Beliefs, Values and Worldviews at Work

Professor Chris Baker has just been awarded a British Academy Grant to develop a ground-breaking quantitative analytical tool to measure the impact and role of the Beliefs, Values and Worldviews (BVW) in shaping the material structures and practices in the modern Work and Business Environment. 

He will work with colleagues at the Centro de Estudos e Sondagens de Opiniao (Centre for Studies and Opinion Polls) and the Institute for Political Studies (CIEP)  at the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa (Catholic University of Portugal). The research will run from October 2018 to May 2019.  

This tool will allow companies, managers, CEOs, HR personnel, along with academics from relevant disciplines as well as policy, public and third sector actors to become more confident and adept at working issues of religion, belief and unbelief across increasingly diverse, and often more fragmented settings.  

As well as significant contributions to equalities, human rights, inclusion and diversity policies and practices, the BVW@W tool will also generate important data regarding more ethical, sustainable and efficient business practices, innovation and (common)wealth creation due to its addressing issues of authenticity, vocation and motivation (i.e. bringing your 'real' self) to the modern workplace and business environment. 

The research marks an important contribution to the FCSU's wider research and policy agenda regarding the resourcing of a mature and empirically-led discussion on the impact of lived religion and lived belief on the public square, an impact that has both progressive and regressive social and political outcomes.