Significance of developing spirituality among management students: discerning the impact on psychological resources and wellbeing

Abstract

PurposeThe unending ambivalence in the academic environment and the job market is detrimental to management graduates' wellbeing. The study looks into the possible intervening methods to enhance the wellbeing of students during difficult times. The study proposes spirituality development as means through which psychological resources like perceived employability and psychological capital are developed in an individual. This study also tries to identify how spirituality development leads to life wellbeing among management students.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional study was conducted among 212 management students from Kerala, India. Multi-stage random sampling was used to collect data. Structural equation modelling using IBM-AMOS was done to gain insights into the proposed relationships.FindingsThe results indicated that spirituality had a significant impact on the wellbeing of management students. Both perceived employability and psychological capital mediated the relationship between spirituality and life wellbeing.Research limitations/implicationsThe positive impact of developing spirituality among students is discussed in the paper with the theoretical underpinning of broaden and build theory. The findings suggest that colleges should try to make their campus climate more supportive of students' non-academic needs and open them to a spiritual environment especially during these challenging times.Originality/valueThe study is one of the first attempts to discern how spirituality development leads to an accumulation of psychological resources and life wellbeing among management graduates'.