SPIRITUAL

KNOWLEDGE
Prof.Dr.Dr. Dr.H.C. Constantin Bratianu
UNESCO Department for Business Administration
Faculty of Business Administration
Bucharest University of Economic Studies

Kamakura

Highly subjective insights, intuitions, and hunches are an

integral part of knowledge. Knowledge also embraces ideals,
values, and emotions as well as images and symbols
(Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995)

Triple helix of knowledge

Cognitive knowledge reflects our understanding about
the physical world we are living in. Science id the main
result of creating rational knowledge.
Emotional knowledge reflects our understanding about
our own body and its states of emotions and feelings.
Spiritual knowledge reflects our understanding about
the meaning of our existence. It goes beyond the
tangibility of our external environment. It integrates at
personal level possible questions concerning our
existence: Who am I? Why I am here? Why do I die?
What is after life?

Religion and Spirituality

(Dalai Lama, 1999)
Religion I take to be concerned with faith in the
claims of one faith tradition or another, an aspect of
which is the acceptance of some form of heaven or
nirvana. Connected with this are religious teaching
or dogma, ritual prayer and so on.
Spirituality I take to be concerned with those
qualities of the human spirit such as love and
compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness,
contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of
harmony which bring happiness to both self and
others.

Mahatma Gandhi
1869- 1948

Fisher, L. (1962) The essential Gandhi. His life,

work, and ideas. New York, Vintage Books.

The purpose of life is undoubtedly to know oneself.

We cannot do it unless we learn to identify ourselves
with all that lives. (p.316)
My mission is not merely brotherhood of Indian
humanity. My mission is not merely freedom of India,
though today it undoubtedly engrosses practically the
whole of my life and the whole of my time. But
through realization of freedom of India I hope to
realize and carry on the mission of brotherhood of
man. (p.191)

Peter Drucker
1909 - 2005

The age of discontinuity.

(Drucker, P., Transaction Publishers, London, 2008, p.289)

Knowledge workers cannot be satisfied with

work that is only livelihood. Their aspirations
and their view of themselves are those of the
professional or intellectual. If they respect
knowledge at all, they demand that it
becomes the base for accomplishment. For
this reason, it is crucial that knowledge
workers be challenged to achieve.

Self-actualization
(Meaning)
Abraham
Maslow

Esteem
Belonging and
social needs
Safety and security needs

Survival needs

Hierarchy of
needs

Spiritual capital. Wealth we live by.

(Zohar, D.& Marshall, I., Berret-Koehler, San Francisco,
2004, p.17)

Since Maslows work was done nearly half a century

ago, anthropologists, neuroscientists, and
psychologists have reached a far deeper
understanding of human nature and the origins of
our humanity.
We know today that human beings are by definitions
primarily creatures of meaning and value (that is, of
self-actualization). We need a sense of meaning and
driving purpose in our lives. Without it we become ill
or we die.

Spiritual capital. Wealth we live by.

(Zohar, D.& Marshall, I., Berret-Koehler, San Francisco,
2004, p.34)

We must have a sensitivity to Platos famous

triad of values: Goodness, Truth, and Beauty.
We must live our lives as a vocation, as a
calling to the service of these deepest
values. To do that, we must act from the
higher motivations that can drive human
behavior. This is a long-term project,
requiring tenacity and commitment.

Spiritual knowledge
and Business education
Economics and business emphasize the importance
of self-interest and profit maximization.
Adam Smith The Wealth of Nations:
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the
brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but
from their regard to their own interest
Unfortunately, the business education makes it
difficult to differentiate between self-interest from
greed.

Wang, L., Malhotra, D. & Murnigham, J.K. (2011),

Economics education and greed, Academy of
Management Learning & Education, Vol.10, N0.4,
pp.643-660

Self-interest is a motivation, widely presumed to

drive most economic behavior, which aims to
increase personal well-being.
Greed is self-interest taken to such an extreme
that, based on prevailing social norms
regarding the effects of ones behavior on
others, it may be perceived as unacceptable or
immoral.

Peter Drucker, Management: Tasks, responsibilities,

practices, Harper Business, 1993 (pp. 60-61)
Another conclusion is that a business cannot be defined
or explained in terms of profit. Asked what a business
is, the typical businessman is likely to answer, An
organization to make a profit. The typical economist is
likely to give the same answer. This answer is not only
false, it is irrelevant.
To know what a business is we have to start with its
purpose. Its purpose must lie in society since business
enteprise is an organ of society. There is only one valid
definition of business purpose: to create a customer

Howard
Gardner
Professor of
Cognition and
Education
Harvard University

Gardner, H. (1983) Frames of the mind. The theory of

multiple intelligences, New York, Basic Books.

Linguistic intelligence
Logical-mathematical intelligence
Musical intelligence
Spatial intelligence
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
Naturalist intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence
Existential intelligence

Danah Zohar
Physicist,
Philosopher and
Management thought
leader

Spiritual Intelligence
Spiritual intelligence is the intelligence with wich we
access our deepest meanings, values, purposes,
and highest motivations.

