Basaveshwara, Calvin & Weber

Max Weber's influential book "The Protestant Ethic & the spirit of Capitalism" (which inspired Sri Narayana Murthy also) postulates how protestantism (especially Calvinism) was instrumental in the rise of Capitalism, by emphasising the importance of productive work.

The importance of productive work as opposed to un-productive work was also dealt with in the Scottish economist Adam Smith's seminal work "The Wealth of Nations."

The American savant & polymath Benjamin Franklin also propagated the same idea in his influential "Poor Richard's Almanack" & by living a productive life himself.

Predating all these western ideas, the twelfth century Indian reformer Basaveshwara mooted the idea of "Work is Worship". The playwright Girish Karnad opines that this gave rise to an increase in material prosperity also.