Spiritual Intelligence as a Buffer Against Burnout an Empirical Study Among Indian IT Professionals

Abstract

The culture of high performance and quick growth in the Indian IT industry has heightened the pressure on the job that have resulted into high rates of burnout and unstable job satisfaction among the India workers. As part of the solution to these problems, the current research paper examines how Spiritual Intelligence (SI) is related to burnout and job satisfaction in 210 IT-based professionals operating in multinationals. Quantitative and cross-sectional type of research design was used with purposive sampling. Validated scales were used to collect the data, such as the Spiritual Intelligence Self-Report Inventory (SISRI-24), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS). The direct links between SI, burnout and job satisfaction were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Cronbach alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) were used to confirm reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Other precautions like the Single-Factor Test and the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) of Harman guaranteed that there were no common method bias and multicollinearity. The findings showed that there was a strong positive correlation between SI and job satisfaction meaning that the higher meaning-making, existential reflection, and inner awareness, the more the person will be satisfied at work. There was also a small yet sizable negative correlation between SI and burnout, proving the protective effects of SI as a buffer against emotional exhaustion. The four SI dimensions had very high factor loadings, which confirmed again the multidimensional nature of SI in the context of IT professionals. In general, the research offers empirical data that SI is an important concept to improve well-being, burnout, and job satisfaction. The results emphasize the need to consider the implementation of SI-based interventions and reflection practices in the organizational well-being strategy to develop a healthier and more resilient IT workforce.