Does workplace anomia undermine spiritual leadership and compassion in Indian organisations?

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to integrate sociological and psychological perspectives to examine how anomie - a societal condition characterised by the erosion of moral and social norms - interacts with workplace spirituality in India. It explores how cultural and societal conditions that foster anomie can weaken workplace spirituality and compassion, ultimately shaping ethical helping behaviours in Indian organisations.Design/methodology/approachA dyadic survey-based study was conducted using matched responses from 192 leader-follower dyads (384 individuals) across 14 Indian manufacturing and service organisations. Leaders completed a self-report measure of spiritual leadership (SL) based on Fry's 17-item scale. Followers completed a separate questionnaire measuring workplace compassion, workplace anomia (i.e. normlessness and moral disorientation) and their own organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). Structural equation modelling tested a moderated mediation model in which workplace compassion mediates the SL-OCB relationship, moderated by levels of workplace anomia.Findings SL significantly enhances OCBs through workplace compassion. However, this mediating effect is contingent on employees' levels of workplace anomia: low anomia amplifies the compassion-based mechanism, whereas high anomia weakens it. Workplace anomia, thus, acts as a limiting condition on the ethical influence of SL. These results suggest that sociocultural disintegration may undermine spiritual climates and reduce the effectiveness of values-based leadership.Originality/valueWhile prior research links workplace anomia to deviant behaviours, its moderating role within spiritual, prosocial and ethical leadership models remains underexplored. By adopting an ethical climate perspective, this study demonstrates how workplace anomia may operate as a barrier to compassion and collective moral engagement. It offers a novel perspective on how sociocultural moral disruption shapes ethical decision-making and prosocial participation in organisations.