Disentangling Dimensions of Workplace Spirituality Among Teachers in Poland: A Latent Profile Analysis

One of the prerequisites for the development of research on workplace spirituality is to delineate the boundary between the spiritual dimension, which is its most distinctive element, and other dimensions that have been traditionally included in the conceptualization and operationalization of this construct. To achieve this goal, the profiles of the dimensions of workplace spirituality were explored in the current study, and their correlates were tested. Before conducting a latent profile analysis (LPA), the psychometric properties of the Spirit at Work Scale (SAWS) were examined. The sample consisted of 816 Polish primary school teachers with a mean age of 46.48 years (SD = 9.55) who completed the online survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis yielded the three-factor structure of the SAWS, which includes "meaningful work," "sense of community at work," and "spiritual connection at work." Using an LPA, four profiles of the dimensions of workplace spirituality were identified: three homogeneous ones (high, average, and low scores on all dimensions) and one that was heterogeneous (low scores on the spiritual dimension and average scores on the other dimensions). Differences in sociodemographics, religiosity, and work-related factors were found between the profiles. The results indicate the utility of using a person-centered approach to explore the dimensions of workplace spirituality and capture the uniqueness of the spiritual dimension.