Biblical Organizational Spirituality, Volume 3

The factor analysis steps resulted in a 12-item scale measuring the New Testament-based Organizational Spirituality (NTOS) that measures employees’ perceptions of their leaders’ behaviors using a semantic differential response format with seven points anchored by: never true and always true. The NTOS scale was the average of the 12 items. The analysis did not show significant differences between, the male and female categories (of the 435 participants, 322 were female and 110 were male. One participant selected “other” and two participants chose not to answer the question about gender), the age categories, or the tenure categories. Because of the one large factor with a high Cronbach alpha score, there is a risk of common method variance. Future studies might want to include variables that measure other observed behaviors as well as self-reported variables.

In this study we sought to understand the role of employees’ perception of their managers’ New Testament-based organizational spirituality behaviors (NTOS) on employees’ self-report of their well-being (EWB) as mediated by employees’ perception of their managers’ essential servant leadership behaviors (ESLB). We concluded that NTOS and ESLB each, alone, had a positive impact on EWB, but NTOS, mediated by ESLB does not have a significant impact on EWB. Thus, researchers may use either NTOS or ESLB to test for a relationship with EWB but may not find a mediating effect of ESLB on the relationship of NTOS relationship with EWB.

The phrases altruistic love and agapao love are often used synonymously. However, there is a difference between the two, albeit slight according to the findings provided in this chapter. This study sought to investigate the similarities and differences using an exhaustive literature review and a quantitative assessment of the NTOS, a new measurement of agape love, and the altruistic love dimension of the Spiritual Leadership Scale.

This chapter delves into the concept of inner life and its significance in cultivating self-love and love for others. The inner life encompasses the subjective and introspective experiences, thoughts, emotions, and consciousness of an individual, serving as the core of their moral compass and the dwelling place of their consciousness. Understanding and nurturing one’s inner life is crucial for personal growth, self-awareness, and emotional well-being. By developing a healthy and compassionate relationship with oneself, individuals can authentically engage with others and cultivate empathy, presence, and compassion in their interactions. Inner exploration equips one with skills to establish healthy boundaries, communicate effectively, and foster mutual respect and understanding within relationships. Insights from scholars and researchers highlight the importance of nurturing one’s inner life. This chapter underscores the significance of developing a rich and meaningful inner life. By embracing self-reflection, exploring one’s values and desires, and nurturing the inner being, individuals can enhance their emotional well-being, deepen their connections with others, and foster relationships characterized by compassion, authenticity, and mutual growth.

This chapter explores the significance of vision in personal development and leadership, emphasizing its role as a guiding force in shaping individual growth and inspiring others. It examines the concept of vision from both a biblical perspective, with a focus on agape love in the New Testament, and an organizational leadership perspective. The chapter highlights the transformative power of vision, its impact on personal and collective success, and the consequences of lacking a clear vision or visionary leader. The analysis includes research findings on the correlation between vision and New Testament Organizational Spirituality (NTOS-L) and the importance of vision in promoting commitment, productivity, and organizational culture. Overall, the chapter provides valuable insights and practical strategies for individuals seeking personal growth and aspiring to become effective leaders.

In this chapter, we reviewed the final 39-item factor for possible underlying values that would lead managers/leaders to behave in ways measured by the final 39-item factor. Table 7.1 shows the 39 items of the final factor sorted by the phase 2 chapter principle and includes the values codes from the content analysis. Factor loadings for the 39 items ranged from 0.76 to 0.97. For the final 12-item optimized scale, factor loadings ranged from—0.86 to 0.92. We presented the possibility that the 39 items align with the concept of Agapao love and fit the definition of (Rokeach in Understanding Human Values. Simon & Schuster, 2008) instrumental values. We values-coded the phase 1 principles and produced 38 values that align with the concept of Agape love and fit the definition of (Rokeach in Understanding Human Values. Simon & Schuster, 2008) terminal values. We developed definitions for the 38 values. Then, we developed scale-development items for the 38 values that ask participants to state to what extent they ‘sense’ each of the 38 values, which will produce a measure of the organization’s climate. Chapter 8 presents the scale-development study. We conducted in-depth interviews with leaders who self-selected terminal values that they believed they had and explained the origin of their values, which included family, academic preparation, church, and the workplace.

In Chapter 8, we reported the NTOS-C scale development and the resultant 10-item optimized scale that measures 16 of the initial 38 items presented in Chapter 7 using data collected from 398 participants who were 21 years of age or older and had worked for at least three years. We tested concurrent and discriminant validity by correlating the 10-item NTOS-C measure with person-organization fit and a work-related anxiety scale. The significant correlation with person-organization fit supported the NTOS-C concurrent validity, and the lack of significant correlation with the work-related anxiety measure supported discriminant validity. We found significant differences in the NTOS-C average between gender, age, and ethnicity.

In a second study, we examined NTOS-C with the (Allen and Meyer, Journal of Occupational Psychology 63:1–18, 1990) affective, continuance, and normative commitment measures using data from 269 participants who were 21 or older and had worked for at least three years. We found a significant positive correlation with all three organizational commitment measures. However, a linear regression analysis did not show a significant predictive relation between continuance commitment and the NTOS-C measure.

We also reported suggested future research.

In this study, through the use of factor analysis and scale development optimization, we developed the New Testament-based Organizational Spirituality—Leader (NTOS-L) and the New Testament-based Organizational Spirituality—Climate (NTOS-C) scales. Both scales showed good content analysis and scale reliability of .96 and .98, respectively. The NTOS-L scale showed concurrent validity with the Essential Servant Leadership Behavior scale, and the NTOS-C scale showed concurrent validity with the Person-Organization fit scale. Test–retest ability analysis was attempted for the NTOS-L scale, but the small sample size made it impossible to test conclusively.

We conducted empirical analyses using the NTOS-L scale and servant leadership, altruistic love, inner life, and vision measures. The NTOS-L scale showed good conceptual validity. We also conducted empirical studies using the new NTOS-C scale and workplace anxiety, affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment. As we found with the NTOS-L scale, the NTOS-C scale showed good conceptual validity.