Running too far ahead? Towards a broader understanding of mindfulness in organisations

Abstract

Current workplace mindfulness research and interventions assume that teaching mindfulness will have beneficial effects for people and organizations. While research shows that mindfulness trainings may increase resilience of working adults, assuming that mindfulness will have independent effects on outcomes at different levels of an organization is not well grounded. We assert that mindfulness training would, however, be beneficial for organizations when tailored to that context and shaped by an understanding of organizational theory and practice. We also envisage mindfulness as a beneficial property of teams, organizations and the individuals who constitute them. To close the evidence gap we propose building multi-level models of mindfulness in organizations, broadening training programs, and developing a novel competency framework for teachers in this context.

Mindful Leader Development: How Leaders Experience the Effects of Mindfulness Training on Leader Capabilities

“…Greater self-care may alternatively be regarded in light of a more effective use of personal resources which may eventually prevent presenteeism , which is more prevalent in higher-paid staff such as leaders (Goetzel et al, 2004). We found support for both hypotheses in our data and it seems likely that additional variables, e.g., external moderators, are better suited to explain the relationship between self-care and engagement (Rupprecht et al, 2018).…”

Ein achtsamer Blick auf den Achtsamkeits-Hype

“…Laut Hafenbrack und Vohs (2018) ist es ratsam, zu überlegen, zu welchem Zeitpunkt im Tageslauf die Achtsamkeitsübungen angeboten werden. In jedem Fall bekräftigt ihre Arbeit, dass Achtsamkeit und ihre Auswirkungen differenzierter betrachtet werden müssen (siehe auch Rupprecht et al 2019).…”

Fruits of the Buddhism-science dialogue in contemplative research

“…In 1985, the first scientific study was published about the clinical benefit of MBSR, and the groundwork was laid for the eventual adoption of contemplative practices such as meditation into health and wellness efforts in the West. MBSR is now implemented around the world in a wide range of settings, from medical to business to personal (e.g., see [9,10] in this issue).…”