Mindfulness and Theory U for the Professional Sense of Purpose

Abstract

Purpose: To validate if mindfulness practices contribute to increase the perception of clarity of the own professional sense of purpose. Originality/value: The research shows synergy of mindfulness practices with metacognitive reflections based on Otto Scharmer’s Theory U attention modes, increasing the perception of authenticity in the statements defining the own professional sense of purpose. Design/methodology/approach: This is an exploratory, prospective intervention study, with pre and post-intervention data collection. Data collection was carried out with organizational professionals who voluntarily participated in the proposed course in the cities of São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto, in Brazil. Findings: The proposed educational program improved the perception in relation to the “meaning in life at work”, “greater purpose in the work”, “meaning in life” in general, the “satisfactory purpose in life” and the “level of mindfulness”. We also concluded that mindfulness practices are synergistic with metacognitive reflections based on Theory U attention modes, providing a greater perception of clarity, focus and authenticity regarding the sense of purpose statements.

Devising an impactful religious moderation workshop for teachers and principals: The practice of Ice Berg analysis and U theory perspective

“…We found that utilizing U-theory to explore novel strategies for building new mental models resulted in increased perceptions of clarity, focus, and authenticity. These outcomes are highly relevant to the personal statements of teachers and principals who aspire to professional growth (Calia et al, 2018).…”