Abstract
This study provides a systematic review of prior empirical research on the impact of mindfulness interventions and practices on leaders. The aim is to integrate existing knowledge and identify future research needs. Mindfulness as a leader-specific practice is defined and discussed to provide conceptual clarity and to highlight the importance of understanding the phenomenon and its value in the context of leadership and individual leader development. A conceptual framework is presented which synthesizes findings from prior works and shows that leaders' mindfulness practices affect various developmental outcomes viewed as important for leaders and leadership. A comprehensive future research agenda for theoretical and empirical advancement is proposed that recommends looking beyond the essential wellbeing and work productivity outcomes and exploring the transformative outcomes of mindfulness interventions and practices related to leaders' relationships and inner growth that involve enhanced self-awareness and social/contextual awareness. • Mindfulness is defined and discussed as a leader-specific practice. • Leaders' mindfulness practice can affect various developmental outcomes for leaders. • Future research on leader mindfulness should be positioned in leader development.
Highlights
Leaders influence employees and outcomes on multiple levels (Leroy, Segers, van Dierendonck, & den Hartog, 2018), which is why organizations invest in leader development programs to improve the critical leadership capabilities of individual leaders
This review significantly extends the understanding of the field by looking beyond wellbeing to leadership criteria such as ethical decision-making, leadership relationships, and adapting to change, extending understanding of the impact of mindfulness interventions and practices when applied to the leadership context
Research evidence shows that mindfulness practice can extend the personal resources of individuals in high-stress roles at the top and middle management levels and that mindfulness is suited for environments like healthcare (e.g., Ceravolo & Raines, 2019; Pipe et al, 2009; Wasylkiw et al, 2015) and the corporate world (e.g., Crivelli et al, 2019; Lange & Rowold, 2019)
Summary
Leaders influence employees and outcomes on multiple levels (Leroy, Segers, van Dierendonck, & den Hartog, 2018), which is why organizations invest in leader development programs to improve the critical leadership capabilities of individual leaders. A positive transformation of work teams, organizations, and societies requires systematic efforts to enhance in dividuals’ higher-level awareness of their values, motivations, and goals (Neal, 2018). Modern organizations use mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and practices with their leaders to enhance individual, team, and organizational functionality. A stream of human resource management literature acknowledges the importance of MBIs that can be summarized as development-oriented activities built around the mindfulness concept that incorporate meditation and awareness practices, psychoeducational content, and self-reflection (Fyke & Buzzanell, 2013; Glomb, Duffy, Bono, & Yang, 2011; Good et al, 2016; Hyland, Lee, & Mills, 2015; Yu & Zellmer-Bruhn, 2018)
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