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

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142THERESA M. GLOMB ET AL.just y something still gets done (laughter), you know? And y and a lot of times if youdo it slowly it actually gets done well!– Mindfulness Meditator (Participant #3)Many processes described in this chapter are likely to have downstreameffects on task performance, but the way that mindfulness affectsperformance is likely to depend heavily on the type of tasks required of ajob. For example, for jobs with hefty interpersonal interactions, we mightexpect empathy to play a major role. For occupations with high emotionalcontent, we might expect decreased rumination and improved affectiveregulation to be the critical pathways to performance. For jobs that are notroutinized and have high task complexity, response flexibility may be key.Although some processes (e.g., increased self-determination and persistence)can be expected to beneficially affect many job types, we believe that the roleof mindfulness in performance largely depends on the task and contextualfeatures of the work.The effects of the attentional component of mindfulness on taskperformance have been thoughtfully considered by Dane (2010). Danesuggested that wide attentional breadth, such as that present in a state ofmindfulness, may inhibit or promote task performance depending on thetask environment and level of expertise. Specifically, maintaining a wideexternal attentional breadth is useful in dynamic task environments as itallows for attention to a wide range of stimuli. However, in fairly staticenvironments, wide external attentional breadth might inhibit performanceas one loses focus on their tasks. Herndon (2008) found that traitmindfulness was associated with fewer cognitive failures (i.e., forgetting,distraction, blunders), which suggests that if mindfulness is associated withgreater attention to external stimuli, and therefore, fewer cognitive failures,then a variety of favorable work outcomes are likely to follow includingincreased performance and fewer accidents.Mindfulness also attunes individuals to internal processes such that anindividual is more attentive to their nonconscious or automatic thoughts,feelings, and perceptions, often in the form of gut feelings or reactions. Dane(2010) argued that these intuitions may promote task performance whenexpertise is high. Mindfulness is also expected to impact job performancethrough improved decision making. When heuristic processing is reducedand attention to internal and external stimuli is increased, decision biasessuch as anchoring and fundamental attribution error should be decreased(Hammond, Keeney, & Raiffa, 2006).As we consider the links of mindfulness to task performance, we recognizethat mindfulness might be antithetical to the evolutionary development and
Mindfulness at Work 143efficient functioning of the human brain, which is designed to rapidlyprocess and categorize a large volume of stimuli. Automaticity is functionaland at first blush, it might seem as if mindfulness may make one less efficientand less productive, as individuals are no longer able to rapidly processstimuli. However, we might reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas byconsidering that mindfulness may help tune our minds so that automaticitybecomes more functional and redirects attention to the appropriateenvironmental stimuli, allowing individuals to respond more skillfullyrather than automatically. There is much room for future research testingour propositions about the effects of mindfulness on performance at work.CONTROVERSIES, QUESTIONS, AND CHALLENGESAlthough this chapter focuses on carefully examining the processes by whichmindfulness and mindfulness-based practices might influence employees’functioning at work, we would be remiss if we did not address severalcontroversies, questions, and challenges in the general mindfulness literatureto determine how seriously they challenge the link between mindfulnessand work.Mindfulness vs. Mindfulness-Based Practices and ProgramsIn conjunction with our foray into the mindfulness literature, the first threeauthors completed an 8-week mindfulness training program modeled afterthe Kabat-Zinn MBSR program. Our reasons were twofold. As scholars, wewanted to better understand the ideas of mindfulness and the MBSRapproach to cultivating mindfulness. As individuals, we were attracted tothe possibilities of stress reduction and other benefits associated with MBSRprograms. Although each had different experiences, we all found that theprocesses described in the preceding text and illustrated by our intervieweesresonated with our experiences in mindfulness training. We felt thatcultivating mindfulness via MBSR training benefitted our work andpersonal lives in many ways. Despite these experiences, we believe muchremains to be known about the ‘‘active ingredients’’ that led to thesebenefits, especially whether they were attributable to mindfulness.Mindfulness-based stress reduction curriculums include, as one aspect,practices designed to develop participant mindfulness. However, especiallyin a work-related discussion, we must recognize that these programs are,
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