Underlying Why Leaders Cultivate Organizational Spirituality

Our purpose is to answer the following research questions: (1) why do leaders support the development of organizational spirituality? Moreover, (2) what is the cor-relation between organizational spirituality and its theory-driven elements? We con-ducted a mixed-method study, collecting data through interviews with twenty-three leaders. Accordingly, we followed a qualitatively driven mixed-method research approach. To answer the first research question, we conducted a thematic analysis. In addition, we conducted quantitative content analyses (i.e., frequency and Pearson cor-relations) to answer the second research question. Overall, the thematic analysis indi-cates that leaders support the development of organizational spirituality to improve performance and well-being and enhance stakeholder connectedness. Moreover, they emphasized the crucial role of knowledge management and organizational learning in disseminating spirituality. On the other hand, bureaucracy, legislation, and technology hinder corporate spirituality from unfolding. Additionally, we outline decision-making supported by spirituality, considering the qualitative aspect, which is a shortage in the literature. Likewise, the correlation analysis identified significant positive correlations between organizational spirituality construct elements and influencers (e.g., knowl-edge management and macro-environment), supporting its theoretical conceptualiza-tion. This article pioneered empirically analyzing organizational spirituality and its the-ory-derived conceptualization, constituent elements, and influencers. Furthermore, it challenges assumptions about why leaders cultivate corporate spirituality while offer-ing a fresh perspective and generating synergies with other academic domains.