Sohail Akhtar

Holistic Human Resource Development: Balancing the Equation through the Inclusion of Spiritual Quotient

This conceptual article aims to shed light on the significance of human spiritual dimension in the process of human resource development (HRD). It suggests spiritual intelligence as the missing link in the process of human development that should be identified and considered as an important factor for developed and morally qualified human resources. Moreover, this article also uncovered the growing interest of spiritual intelligence and its implications for HRD. The interest in spiritual intelligence in the body of knowledge has been established in depth which assures that SI embedded in the fabric of the fields of organizational behaviour and psychology. The article emphasizes the vital influence of SI on bottom line of the organization, whereby, human resources can meaningfully contribute towards organization with improved performance. The conventional strategy of organizations in flourishing their employees is more on enhancement of individual’s knowledge, skills, abilities (Intelligence Quotient) and emotions control (Emotional Quotient). However, despite this immense interest in human capital, organizations tend to fail to have holistic approach of human resource development which eventually affects their performance. Further, the article indicates that without considering spiritual development of employees, the logic (IQ) and emotions (EQ) could not be the only ample source for human beings to perform utmost standard performances. Therefore, based on this, we conclude that the emerging notion of human spiritual quotient and its multi-dimensions must be included in HRD initiatives in order to have holistic mechanism.

Employee’s green behavior for environmental sustainability: a case of banking sector in Pakistan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find out the relationship between Employee’s Green Behaviors (EGBs) and Environmental Sustainability (ES). Presently, many environmental sustainability issues have impact on organizations e.g., energy cost and climate change. In business world, there is a positive trend among organizations to start reporting over performance of environmental sustainability keeping their role as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) alive. Design/methodology/approach Self-administered questionnaires were floated to gather data from employees of manufacturing and service industry. In order to analyze the collected data, Regression Analysis and Correlation Coefficient were employed to check hypotheses. Statistical package of Social sciences (SPSS) has been used for data analysis. Findings Results reveal that there is direct positive relationship between employees’ green behavior and environment sustainability. Five dimensions working sustainability; conserving, avoiding harm, influenci...

Spiritual quotient towards organizational sustainability: the Islamic perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of spiritual quotient (SQ) on the organisational sustainability from the Islamic perspective. Till date, many organisations around the world are facing environmental, social and economic issues affecting their organisational sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The present paper is conceptual paper based on literature review on employee’s behavioural issues and role of SQ for organisational sustainability. Findings This present paper argues that SQ must be considered as the important factor for employee development in the organisation. It develops spiritual awareness among employees which enhances their productivity within the organisation. Furthermore, SQ is necessary means of identifying and harnessing deeper inner resources with the capacity to care for the well-being of the organisation and advance its development. Research limitations/implications The paper suggests SQ and its multi-dimensions with the implication for future research in organisational sustainability. Originality/value The paper discusses the development of the concept of SQ from the Islamic perspective.

Neglecting human resource development in OBOR, a case of the China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC)

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to obtain greater insights into the implications for human resource development (HRD) in times of economic development, with a focus on China–Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). In recent times of economic development, a number of economic corridors have emerged globally as tools of regional cooperation and development. In the context of Pakistan, there is a lack of appropriate attention to the field of HRD, which has suffered neglect through the decades ( Design/methodology/approach - The research approach of this study is purely based on literature review and on secondary data. Findings - Based on the facts and literature reviews, this study concluded that One belt, One Road in general and CPEC in particular as an economic corridor can bring sustainable and long-lasting impact on the economy only if HRD is given proper attention. Originality/value - To the best knowledge of the researchers, this is the first study that highlighted the HRD issue in CPEC.

Spiritual intelligence research within human resource development: a thematic review

This study aims to synthesize the rich knowledge on spiritual intelligence (SI) research within the framework of human resource development (HRD) research.,Based on the search of multiple electronic databases authors conducted thematic review of the literature on SI and HRD. Themes associated with SI and HRD are extracted while employing the content analysis technique.,Five major themes emerged through the process of content analysis on the body of the reviewed literature. The themes which described the presence of SI-related research within the field of HRD, included: Conceptual connections between SI and HRD; SI Holistic Mechanism; SI and Leadership development, SI measurement tools and, finally, the impact of SI on sustainability.,The inclusion and exclusion criteria are that the search for this review has been limited to peer-reviewed journals that are published SI-related articles. This paper excluded all articles on SI that `do not explicitly discuss the valuable role of human resources. The key words used are spiritual intelligence (SI) and HRD.,This paper offered new-fangled value and insightful understanding on SI and its implications for other areas, more specifically HRD. It suggests that SI is an important component for organizational development. Such interventions nurture the human resources that can lead to better performance as a whole.

Gaining recognition of Islamic spiritual intelligence for organisational sustainability

Purpose This paper aims to explore the unavoidable role of Islamic spiritual intelligence in organisational sustainability. In the past two decades, increased unethical practices in organisations have resulted in the deterioration of their sustainability. Employees are continuously involved in unethical practices because of a lack of spirituality which is a serious concern for organisational sustainability. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper reviews relevant literature on Islamic spiritual intelligence and organisational sustainability to bridge a gap in the extant literature. Findings The review of the literature concluded that Islamic spiritual intelligence training must be included as a significant factor for employee development in the organisation. Islamic spiritual intelligence is coherent with the individual’s internal strength of having a pure heart and soul. A person with a pure heart and soul has a strong aspiration to act in an ethical way. Research limitations/implications The review of literature is not detailed because of the dearth of information on Islamic spiritual intelligence training for organisational sustainability. Practical implications This paper will increase the understanding and link between Islamic spiritual intelligence and organisational sustainability. It suggests Islamic spiritual intelligence and its dimensions with the implication for future research in organisational sustainability. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature related to the application of Islamic spiritual intelligence training programmes for employees, which will have a significant impact on organisational sustainability.