Meditation and Mindfulness in the Context of Management Activities

Abstract

The problems associated with modern management activities (stress, self-awareness, etc.), in particular their impact on the efficiency of employees, are considered. We suggested the use of meditation and mindfulness practices as an effective means of overcoming these factors. A historical retrospective of the origin and spread of meditation in the countries of the Ancient East (India, China, Korea, Japan, etc.) is given. The main spread of meditation was due to the teachings of Buddhism, the essence of which is to understand the nature of man, to understand the need to get rid of everything that hinders its spiritual improvement. From the practice of Buddhist meditation in the late 80's of XX century formed a mindfulness-approach, the author of which is a professor at the University of Massachusetts John Kabat-Zinn, who sought opportunities to integrate this practice, excluding the religious aspect, in the practice of healing. This is how the secular practice of mindfulness emerges. Studies show that regular mindfulness practices help develop emotional intelligence and empathy in particular, and the positive impact of the mindfulness approach on the ability to concentrate improves memory and helps to cope more effectively with tasks. It is important to note that the practice of meditation promotes the formation of tolerance and peaceful coexistence of people with different views. We described examples of companies that have already introduced meditation practice among managers and employees (Google, McKinsey & Co, Intel) and the benefits derived from it. There is also a critique of the use of this approach, due to the fact that mindfulness "heals" the consequences rather than the causes, as well as the emergence of the concept of McMindfulness, which means the use of meditation, intentionally or unintentionally, for selfish purposes. We noted that speaking about the introduction of meditation and mindfulness in the activities of the organization, the important role of corporate culture that has developed in the company. The conclusions suggest that meditation can benefit both managers and their subordinates, but in itself, it only forms an intention that a person must further realize through real action.