Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T03:07:23.775Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Be Mindful of Motives for Mindfulness Training

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 December 2015

Cody Connolly
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, DePaul University
Alice F. Stuhlmacher*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, DePaul University
Douglas F. Cellar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, DePaul University
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alice F. Stuhlmacher, Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2219 North Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614. E-mail: [email protected]

Extract

The focal article (Hyland, Lee, & Mills, 2015) has reviewed the literature and has generally concluded that research on mindfulness training has been supportive and suggestive of the potential of these interventions to benefit organizations and people in the workplace. We generally agree with this conclusion but have some suggestions regarding future research and the implementation of mindfulness interventions. Our first suggestion is that organizations exercise caution about simply jumping on the mindfulness bandwagon without thinking through the decision to implement mindfulness interventions. The wide variety of mindfulness techniques can be very different in terms of the techniques used, the potential to be perceived as intrusive, and the outcomes associated with the different mindfulness interventions. We suggest that, when mindfulness interventions are implemented in organizations, the fit of the intervention with the specific goals of the organization be considered as well as alternative interventions. In addition, we suggest that the benefits to employees and employers be clearly articulated, as there may be possible conflicts between these constituencies.

Type
Commentaries
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211237.Google Scholar
Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management, 37, 9971018.Google Scholar
Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 30, 115157.Google Scholar
Goldstein, I. L., & Ford, J. K. (2002). Training in organizations. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Hyland, P. K., Lee, R. A., & Mills, M. J. (2015) Mindfulness at work: A new approach to improving individual and organizational performance. Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, 8 (4), 576602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langer, E. J., & Weinman, C. (1981). When thinking disrupts intellectual performance: Mindfulness on an overlearned task. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7, 240243.Google Scholar
Reid, D. (2011). Mindfulness and flow in occupational engagement: Presence in doing. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78, 5056.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shapiro, D. J., Schwartz, C. E., & Astin, J. A. (1996). Controlling ourselves, controlling our world: Psychology's role in understanding positive and negative consequences of seeking and gaining control. American Psychologist, 51, 12131230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vogus, T. J., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2012). Organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing: A reconciliation and path forward. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11, 722735.Google Scholar