MINDFULNESS AND CHANGE READINESS IN ORGANIZATIONS – A CORRELATIONAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/hxz68194Keywords:
Mindfulness, ChangeReadiness, OrganizationalChangeAbstract
Change in organizations lays the foundation for long-term success, and hence, it should be embraced rather than feared. It is not only important to adapt to changes but also to thrive, develop, and operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. Overall, some of the benefits of organizational change include superior productivity, reduced costs, improved quality, greater revenue, enhanced efficiency, and operational excellence. Evidence shows that mindfulness is associated with outcomes of enhanced psychological and physiological well-being. There are very few studies that talk about the relationship between mindfulness and change, and almost none with regard to mindfulness and change readiness in organizations. Although studies have been done on various other variables such as motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, teamwork, etc., none of them have tried to establish a direct link between both the variables. Through the administration of standardized questionnaires to a sample population of 103 participants from different organizational backgrounds, this study aims to establish a correlation between the variables of mindfulness and change readiness and check for gender differences in both.
Downloads
References
1. Abildgaard, J. S., Nielsen, K., &Sverke, M. (2017). Can job insecurity be managed? Evaluating an
organizational-level intervention addressing the negative effects of restructuring. Work & Stress, 32(2),
105–123. doi: 10.1080/02678373.2017.1367735
2. Adkins, L. (2015, August 31). Employee Coping During Organizational Change - Recruit better. Hire
better.: Streamline Your Talent Assessment with DeGarmo. Retrieved from
http://www.degarmo.com/employee-coping-during-organizational-change
3. Alispahic, S., &Hasanbegovic-Anic, E. (2017). Mindfulness: Age and gender differences on a Bosnian
sample. Psychological Thought, 10(1), 155–166. doi: 10.5964/psyct.v10i1.224
4. Baer, R. A. (2006, May 11). Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical
Review - Baer - 2003 - Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice - Wiley Online Library. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1093/clipsy.bpg015
5. Barry, D., &Meisiek, S. (2010). Seeing More and Seeing Differently: Sensemaking, Mindfulness, and the
Work arts. Organization Studies, 31(11), 1505–1530. doi: 10.1177/0170840610380802
6. Bazarko, D., Cate, R. A., Azocar, F., &Kreitzer, M. J. (2013). The Impact of an Innovative MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction Program on the Health and Well-Being of Nurses Employed in a Corporate
Setting. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health,28(2), 107-133. doi:10.1080/15555240.2013.779518
7. Brown, K.W. & Ryan, R.M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in
psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 822-848.
8. Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and
Evidence for its Salutary Effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211–237. doi:
10.1080/10478400701598298
9. Bruckman, J. C. (2008). Overcoming resistance to change: Causal factors, interventions, and critical
values. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 11(2), 211–219. doi: 10.1080/10887150802371708
10. Bryant, D. (1989). The psychological resistance to change. In McLennan, R. (Ed.), Managing
organizational change (pp 193–195). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
11. Bryson, A., Barth, E., & Dale-Olsen, H. (2013). The Effects of Organizational Change on Worker WellBeing and the Moderating Role of Trade Unions. ILR Review,66(4), 989-1011.
doi:10.1177/001979391306600410
12. Cayoun, B. (2015). Mindfulness-integrated CBT for Well-being and Personal Growth: Four Steps to
enhance inner calm, self-confidence and relationships. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
13. Change. (1992). The Oxford dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
14. Cleirigh, D. O., &Greaney, J. (2014). Mindfulness and Group Performance: An Exploratory Investigation
into the Effects of Brief Mindfulness Intervention on Group Task Performance. Mindfulness, 6(3), 601–
609. doi: 10.1007/s12671-014-0295-1
15. Combe, M. (2014). Change Readiness. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/changereadiness-11126
16. Coping strategies for stress. (2014). Retrieved from
https://ebrary.net/2882/management/coping_strategies_stress
17. Creswell, J. D., & Lindsay, E. K. (2014). How Does Mindfulness Training Affect Health? A Mindfulness
Stress Buffering Account. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(6), 401–407. doi:
10.1177/0963721414547415
18. Dahl, M. S. (2011). Organizational Change and Employee Stress. Management Science,57(2), 240-256.
doi:10.1287/mnsc.1100.1273
19. Different Types of Mindfulness. (2016, June 13). Retrieved from https://inbreathe.com.au/different-typesof-mindfulness/
20. Fiol, C. M., &Oconnor, E. J. (2003). Waking up! Mindfulness in the Face of Bandwagons. The Academy
of Management Review, 28(1), 54. doi: 10.2307/30040689
21. Giluk, T. L. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction. doi: 10.17077/etd.4ax4yjs5
22. Goff, A.-M. (2011). Stressors, Academic Performance, and Learned Resourcefulness in Baccalaureate
Nursing Students. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 8(1). Abstract retrieved from
(doi: 10.2202/1548-923x.2114).
23. Grimsley, S. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-organizational-change theoryexample-quiz.html
24. Hackman, J., Pearce, J. L., & Wolfe, J. C. (1978). Effects of changes in job characteristics on work
attitudes and behaviors: A naturally occurring quasi-experiment. Organizational Behavior and Human
Performance,21(3), 289-304. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(78)90055-7
25. Hales D.N., Kroes J., Chen Y., and Kang K.W. (2012). The cost of mindfulness: a case study. J. Bus. Res.
65:570–78 Hanc J. 2015. 25 minutes of silence in the City of Angels. The New York Times, March 20,
F2
26. Han, Y., & Zhang, Z.-X. (2011). Enhancing Managerial Mindfulness: A Way for Middle Managers to
Handle the Uncertain Situations. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1872142
27. Hayes, S. C. (1987). A contextual approach to therapeutic change. In N. Jacobson (Ed.), Psychotherapists
in clinical practice: Cognitive and behavioral perspectives (pp. 327-387). New York: Guilford.
