Why Spiritual Capital Matters: Activating Latent Resources in Your Organizational Community

When personal life splinters from professional life, as it does for so many people today, we often hold forth a vision of human life, in which everything fits together: work, family, community, and the common good. Organizational leaders love this dream, because, frankly, when people bring their whole selves to work, they are more productive. What’s good for the company, in this case, looks to be good for the staff member, too.

And that’s no small accomplishment in a time when pandemic and racial inequity have made organizational leadership so economically and socially challenging.

But all too often, this dream of holistic living and work relies too heavily upon the inner resources of individuals. The result is burnout, as leaders grow fatigued and team members feel manipulated.

This book’s research among social entrepreneurs—with close attention to the experience of entrepreneurs of color—suggests that workplace communities have the economic and social resources needed for commonwealth. But the goods remain latent. Instead of obsessing about what individual inwardness can do, we should catalyze those latent resources. This book shows leaders how to start new conversations and tell new stories in order to cultivate spiritual capital and activate those latent goods.