First of all, perhaps this article arouses both curiosity and rejection of assimilating companies with certain aspects of traditional religions. With the clarification made, and without any offense intended, here are these ideas about what I consider “corporate mysticism”, which, like it or not, is present in the organizational world.
I think there’s a silent mantra running through boardrooms, team meetings, and corporate communication platforms: a kind of collective prayer disguised as strategy. We don’t call it a religion, but it behaves like one. Companies don’t build temples, but their offices are spaces of worship. They offer no salvation, but they promise something just as powerful: purpose. In a world where the tangible loses ground to the symbolic, work has absorbed an almost sacred role, and leaders, often without knowing it, have become the supreme guides of a new spiritual order.
The term religion, which comes from “re-link”, to unite again, is a good synthesis of what the business world means to many people today: connections, working together and, sometimes, sharing certain values and principles that the entity promotes. that brings them together.
Are corporations kind of temples of purpose?
I believe that today, as never before, the topic of mission, vision, values and purpose has become everyday in the lexicon of companies of any type and size. There is no culture that excludes it – although another thing very different is that they really live it.
In ancient times, temples were the centers of community life, spaces where people found guidance, solace, and meaning. Today, that role is largely fulfilled by companies. From the impeccable architectures of Silicon Valley to the promises to “transform the world” etched into corporate manifestos, companies have learned to exploit our thirst for collective purpose. It’s no surprise that bright, open offices are reminiscent of cathedrals: high ceilings, spaces designed for contemplation—even if it’s of an upcoming pitch—and a palpable sense of something “bigger” than us.
However, like ancient temples, these undertakings require a key component: devotion. When someone says “you have to wear the shirt,” or celebrate and congratulate those who have it tattooed, they are being devotional. “Devote” comes from “devotio”, vow, consecration, dedication. Is there anything more similar in what companies expect from their collaborators? Also, the dedication and availability of a high commitment is reminiscent of the concept “devotio vitae”: ‘sacrifice of life’.
Companies have strict rituals, although they may not seem like it: daily meetings, mandatory meditations-reflections, awards ceremonies that praise the most “holy” among us. Even rest days are structured so that we return renewed to the altar of productivity.
Invisible dogmas: The scriptures of corporate culture
Dogma in companies does not need a sacred text. It’s sculpted into your core values, those displayed on every wall, in every email, in every LinkedIn post. And the most fascinating thing about these dogmas is that, in the vast majority, they stand out for a certain rigidity. While companies preach innovation, adaptability and flexibility, their cultures operate under fairly unbreakable laws. How is that? Quite simple: for example, where expressing “this value does not apply to me” is as unthinkable as questioning a commandment of any traditional religion.
Even more disturbing is how these scriptures are internalized. Employees don’t just work for companies, they believe in them. They speak of their mission as if it were part of their personal creed, they defend their policies as if they were etched in stone, and they constantly seek approval from leadership, which serves as a kind of divine evaluation. On the other hand, in current language, we no longer talk so much about employees, but about collaborators, quite similar to being acolytes, companions of the daily liturgy.
The leader as prophet: From CEO to messiah?
Steve Jobs didn’t sell technology; he sold faith. Elon Musk doesn’t build electric cars; evangelizes about a better future. These leaders are not seen as traditional executives, but as visionaries, almost prophets. His word is not only strategic, it is revealing. Every tweet, every conference, every statement is analyzed as if it offers a vision of the future.
This phenomenon is not coincidental. The modern corporate narrative revolves around the personalization of leadership. If before religions spoke through figures like Moses or Buddha, today corporate leaders have taken that place, offering clear paths to a kind of “promised land” of success, innovation and transcendence.
Five keys to more authentic and less dogmatic companies
Is there a way to elevate authenticity in the corporate world? How has business culture taken elements of rituals and traditions to “re-link” its members?
To think about these aspects, I share five ideas that can be triggers for those who want to adapt and adopt them:
1. Question sacred values
Companies need to allow their core values to be questioned and reviewed periodically. Because a value that does not adapt to time and context runs the risk of becoming dogma. It is healthy to encourage internal debates about the relevance and application of these principles; It would be a powerful way to maintain authenticity.
2. Rituals with real purpose
Not all corporate rituals should remain unchanged. Weekly meetings or “team buildings” need to be evaluated based on their real impact, not just because of tradition, format, or “just because it has to be done.” Designing practices that reinforce human connections, rather than mere productivity, can be a way to humanize company culture.
3. Human leadership, not messianic
Leaders should not position themselves as prophets who are seen as infallible, but as facilitators of collective growth. Promoting close leadership, including vulnerability, is a key to stimulating active listening and co-creation. Modeling leadership in this way helps demystify the CEO or senior executive as a messianic figure who has all the answers, and reduces reliance on a single person as a symbol.
4. Spaces for dissent
Any company that claims to be authentic must welcome critical and divergent perspectives, something that is not always welcome either in traditional religions or in the corporate world. Creating forums where people can express disagreements without fear of retaliation strengthens diversity of thought and prevents company culture from closing in on itself.
5. Redefine the concept of success
If reaching heaven is a metaphor for transcendence and the forgiveness that someone gives to others as an opinion, in companies abandoning the obsession with results as the only indicator of success will allow them to cultivate a more humane environment. Incorporating metrics that evaluate well-being, equity, and social impact creates a purpose that transcends financial performance and avoids the dogmatism of hyperproductivity at all costs.
The problem with any religion is the same one facing modern business: what happens when purpose becomes dogma? When ritual, instead of being a tool of connection, becomes a monotonous obligation. When values, instead of guiding, suffocate. Faith, in any form, can be a powerful transformative force, but also a weapon of control.
Perhaps the most pressing question is not whether businesses are becoming religions, but whether we want them to. Because when the workplace becomes a temple, and corporate culture becomes a creed, we are giving up something fundamental: our ability to decide what we believe, our freedom, and most importantly, why we give it up.
Contact:
Daniel Colombo is a facilitator and Master Executive Coach specialized in senior management, professionals and teams; mentor and professional communicator; international speaker; author of 33 books. LinkedIn Top Voice Latin America. ICF certified professional coach at the highest level, Certified Coach, Member and Mentor in Maxwell Leadership, the John Maxwell team.
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