BY: SCOTT McCONNAHA, M.A.
Mission leaders in Catholic health care organizations readily agree that spirituality
should not simply be one item among many on a list of activities, nor should
it be separated from the work of everyday life. That said, there remains the
challenge of finding meaningful and successful ways of incorporating spirituality
into the life of the organization.
Speaking to participants at the 2004 System Mission Leadership Forum, held
in Tucson, AZ, Fr. Gerard T. Broccolo, STD, said, "The interplay between
our real world and our real context — institutional and organizational, as
well as national and social — makes spirituality a complex topic."
Defining spirituality is difficult, said Fr. Broccolo, who is vice president
for spirituality, Catholic Health Initiatives, Denver. On an individual level,
he suggested, spirituality "is how a person finds meaning and purpose in
his or her life in a way that is reflected in his or her behaviors." Organizational
spirituality, on the other hand, can be defined as "the distinctive identity — based
on our values — that shapes how we deliver care and how we do business."
Fr. Broccolo said that two different objectives are present when mission leaders
consider ways of fostering individual and organizational spirituality. Promoting
individual spirituality entails those activities and initiatives that provide
"benefit to the individual staff member that may or may not be a benefit for
the organization. . . . Nevertheless, in the real world, [individual and organizational
spirituality] are far more intimately connected and cannot be realistically
totally separated," he said.
Whatever the objective, Fr. Broccolo said, spirituality efforts are made successful
when, among other things, leaders have:
- Clarity of goals
- Intentionality when acting
- Respect for local institutions and cultures
- A plan for measuring success
- Time for discernment and reflection
Mission Leaders Respond
In 2003, in an effort to identify some ways mission leaders have found success
in fostering spirituality in their organizations, CHA conducted a spirituality
integration survey. Mission leaders from throughout the ministry were invited
to respond to four basic questions.
The survey has revealed some important information about how spirituality is
fostered in Catholic health care organizations. First of all, everyone seems
to be doing something different. Though this may be a bit of an exaggeration,
there does appear to be a wide variety of spirituality integration practices
among survey respondents. There also appear to be differences in how mission
leaders understand institutional spirituality. The four questions were:
- How have you integrated institutional spirituality into everyday operations
while honoring the diversity of personal expressions of spirituality among
employees and patients? Many mission leaders said they hold specific gatherings,
such as weekly Bible reflection sessions during Lent, annual "Blessing of
the Hands" services, and inter-faith services throughout the year, all
of which help to bring a sense of spirituality into the workplace. Some mission
leaders reported that activities or discussions of a spiritual nature are
often incorporated into the agendas of other gatherings.
Along with holding meetings and marking special occasions, many mission
leaders said they attempt to incorporate spirituality into the workplace
by distributing various materials, such as copies of prayer resources, articles
that promote spirituality, and the organization's core values and religious
identity.
Many added that they employ aesthetic values and a sense of sacred space
in fostering spirituality in their organization. Most agreed that the presence
of an active pastoral care team played an important role.
- What have you done that has worked with specific groups — specific
ethnic or religious groups, for example, or specific groups of employees such
as physicians, nurses, technology personnel, and admissions staff? This
question, which asked for examples of successful practices for incorporating
spirituality with specific groups, elicited a variety of responses, including
some of the same responses given to No. 1. Mission leaders mentioned, for
example, holding gatherings of a specifically spiritual nature, incorporating
spiritual activities into other meetings and celebrations, and distributing
printed materials.
Other mission leaders suggested:
- Organizing a cultural and religious diversity initiative that educates
employees about the different faith traditions and emphasizes practices
that are helpful to caregivers
- Holding a two-hour session that addresses practical aspects of Catholic
identity, sponsorship, mission, values, vision, and heritage
- Creating a faculty two-year certification program that prepares participants
with foundation techniques
- Establishing "spirituality classes for caregivers" that include lessons
on spiritual practices for caregivers and the use of a spiritual assessment
tool, reinforced perhaps with input from faith leaders of different traditions,
thereby encouraging a greater awareness of religious and cultural diversity
in caregiving
- How have you determined success in these efforts? Success, or the
lack of it, is decidedly difficult to measure. Most mission leaders said that
surveys and evaluations play a part in determining how effective spirituality
integration efforts have been. As for how large a part they play, one respondent
may have spoken for many others in saying simply, "Not sure."
As for the surveys and evaluations used, the following list is indicative
of their variety:
- A Press Ganey survey monitors progress in key patient units with questions
about sensitivity to emotional spiritual needs*
- A biennial questionnaire tailored for physicians asks about spirituality
- An employee survey asks respondents to rate the level to which "our
organization and staff are sensitive to the spiritual needs of those we
serve"
- Evaluations of ministry formation classes, retreats, and spirituality
classes
*Press Ganey Associates, South Bend, IN, specializes
in developing surveys for health care organizations.
A few respondents indicated that they measure success by recognizing the
increased number of people signing up for programs. Others judge their efforts
as successful when they see staff members "finally getting it." Several
mission leaders, aware of how difficult it is to measure the success of
integrating spirituality, indicated that they rely on random, anecdotal
feedback.
- What successful outcomes have you observed? The fourth question,
closely related to No. 3, was intended to give respondents an opportunity
to mention some of the ways they have witnessed success in integrating institutional
spirituality. A few mission leaders said they have observed successful outcomes
through positive responses on surveys and evaluations, as well as through
increases in the number of people signing up for programs.
Respondents from other organizations mentioned particular outcomes. These
included:
- Work climate survey results that showed positive/favorable attitudes
among employees
- Employees who, after participating in a ministry formation program,
felt "called" to have further training in their own spiritual life in
order to be able to teach in the program.
- Associate opinion survey results that had improved steadily
- Reduced turnover rates
- Improved Gallup results on meaning/mission questions asked concerning
various workplace events
- Clear articulation by staff members of examples of the way core organizational
values are exhibited in work behaviors
- A higher rating, by physicians, of the spiritual programming question
than that of any other question on the survey
Click here for a look at the results
of the spirituality integration survey, as well as a comprehensive annotated
bibliography of sources for spirituality in the workplace.
Copyright © 2004 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3477.