Mindfulness In A Hazardous Context: Times When Organizations Exibit Unusual Care

Abstract

We conducted a case study of two organizations, an oil and gas company and hydroelectric energy producer, both of which operate in high-hazard contexts. The research question guiding this study was: How do organizations that operate in high-hazard context enact mindfulness? Our findings indicate that paradoxically, it is the acute awareness of their hazardous nature that makes them mindful in their practices. To this end, we show how these organizations enact mindfulness through extraordinary care for the employee, environment, and the impact they may have on society at large. In doing so, our findings contribute to extant research on organizational mindfulness in hazardous contexts and how organizational actors navigate often competing objectives to enact mindfulness.