Ignatian spirituality as transformational social science

Abstract

The value of spirituality in organizational life and in social research is becoming increasingly recognized by members of organisations and by social science researchers. In this article, the motifs of Ignatian spirituality, the heritage of Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556) – a transformational spirituality in the Roman Catholic tradition in which action is a central motif – are introduced and explored in terms of some of the main tenets of action research. This article shows how Ignatian spirituality contributes a faith-based transformational methodology to the field of action research.