Spirituality and leadership in hospitality industry: A qualitative study from an emerging economy

Abstract

Researchers from the leadership and spirituality domain identified that spiritual leadership is one of the key leadership styles to transform the working environment of any organization. But the literature is scant that answers the key question: how a spiritual leader plays a role in transforming the organization to accept organizational change in post-coronavirus disease 2019 situation. Using the grounded theory approach, 16 face-to-face interviews were conducted at the top management level in the hospitality industry of Pakistan. The data were assessed using NVIVO software to develop themes and subthemes. The results indicate that leaders’ own spiritual level and knowledge are critical to developing a positive relationship between a leader and follower and helpful in disseminating spiritual knowledge over time to accept the ongoing change in the organizations. Also, the respondents strongly emphasized uplifting the stakeholders, society, and followers as a whole. This study provides key insights for the theory and managers alike.