MINDFULNESS IN THE WORKPLACE

Chris Tamdjidi
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness and reality

Mindfulness is the practice of examining and getting used to

reality as it is

Mindfulness workplace 04.09.2019 4

BUSINESS REALITY
The apparent reality VUCA World
Volatile – Uncertain – Complex – Ambiguous

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The underlying reality

Interconnectedness – global networks, value chains, ubiquity of information flows

Impermanence – innovation, churn rates,

Insubstantiality – boundaries, digitisation of value creation and processes, outsourcing

Constant change and stress (stimulation)

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Seem familiar?
The three marks of existence

Interdependence

Egolessness

Suffering

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Being realistic: Balance of stress and recovery during workday?
Drain on Body Resources

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Being realistic: Fragmentation of working life?
Specialist Engineer

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Being realistic: Positive mood impacts insight

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What is a mindful organisation?

▪ One that is realistic – about the situation that it finds itself in – including constant
change, impermanence, birth and death etc
▪ One that is realistic that people have a sentient, purpose seeking and
compassionate nature
▪ One that is realistic that 99.9% of modern work is actually collaboration and not
competition
▪ One that is realistic that value is generated primarily in teams, not through
individuals, and that social inclusion, emotional safety, trust, information sharing
and equality in turn taking are the drivers of team productivity

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MINDFULNESS INTERVENTIONS
Why mindfulness? Because it is the most researched (and most
effective) behaviour change approach

Nr of research papers on different behaviour change approaches 2000 to 2018

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Neurofeedback NLP Mindfulness behavior change techniques Positive psychology

Source: ISI Web of Science, All databases, Search term in title or topic – nr of research papers

Kalapa Academy 04.09.2019 14

Embedding Mindfulness in an Organisation
What we imagine – and our reality

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Embedding mindfulness in an organisation
Anchoring habits – both at a personal and a group level

1 Insight Habits

Practice

Personal Group
2
practice practices

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 First and foremost – supporting peoples practise
On the basis of the meditation logs

Nr of practise sessions Total practise time in minutes Average practise time

50 600 12
46.37
45
10.59
483.59
500 10
40

35
400 8
30

25 300 6

20
200 4
15

10
100 2
5

0 0 0

all N all N all N

0 - 133 sessions 0 - 1980 minutes

0 - 25 minutes per day
(in 70-90 days) (in 70-90 days)

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Different formats and groups to embed change

Individuals Resilience, well-being

Employee groups Resilience, well-being, support networks

Teams Concentration, Collective intelligence

Individual leaders Emotional intelligence, attention

Leadership teams Engagement, collective intelligence

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Embedding new habits in organisations
Insight + Practice + New Habits = Sustained Change

Group Personal Impact Team Impact Org Impact

Format Insight Practice Habits Insight Practice Habits Leadership Culture

Workshops

Trainings (for individuals)

Internal Train the Trainer

TEAM Development
Yes Some Some

LEADERSHIP TEAM Development

Yes Some Some

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Mindfulness works - very strong effect sizes measured

Impact of
Impact ofmindfulness
mindfulnesstraining
onon stressfactors
stress factors Impact
Impact ofofmindfulness
mindfulness training
on on productivity factors
productivity factors
Tension Productivity
Tedium Cooperation
Worries Decisionmaking
Demands Respect
Antidepression… Antidepression…
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1

Impact of mindfulness
Impact of mindfulness training on
on happiness/acceptance
acceptance/happiness

Presence
Acceptance
Joy
Antidepression…
Happiness
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4

Source: FDA Analysis on effect sizes with anti-depressive medication; All data from forthcoming Frontiers of Neuroscience . Wendy Kersemaekers, Silke
Rupprecht, Marc Wittmann, Chris Tamjidi, Pia Falke, Anne Speckens, Niko Kohls

Results presentation 04.09.2019 20

Previous Publication

Results presentation 04.09.2019 21

Scope of recent evaluations

other formats Mindfulness

15% based coaching
For this recent assesment (2 years – 28
days)
Team
▪ 2,800 participants Mindfulness
2%
3%
▪ in over 150 completed
WorkingMind
trainings and Brief w videos
2%
total of
▪ 10 countries. n=150
trainings
WorkingMind
WorkingMind (10 Modules)
Brief (6 60%
Modules)
15%

WM
WebinarSeries
3%

Results presentation 04.09.2019 22

WorkindMind: Initial session and 8 modules in the work week

Offsite Offsite

Inhouse
8h 8h

2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h

2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h

I We

Results presentation 04.09.2019 23

WorkingMind Brief v Videos: One day initial workshop followed by
four peer groups

Initial
workshop Peer groups Final day

8h
4h

2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h

Results presentation 04.09.2019 24

WorkindMind Webinar Series: Ensuring rich interaction

Webinar

1.5h 1.5h 1.5h 1.5h 1.5h 1.5h 1.5h 1.5h

2.5h 2.5h 2.5h 2.5h

Results presentation 04.09.2019 25

Why the good guys always win in star wars
Social intelligence predicts team performance – even in virtual groups

Source: Theory of Mind predicts collective intelligence

Mindfulness Introduction 04.09.2019

Reading the Mind in the Eyes – good test of emotional intelligence

Collective intelligence of teams 04.09.2019

Mindfulness and the RME Test
Positive Change between t1 and t2

Reading the Mind in the Eyes

29.00

27.00

25.00

23.00

21.00

19.00

17.00

15.00
t1 t2

Sample Size 42

Ergebnispräsentation 04.09.2019 29
Collective intelligence tasks

Results presentation 04.09.2019 30

 Mindfulness practices have a strong impact on collective intelligence
Team Collective intelligence
Lego-Task Estimation-Task
40000 10.2

35000 10

30000 9.8

9.6
25000
9.4
20000
9.2
15000
9
10000
8.8
5000 8.6
0 8.4
Mittelwert t1 Mittelwert t2 Mittelwert t1 Mittelwert t2
t1 t2 t1t1 t2t2
Moral-Reasoning Shopping-Trip
75 50
45
70 40
35
65 30
25
60 20
15
55 10
5
50 0
t1t1
Mittelwert t2 t2
Mittelwert Mittelwertt1
t1 t2 t2
Mittelwert

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Results can be sustainable
T1, T2 and T3

PSS

very
4
often

2 1.86

1.47
1.32

never 0
t1 t2 t3

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Team Climate Inventory
N=150

TCI: Team Participation

strongly
agree 5

4
3.6
3.42
3.22

strongly 1
disagree t1 t2 t3

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Slaying the dragons of our age?
▪ Or converting them?

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