Date of Degree

12-2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

Noah Kasraie

Advisor

Vess Johnson

Advisor

Sharon Herbers

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between spirit at work and attitudes towards organizational change among adults working in various industries. The Spirit at Work Scale (SAWS) measured the independent variable and the Attitudes Towards Organizational Change (ATOC) scale measured the dependent variable. Four factors (engaging work, sense of community, mystical experience, and spiritual connection) measured spirit at work. Three factors (cynical attitudes, fearful attitudes, and accepting attitudes) measured attitudes towards organizational change. Three hundred and ten responses were collected via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk online workforce and analyzed. A Pearson’s correlation test revealed a strong, positive, and statistically significant relationship between spirit at work and attitudes towards organizational change at the .01 level. Of the 12 paths (3 factors x 4 factors) explored, 10 of the 12 path coefficients revealed statistically significant relationships at the .05 level. A series of MANOVAs and ANCOVAs also determined religion, industry, and organization type had significant effects on cynical attitudes, fearful attitudes, mystical experience, sense of community, and engaging work. This study indicated employees with a sense of community and engaging work were more accepting of change and organizations would benefit from an intrinsic, spiritual approach to change management. Therefore, a model for spiritual change readiness was offered to guide research and practice.

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