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  • Balancing Mysterium and Onus: Doing Spiritual Work within an Emotion-Laden Organizational Context

    Author(s)
    Boyle, MV
    Healy, J
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Boyle, Maree V.
    Year published
    2003
    Metadata
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    Abstract
    This study uses the neo-Durkheimian conceptual framework of Mysterium and Onus to illustrate how spiritual work is used to accomplish emotional balance within emotion-laden organizational contexts. The constant emotional oscillations experienced by paramedics within an emergency services organization show how spiritual work is accomplished at the level of paramedic-patient interaction, emotional equilibrium within the self, and degrees of connectedness to the organization itself. We contend that in heavily emotion-laden organizational contexts where life-changing events are occurring, spiritual work is an important part of ...
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    This study uses the neo-Durkheimian conceptual framework of Mysterium and Onus to illustrate how spiritual work is used to accomplish emotional balance within emotion-laden organizational contexts. The constant emotional oscillations experienced by paramedics within an emergency services organization show how spiritual work is accomplished at the level of paramedic-patient interaction, emotional equilibrium within the self, and degrees of connectedness to the organization itself. We contend that in heavily emotion-laden organizational contexts where life-changing events are occurring, spiritual work is an important part of the emotional labor process. In turn, balancing emotions is a major part of `balancing' Mysterium (the sacred) and Onus (the profane). We conclude that emotion-laden organizations need to approach the practice of spirituality as an extremely sophisticated and complex phenomenon. While current trends towards `spiritualizing' the workplace through the legitimizing of corporate spiritualities may result in a more controlled and less enchanted workplace, spirituality may well remain as one of the few ways in which workers can practice resistance in a controlled work environment.
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    Journal Title
    Organization: The interdisciplinary journal of organization, theory and society.
    Volume
    10
    Issue
    2
    Publisher URI
    http://org.sagepub.com/
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508403010002010
    Copyright Statement
    © 2003 Sage Publications. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. First published in Organization: the interdisciplinary journal of organization, theory and society. This journal is available online: http://org.sagepub.com/content/vol10/issue2/
    Subject
    Commerce, management, tourism and services
    Human society
    Philosophy and religious studies
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/6418
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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