Mindfulness; Mindfulness-Based Intervention; Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction; Mindfulness in Organisations/Organizations
摘要
Recently, mindfulness training has garnered increasing interest from organizational practitioners and scholars. This research explores participants’ applications, experiences, and perceived impact of mindfulness for those who have undergone training outside of the workspace. Kabat-Zinn’s approach to Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) underpins and informs this research. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 53 participants working in a variety of organisational contexts. Participants had trained in one of three different MBIs: an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Programme (MBSR), a two-year Mindful Leadership Programme as part of an Executive MBA programme, or a two-year Mindfulness Certification for professionals. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach and thematic analysis, I explored ways in which participants applied and shared mindfulness practice at work and home. I present the results in the form of an inductive model of mindfulness in the workplace. I distinguish some key individual meta-capacities (awareness of the wandering mind, embodiment, equanimity and kindness) and capacities developed (resilience, sense-of-self, multiple perspectives and possibility). I highlight how mindfulness enhanced the ability to work with difficult emotions, thoughts and sensations, opening participants up to new modes of relationship and new framings of productivity and power in the workplace. The transformation in the areas of productivity, power and relationality, could be tied in with the Buddhist concept of three poisons; greed (excessive productivity), hatred (competitive and aggressive workplace behaviours) and delusion (use and abuse of power at work). Mindfulness provides an antidote. The voices of participants highlight the intra and interpersonal effects and the potential and challenges of mindfulness practice in organisational contexts. This research offers some hopeful data and a deeper understanding of the potential of mindfulness training as a modality for transformation in the workplace. It offers this at a time where some critics question whether the use of mindfulness to improve work-life might lead to dilution and misappropriation of the practice. The model developed in this study contributes to Positive Organisational Scholarship (POS) literature and provides a map of how mindfulness might be of value in the workplace in the service of wisdom and compassion.
目次
Copyright i Declaration of my own work ii Dedication iii Acknowledgements iv Abstract v Definitions and constructs vi Keywords viii List of acronyms viii List of Figures x CHAPTER ONE: 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Motivation for the study 5 1.3 Purpose of the study 6 1.4 Research questions 6 CHAPTER TWO: Literature review 8 2.1 Introduction 8 2.2 Mindfulness definitions and constructs 8 2.2.1 Definitions and constructs in organisational work 13 2.2.2 Understandings used in this study 15 2.3 Overview of mindfulness trainings 17 2.3.1 Mindfulness training in organisations 19 2.3.2 The importance of teacher training 20 2.4 Empirical mindfulness research: Overview 22 2.4.1 Mindfulness in the workplace: Overview 22 2.4.2 Positive effects of meditation practice in the workplace 24 2.4.3 Negative effects of meditation 37 2.4.4 Practice compliance, length and types of trainings 37 2.4.5 Conclusion: Empirical research 41 2.5 Models of mindfulness and change 42 2.5.1 Reperceiving Model 43 2.5.2 Attention Regulation Model 43 2.5.3 De-automatization Model 44 2.5.4 Mindful Coping Model 44 2.5.5 The Buddhist Psychological Model (BPM) 45 2.5.6 Logic Model of Mindfulness Training 47 2.5.7 Inductive Model of Mindfulness at Work (Lyddy & Good, 2017) 48 2.5.8 Heuristic Model of Enactive Compassion 49 2.5.9 Integrated Translational Framework 50 2.5.10 Models reflecting behaviour change 51 2.5.11 Conclusion 52 2.6 Mindfulness and related leadership models 53 2.7 Critiques and counter-arguments of mindfulness in the workplace 56 2.8 Mindfulness in Positive Organisational Scholarship (POS) 60 2.9 Literature review: Conclusion 64 2.9.1 Gaps in the literature 64 CHAPTER THREE: Research methodology 66 3.1 Introduction 66 3.2 Qualitative research: Background and rationale 67 3.3 Phenomenological approach 68 3.4 Research assumptions 70 3.5 Participants 72 3.5.1 Details of participants 75 3.5.2 Interview planning 76 3.5.3 Interview procedure 77 3.5.4 Ethical aspects and procedures 80 3.6 Data analysis and interpretation 81 3.6.1 An adapted IPA approach 81 3.6.2 Thematic analysis 84 3.7 Issues of trustworthiness 88 CHAPTER FOUR: Participants’ application and experience of mindfulness practice 92 4.1 Barriers to formal practice 92 4.1.1 Facilitators in committing to formal practice 100 4.2 Experiences of practicing mindfulness formally and informally at work 105 4.3 Sharing mindfulness with others 114 4.4 Conclusion 118 CHAPTER FIVE: Development of key meta-capacities through mindfulness practice 119 5.1 Meta-cognition 120 5.2 Enhancing kindness 123 5.3 Developing equanimity 128 5.4 Embodiment 132 5.5 The interweaving of the four key meta-capacities 137 5.6 Capacity to turn towards unpleasant, pleasant, neutral thoughts, feelings and sensations 138 5.6.1 Turning towards unpleasant experiences 139 5.6.2 Challenges of turning towards unpleasant experiences at work 143 5.6.3 Present to pleasant events 146 5.7 Conclusion: Development of key meta-capacities through mindfulness practice 148 CHAPTER SIX: Individual capacities of mindfulness training: resilience, sense of self, multiple perspectives and possibilities 149 6.1 Growth of resilience 149 6.2 Sense of self: Self-confidence, self-acceptance and authenticity 155 6.2.1 Self-confidence 156 6.2.2 Self-acceptance 160 6.2.3 Authenticity 161 6.3 Commentary: Sense of self 164 6.4 Openness to multiple perspectives and new possibilities 166 6.5 Conclusion: Individual capacities of mindfulness training; resilience, sense of self, multiple perspectives and possibilities 169 CHAPTER SEVEN: Participant and workplace transformations: productivity, power, and relationality 171 7.1 A new relationship with productivity 171 7.2 Awareness of power dynamics 177 7.3 Rela
