The rise of the non-religous

ABSTRACT

The rising number of non-religious people in Western countries can have major implications for organizations and their management practices. However, to date, this phenomenon has not attracted a great deal of interest among management scholars. In this paper, we outline how the rise of the non-religious could affect organizations in Western countries. We discuss three major issues. First, we elaborate on the phenomenon of rising non-religiosity. Next, we analyze how this rise of the non-religious population could affect businesses and organizations. We conclude by pointing out some ways in which managers can deal with this increasingly important phenomenon.

KEYWORDS:

• Rising non-religiosity
• affect on business
• managerial implications

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. In this paper, we use the term non-religious to include groups such as atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, religious skeptics, and those identifying as “spiritual but not religious.” Followers of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Confucianism who identify as such are not considered non-religious.

2. While earlier generations were also more likely to be religiously unaffiliated in their twenties, young adults today are nearly four times as likely as young adults a generation ago to identify as religiously unaffiliated – for example, in 1986, only 10% of young adults claimed no religious affiliation.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research [NA];

Notes on contributors

Masud Chand

Masud Chand is an Associate Professor of International Business and Chair of the Department of Management at the Barton School of Business in Wichita State University. He earned his PhD in International Business from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC. His research interests include  the role of diasporas in driving trade and investment, entrepreneurship across cultures, and the the aging of populations and their effects on the global business environment.

John Perry

John Perry is Associate Dean and Professor of Strategic Management in the Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. He earned his PhD in Strategic Management from the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University in 2006. John’s research interests include family business dynamics, business ethics, and nascent entrepreneurship activities