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The Role of Spirituality in Business Education

The paper “The Role of Spirituality in Business Education” by Laszlo Zsolnai and Katalin Illés was published in Society and Business Review (2015. No. 1. pp. 67–75).

This paper aims to argue that there is a strong imbalance in business education between providing abstract, rational concepts and opportunities for personal growth. Introducing spirituality in business education seems to be desirable if we want to prepare students for the complexities and challenges of the workplace today. The paper gives an example of how techniques from voice and drama therapy can be used for enabling students to look beyond the rational and the material.

By engaging with their “true self”, students may discover dormant qualities in themselves and start to find their purpose, meaning and spirituality. The paper shows that by introducing some new approaches in business education, we can provide opportunities for students to connect their rational thoughts with conscience and the “true self”. When students make an integrated use of our mental, emotional and spiritual resources, they are better equipped to make complex decisions and behave ethically in the workplace and in their personal lives.