Abstract
Mindfulness training is a novel method of leader development but contrary to its rising popularity, there is a scarcity of research investigating how mindfulness training may affect leader capabilities. To gain a better understanding of the potential of a new research field, qualitative research is advantageous. We sought to understand how senior leaders experience the impact of mindfulness training in their work lives and leadership ability. The sample comprised 13 leaders (n = 11 male) working in six organizations that completed a 10-week workplace mindfulness training (WMT). We conducted semi-structured interviews 6 to 12 months following course completion. We analyzed the data following thematic analysis steps and based on these findings, we devised a framework of the perceived impact of mindfulness training on self-leadership and leadership capabilities. We show that WMT exhibited impact on three self-leadership capacities: mindful task management, self-care and self-reflection and two leadership capacities: relating to others and adapting to change. Participants’ recounts additionally suggested effects may expand to the level of the team and the organization. We show that WMT may be a promising tool for self-directed leadership development and outline avenues for future research.
Highlights
Mindfulness is promoted as an effective leader development tool in popular literature (Bunting, 2016; Reitz and Chaskalson, 2016; Hougaard and Carter, 2018) and increasingly offered in leader development trainings
To further reduce the amount of themes, we focused on responses that were related to perceived effects of the workplace mindfulness training (WMT) on shifts in the leaders’ mental responses and behavior at work
It is important to note that none of the interviewees mentioned experiencing any adverse effects to WMT – even after additional prompts from interviewers
Summary
Mindfulness is promoted as an effective leader development tool in popular literature (Bunting, 2016; Reitz and Chaskalson, 2016; Hougaard and Carter, 2018) and increasingly offered in leader development trainings. Research on leader development, defined as “the expansion of the capacity of Leaders’ Experience of Mindfulness Training individuals to be effective in leadership roles and processes” Self-leadership is defined as a set of behavioral and cognitive strategies that are related to enhanced (individual) performance (Furtner et al, 2013). This includes behavior-focused strategies such as self-goal setting and self-observation and constructive thought patterns such as evaluating beliefs and assumptions. Self-leadership is distinct but associated with active leadership styles (Furtner et al, 2013) and improvements in self-leadership aspects are likely to be associated to improvements in leadership style and vice versa
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