Mindfulness at work (Glomb, Duffy et al, 2012) - Human Resources

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124THERESA M. GLOMB ET AL.on employees’ functioning at work, we draw from neuroscience, psychology,and medicine to develop propositions about how mindfulness and mindfulness-basedpractices will influence work behaviors, performance, andwell-being. Although there is considerable agreement that mindfulnessimproves self-regulation, our goal is to dig more deeply into the processes bywhich that occurs.In Fig. 1, we present a model linking mindfulness to its outcomes, via a seriesof core and secondary mental and neurobiological processes. We identify twocore mental processes and one core neurobiological process that are affectedby mindfulness: (a) a decoupling of the self (i.e., ego) from events, experiences,thoughts, and emotions; (b) a decrease in automaticity of mental processes inwhich past experiences, schemas, and cognitive habits constrain thinking; and(c) increased awareness and regulation of physiological systems. In addition tothese three core processes, we identify seven additional, secondary processesby which mindfulness-based practices are expected to improve employeefunctioning: (a) decreased rumination, (b) greater empathy, (c) increasedresponse flexibility, (d) improved affective regulation, (e) increased selfdeterminationand greater persistence (f) enhanced working memory, and (g)greater accuracy in affective forecasting. We suggest that, in concert, thesethree core and seven secondary processes form a series of pathways by whichmindfulness and mindfulness-based practices lead to improved self-regulationand, ultimately, higher functioning.As we describe the secondary processes, we provide evidence from theliterature linking them to mindfulness, as well as outlining their expectedwork-related outcomes. We also draw on interviews the first three authorsconducted as part of a larger mindfulness research project. Through a localMindfulness & Mindfulness‐based PracticesDecoupling of Self from Experiences & EmotionsDecreased Use of Automatic Mental ProcessesAwareness of Physiological RegulationResponse Flexibility. . . Decreased Rumination . . .Empathy . . . Affective Regulation . . .Increased Self‐determination and PersistenceIncreased Working Memory. . . More accurate affective forecastingImproved Self-regulation of Thoughts\Emotions\BehaviorFig. 1.Core and Secondary Processes Linking Mindfulness to Self-Regulation.
Mindfulness at Work 125meditation center, we recruited 20 employed individuals who had beenregularly practicing mindfulness-based practices for at least 1 year. In onehourinterviews, we asked participants how their mindfulness-basedpractices influenced their attitudes, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors onthe job. We use observations from three of these interviews to illustrate thesecondary processes in action.Decoupling of the Self from Experiences, Events, and Mental ProcessesOne of the key mechanisms by which mindfulness affects self-regulation is bycreating a separation between the self (e.g., ego, self-esteem, self-concept) andevents, emotions, and experiences. Mindfulness-based practices aim to trainindividuals to observe internal and external stimuli objectively, creating metaawareness.As such, most mindfulness training involves noticing, observing,and naming stimuli without evaluating or assigning meaning to them. Thisleads individuals to create distance between themselves (and their self-worth)and their thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This process has also beendescribed as ‘‘de-centering’’ in which one ‘‘view[s] thoughts as events in themind rather than necessarily being reflections of reality or accurate self-view’’(Feldman, Greeson, & Senville, 2010, p. 1002).When ego involvement in a negative situation is high, people feel their selfworthis under attack (Kernis, Paradise, Whitaker, Wheatman, & Goldman,2000), but when the ego is separated from events, negative events aredecoupled from the self and become less threatening. For example, before animportant sales presentation, a salesperson might interpret thoughts aboutwhat could go wrong or potential failure as ‘‘just those nerves talking,’’ ratherthan as a valid indication of inadequacy. The literature has supported the ideathat mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices are associated with adecoupling of the self from experiences. Hargus, Crane, Barnhofer, andWilliams (2010) found that 8 weeks of mindfulness training was associatedwith a significant improvement in meta-awareness, demonstrating that mindfulnesscan help people ‘‘learn to uncouple the sensory, directly experienced selffrom the ‘narrative’ self’’ (Williams, 2010, p. 1). Preliminary evidence hasindicated that even temporarily heightened mindfulness (via experimentalmanipulation) increases separation between self-worth and experiencessuch as interpersonal rejection (Heppner & Kernis, 2007). Althoughexisting neurobiological research has not yet explicitly tested the decouplinghypothesis, Davidson (2010) suggested that the brains of mindfulnesspractitioners might reveal ‘‘decreased connectivity between emotion
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