Steps towards a Mindful Organisation

Book excerpt: 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.