices for supporting the soul at work. Judi Neal draws on her immense background in the spirit-at-work movement to provide tested strategies and effective activities for nurturing spirit at work at the individual, team, and organizational levels. If you are ready to go beyond talking about spirit at work, this is the best guide I know of for implementing its central concepts in practical ways." - Gary J. Boelhower, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, The College of St. Scholastica, USA

Judie Neal is Chairman of Edgewalkers International; Professor Emeritus at the University of New Haven, USA; Academic Director of the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program at The Graduate Institute, USA; and the retired Director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, USA.