Traditional capitalism subscribes to the "separation thesis" between business' core economic functions and wider concerns of social justice, environmental sustainability, and spiritual transformation. Alternatively, Socially Responsible Business transcends this dichotomy by incorporating uneconomic values into "one bottom-line" where "profits"--simultaneously embody and promote "principles." ;"Values integration" is a theoretical framework elucidating the dynamics and transformative possibilitie…
Read moreTraditional capitalism subscribes to the "separation thesis" between business' core economic functions and wider concerns of social justice, environmental sustainability, and spiritual transformation. Alternatively, Socially Responsible Business transcends this dichotomy by incorporating uneconomic values into "one bottom-line" where "profits"--simultaneously embody and promote "principles." ;"Values integration" is a theoretical framework elucidating the dynamics and transformative possibilities of SRB's synthesis of "profits" and "principles," or "economic logic" and "spiritual logic," respectively. Values integration utilizes the nondualistic yin-yang theory of opposites and creative tension espoused in Chinese philosophical Taoism. The mechanistic, performative, masculine, and desacrilized values of "economic logic" , and the organic, celebratory, feminine, and sacred values of "spiritual logic" , combine to form an ideal relational field of unity and harmony, or Tao. Presently, the ideal balance and integration, or Tao, of global social and environmental interconnections is "Koyaanisqatsi"--Hopi expression for "life out of balance, life out of control." SRB is a systemic endeavor to restore a sustainable and sublime balance to planetary economic, social, and environmental systems. ;This study explores the inner workings of values integration at a socially responsible global retailer of skin and hair care preparations and cosmetics, Kosmotics, Inc. Grounded "participator" research and consulting were conducted by the researcher over a 2 year period. Two principal sets of findings result. ;First, experiential immersion in researching SRB provokes the metamorphosis of research methodology from detached observation--"making a judgement" to impassioned participation--"making a difference" in the world. A "responsible research" methodology offers a significant epistemological advancement and subsequent renaissance of research as a vital, generative act of global healing and transformation. ;Second, implications inspire an exploration of spirituality in organization studies even beyond SRB's values integration. "Twelve provocative propositions for spiritual relationality in organization studies" illuminate nondual organizational states of consciousness and life-world realities: sustainable stewardship; unity-in-diversity; enlightened contribution; love; catalytic androgyny; universal responsibility; collaborative interconnection; sacred craftspeople; right livelihood; living organizing; global healing and transformation; learning consciousness