Steps towards a Mindful Organisation: Developing Mindfulness to Manage Unexpected Events (Schriften zur Unternehmensentwicklung)

This book presents a guideline for turning any organisation into a more mindful one, allowing it to manage unexpected events and develop stronger resilience. The author conducted empirical research with a German IT company's staff and its leadership in a longitudinal way. The whole team was trained in individual mindfulness competencies. Individual mindfulness is a state of being that can be developed through mindfulness mediation. When combined with social interactions, cultural adaptations and structural changes, collective mindfulness develops. Collective mindfulness allows an organisation to become more agile. The author argues that mindfulness training influences the openness and knowledge-sharing behaviour of an organisation, first on an individual and then a collective level. Such training can generate awareness, increase empathy between the team members, and lead towards a more successful organisation. This study can inspire team managers to improve the work environment as well as academics to update their current level of research in the field of individual and collective mindfulness. About the author: Fabrice Mielke finished his doctoral degree at the University of Hamburg, Germany. His research interest is mindfulness in organisations and their ability to manage unexpected events. Passionate about mindfulness for over 10 years, he teaches mindfulness classes at different universities and counsels organisations to become more mindful. Foreword 6 Acknowledgments 8 Abstract 10 Zusammenfassung 12 Contents 14 Abbreviations 18 List of Figures 19 List of Tables 21 1 Introduction: Faster and more Frequent Change 22 1.1 Research Objectives and Questions 25 1.2 Definition of Core Concepts 26 1.3 Structure of Dissertation 30 2 Theory and Context 32 2.1 Context: Psychology and Human Resource Management 33 2.2 Mindfulness 37 2.2.1 Individual Mindfulness Learned through Meditation 38 2.2.2 Collective Mindfulness: A Concept by Weick, Sutcliffe and Obstfeld 46 2.3 Openness as a Multifaceted Concept 59 2.4 Knowledge Sharing as a Dynamic Human Process 63 2.5 Success Factors to Develop Individual and Collective Learning 66 3 Literature Review 72 3.1 Approaching the Literature Review 73 3.2 Reviewing Mindfulness: One Way to Deal with Change 76 3.2.1 Individual Mindfulness: Reviewing Effects of Meditation 76 3.2.2 Collective Mindfulness: Relevant Literature to Develop 86 3.3 Reviewing Openness and Mindfulness 93 3.4 Reviewing Factors Supporting Knowledge Sharing 95 3.5 Summary and Current State of Research 99 4 Methodological Approach 103 4.1 Research Philosophy 105 4.2 Research Strategy and Design 106 4.3 Case Study Research 108 4.3.1 Longitudinal Embedded within-Case Study Research 109 4.3.2 Multilevel Research: Connecting the Individual to the Collective 111 4.3.3 Sampling 113 4.3.4 Research Context and Case: ITCare and the Mindfulness Group 115 4.3.5 Mindfulness Training at ITCare: The MBSR Program 116 4.4 Data Collection 119 4.4.1 Developing Preconditions for Successful Data Collection 119 4.4.2 Data Collection Instruments: Interviews and Focus Groups 121 4.4.3 Recording, Transcription and Translation 127 4.4.4 Ethics 128 4.5 Data Analysis: Qualitative Content Analysis 129 4.6 Critical Evaluation of the Methodology 135 5 Empirical Findings 141 5.1 Mindfulness Meditation and its Influences on Openness 144 5.1.1 Opening the Mind, Broadening Perspectives and Dealing with Changes 145 5.1.2 Empathy Enriched 151 5.1.3 Self-awareness Developed 156 5.1.4 Trust and Vulnerability Cultivated 160 5.1.5 Openness to Others’ Opinions and Their Feedback 165 5.1.6 Openness and Honesty to Others 168 5.2 Mindfulness Meditation and its Influences on Knowledge Sharing 174 5.2.1 Focus: A crucial Element for Knowledge Creation and Sharing 175 5.2.2 Calmness, Patience and Serenity: Useful Preconditions 179 5.2.3 Ask and Listen: The Difference Between Listening and Mindful Listening 188 5.2.4 Kindness and Respect: Developing Collective Sensemaking 196 5.3 Collective Mindfulness: Lessons From ITCare and MBSR Training 200 5.3.1 Preoccupation with Failure: Addressing and Discussing Mistakes 201 5.3.2 Reluctance to Simplify Interpretations: Reduce Blind Spots and Embrace Diversity 204 5.3.3 Sensitivity to Operations: Focus and Meet Daily 206 5.3.4 Commitment to Resilience: Stress Competence, Agility and Solution Finding 208 5.3.5 Decisions at Expert Level: Trust and Team Players 214 5.4 Issues in Developing Mindful Organisations: Lessons From ITCare 216 5.4.1 Unintended Effects of the MBSR Course at ITCare 217 5.4.2 Reasons for a Weak Mindfulness Meditation Implementation at ITCare 221 5.4.3 Basics to Keep in Mind When Implementing Mindfulness Meditation 223 5.5 Summary of Findings 229 6 Discussion and Conceptualisation of the Findings 236 6.1 Relationship Between Individual and Collective Mindfulness 236 6.1.1 The Concept of Mindful Openness 237 6.1.2 The Concept of Mindful Knowledge Sharing 240 6.1.3 Connecting Openness, Knowledge Sharing, Individual and Collective Mindfulness 241 6.2 Practical Implications: Steps Towards a Mindful Organisation 258 6.2.1 Implementing Mindfulness Meditation Sustainably in Organisations 259 6.2.2 Extending a Mindful Corporate Culture 263 6.2.3 Implementing Structural Changes Towards a Mindful Organisation 264 6.2.4 Summarising the Practical Implications 266 6.3 Theoretical Implications: Extending Weick et al.’s Concept 266 6.4 Reflections on Individual and Collective Mindfulness 271 7 Conclusion 275 7.1 Summary: Starting Point, way of Proceeding and Relevant Findings 275 7.2 Contributions of this Research Project 280 7.3 Critical Reflection and Limitations 281 7.4 Potential Future Research Areas 285 References 290