Spiritual intelligence is our moral intelligence, giving

us an innate ability to distinguish right from wrong. It
is the intelligence with which we exercise goodness,
truth, beauty, and compassion in our lives.
Spiritual intelligence, spiritual capital and
sustainability are crucially linked.

Spiritual Leadership
Spiritual leadership comprises the values, attitudes, and
behaviors that are necessary to intrinsically motivate
ones self and others so that they have a sense of
spiritual survival through calling and membership.
That means to have a shared vision for all employees in
order to experience a calling for a meaningful work. This
vision, when combined with a sense of mission of who
we are and what we do, establishes the organizational
culture with its system of values.

John P. Kotter, Leading change, Harvard Business School

Press, 1996, pp.67-84
Vision refers to a picture of the future with some
implicit or explicit commentary on why people
should strive to create that future.

A good vision has 3 main purposes:

- To show the direction of action
- To motivate people for change
- To align all forces and resources for change

John P. Kotter, Leading change, Harvard Business School

Press, 1996, pp.67-84
Characteristics of an effective vision:
Imaginable: Conveys a picture of what the future will look
like.
Desirable: Appeals to the long-term interests of employees,
customers, stockholders, and others who have a stake in
the enterprise.
Feasible: Comprise guidance in decision making.
Focused: Is clear enough to provide guidance in decision
making.
Flexible: Is general enough to allow individual initiatives.
Communicable: Is easy to communicate and explained.

Toyota Company
Our vision: Most respected and admired company
Our mission: We deliver outstanding automotive
products and services to our customers, and enrich
our community, partners and environment.
Our four core values:
- Customer first
- Respect for people
- International focus
- Continuous improvement and innovation

GENERAL MOTORS (GM)

Vision:
General Motors vision is to be the world leader in
transportantion products and related services,
earning its customer enthusiasm through
continuous improvement driven by the integrity,
teamwork and innovation of GM people
GM has defined 6 core values:
1.Customer enthusiasm
2.Integrity & accountability
3.Teamwork
4.Innovation
5.Continuous improvement
6.Individual respect and responsability

Timken Company
We are dedicated to improving our customers
performance by applying our knowledge of friction
management and power transmission to deliver
unparalled value and innovation all around the
world.
TIMKEN: Where you turn
Our friction management and power transmission
products are found wherever machines turnfrom
industrial equipment and precision instrumentation
to household appliances and vehicles.

Kings College of London

Kings will built on its numerous accomplishments and
formidable current advantages to become an
outstanding university institution comparable in all
respects with the best in the worlds
For Kings the overarching vision over the next decade is
one of quality and distinction. Already a momentum is
being created in the last 12 months the College has
climbed up the Times Higher Education Supplement
World League Tables from 73rd to 46th. This is an
outstanding achievement.

The Mission
The mission of an organization represents its reason
of being and creating value for consumers and
society.

The mission integrates the fundamental law of the

organization and clarifies its vision.
The vision focuses on the internal image of the
organization, while the mission focuses on the
external image of the organization.

Stanford University
Graduate School of Business
Our mission is to create ideas that deepen and advance
our understanding of management and with those ideas
to develop, innovate, principled, and insightful leaders
who change the world.
Our values provide the context within which the school
strives for excellence:
- Engage intellectually
- Strive for something great
- Respect others
- Act with integrity
- Own your actions

Examples of missions
Mission for Maytag Company:
Improvement of quality of life of citizens households
by designing, executing and sale of the best home
appliances in the world.

Mission for the Electricity Company of Seattle City in

Washington state:
To be the private municipal company most focused
on customers, the most competitive, efficient,
innovative and environmentally responsible, in the
U.S.A.

Coca-Cola Company (I)

Everything we do is inspired by our enduring mission:
To refresh the worldin body, mind, and spirit.
To inspire moments of optimismthrough our brands
and our actions.
To create value and make a differenceeverywhere
we engage.

Coca-Cola Company (II)

Values:

Leadership: The courage to shape a better future.

Passion: Committed in heart and mind.
Integrity: Be real.
Accountability: If it is to be, its up to me.
Collaboration: Leverage collective genius.
Innovation: Seek, imagine, create, delight.
Quality: What we do, we do well.

Negative
Values

Nonperformance

Antimanagement

Positive
Values

Performance

Management

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

At the core of CSR is the idea that it reflects the social
imperatives and the social consequences of business
success.
CSR empirically consists of clearly articulated and
communicated policies and practices of corporations
that reflect business responsibility for some of wider
societal goods.
CSR means a clear cut difference between a strategy of
profit maximization and doing business for people.

Mathieu Ricard
A French Buddhist Monk

Happiness

Cultivating love and compassion is a

win-win situation. Personal experience
shows that they are most positive of all
mental states and create a deep sense
of fulfilment and wholesomeness.

Thank you for your

attention!