In the present business scenario, organisations grapple with continuous disruption driven by competition, technological advancements, geopolitical volatility and an increasingly informed consumer base. This evolving environment has shifted from the VUCA model (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) to the BANI framework (brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible). To navigate these challenges, resilience and agility have become crucial for organisations, necessitating the development of a supportive culture and competent workforce. Amidst newspaper reports of toxic leadership and toxic culture prevailing in Indian banking sector, employee wellbeing has become a significant aspect for better performance in recent times. As India aims to become $5 trillion economy by FY 2025–26, the Indian banking sector is expected to align itself with this objective and perform efficiently. In this backdrop, it can be argued that spiritual leadership may act as toxin handler and influence job engagement through spiritual wellbeing. This research study aims to explore the relationship between spiritual leadership, spiritual wellbeing and job engagement in the Indian banking sector. The proposed conceptual framework, derived from Fry’s (2005) Causal Model of Spiritual Leadership, indicates ‘vision’, ‘hope/faith’ and ‘altruistic love’ as components of spiritual leadership and ‘meaning/calling’ and ‘membership’ as components of spiritual wellbeing. The conceptual model is then tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling and the result confirms that spiritual wellbeing is a significant predictor of ‘job engagement’ in the Indian banking sector. Further, this study establishes the critical role of spiritual leadership in enhancing overall employee wellbeing. Leadership is a crucial factor in creating the right work environment and practicing spiritual leadership would help nurture an engaged workforce.

Spiritual leadership, spiritual wellbeing, job engagement, employee wellbeing, workplace spirituality

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About the Author

Ishani Chakraborty is a research scholar at the Faculty of Management Studies and Research, Aligarh Muslim University. She is also working with S. P. Mandali’s Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research. She has published several case studies in reputed journals in national and international categories. Leadership, ethics and sustainability are her areas of interest. Besides her academic career, she considers herself a ‘storyteller’. She believes in holistic education and is happily an eternal learner. E-mail: cishani2020@gmail.com

Saboohi Nasim, Faculty of Management Studies and Research, Aligarh Muslim University, is a well-recognised professor and mentor in the business management stream. Her doctoral research has been in the area of strategic management and e-governance from the Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi. She has been awarded the National Doctoral Fellowship and also has to her credit the Cummin’s Best Case Award. Her research interest has been in the areas of strategic management, change management, organisation management and e-Governance. E-mail: saboohinasim@gmail.com