28. Hsieh, C. C., Yu, C. J., Chen, H. J., Chen, Y. W., Chang, N. T., & Hsiao, F. H. (2019). Dispositional
mindfulness, self‐compassion, and compassion from others as moderators between stress and depression
in caregivers of patients with lung cancer. Psycho-Oncology. doi: 10.1002/pon.5106
29. Kiken, L. G., & Shook, N. J. (2011). Looking Up. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(4),
425–431. doi: 10.1177/1948550610396585
30. Kohut, Gary, Corriher, & Susan. (1994). The relationship of age, gender, experience, and awareness of
written ethical policies and Decision Making. Advanced Management Journal, 59(1). Abstract retrieved
from: https://search.proquest.com/docview/231245070?pq-origsite=gscholar
31. Kontoghiorghes, C. (2015). Linking high performance organizational culture and talent management:
Satisfaction/motivation and organizational commitment as mediators. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management,27(16), 1833-1853. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1075572
32. Lambert, W. W., & Lazarus, R. S. (1970). Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. The American
Journal of Psychology, 83(4), 634. doi: 10.2307/1420698
33. Lazarus, R.S. (1991). Progress on a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of Emotion. American
Psychologist, 46(8), 819-834.
34. LaPorteT.R.,&Consolini P.M. (1991). Working in practice but not in theory: theoretical challenges of
“high reliability organizations.” Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory,1, 19–47
35. Levesque, C., & Brown, K. W. (2007). Mindfulness as a moderator of the effect of implicit motivational
self-concept on day-to-day behavioral motivation. Motivation and Emotion,31(4), 284-299.
doi:10.1007/s11031-007-9075-8
36. Madsen, P., Desai, V., Roberts, K., & Wong, D. (2006). Mitigating Hazards Through Continuing Design:
The Birth and Evolution of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Organization Science, 17(2), 239–248. doi:
10.1287/orsc.1060.0185
37. Malinowski, P., & Lim, H. J. (2015). Mindfulness at Work: Positive Affect, Hope, and Optimism Mediate
the Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness, Work Engagement, and WellBeing. Mindfulness, 6(6), 1250–1262. Abstract retrieved from(doi: 10.1007/s12671-015-0388-5)
38. Matthew P., Ward T. &Cheston R. (2019). Presence and Personality: A factorial exploration of the
relationship between facets of dispositional mindfulness and personality. Counselling Psychology, 34(1),
27 – 40. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=136819798&site=ehost-live
39. McKay, K., Kuntz, J. R. C., &Näswall, K. (2013). The effect of affective commitment, communication
and participation on resistance to change: The role of change readiness. New Zealand Journal of
Psychology, 42(2), 29-40
40. Mesmer-Magnus, J., Manapragada, A., Viswesvaran, C., & Allen, J. W. (2017). Trait mindfulness at
work: A meta-analysis of the personal and professional correlates of trait mindfulness. Human
Performance, 30(2-3), 79–98. doi: 10.1080/08959285.2017.1307842
41. Mitmansgruber, H., Beck, T. N., &Schüßler, G. (2008). “Mindful helpers”: Experiential avoidance, metaemotions, and emotion regulation in paramedics. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(5), 1358–1363.
doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2008.03.012
42. Moore Z.E., & Gardner F.L. (2014). Mindfulness and performance. 986–1003
43. Morris, K., &Raben, C. (1995). The fundamentals of change management. In D. Nadler, R. Shaw, A.
Walton, & Associates (Eds.), Discontinuous change: Leading organizational transformation (pp 47–65).
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
44. Musil, C. M., Jeanblanc, A., Wallace, M., Burant, C. J., &Zauszniewski, J. (2019). Resilience,
Resourcefulness, And Mindfulness: Distinct but Complementary Interventions. Innovation in
Aging, 3(Supplement_1). doi: 10.1093/geroni/igz038.514
45. Nesterkin, D. A. (2013). Organizational change and psychological reactance. Journal of Organizational
Change Management,26(3), 573-594. doi:10.1108/09534811311328588
46. Nordqvist, C. (2019, June 5). What is organizational change? Definition and examples. Retrieved from
https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/organizational-change-definition meaning/
47. Reb, J., Narayanan, J., &Chaturvedi, S. (2012). Leading Mindfully: Two Studies on the Influence of
Supervisor Trait Mindfulness on Employee Well-Being and Performance. Mindfulness, 5(1), 36–45. doi:
10.1007/s12671-012-0144-z
48. Ritchie‐Dunham, J. L. (2014). Mindful Leadership. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness,
443–457. doi: 10.1002/9781118294895.ch24
49. Rosa, H. (2013). Social Acceleration. doi: 10.7312/rosa14834
50. Ruedy, N. E., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2010). In the Moment: The Effect of Mindfulness on Ethical Decision
Making. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(S1), 73–87. doi: 10.1007/s10551-011-0796-y
51. Schweiger, D. M., &Denisi, A. S. (1991). Communication with employees following a merger: A
longitudinal field experiment. Academy of Management Journal, 34, 110–135.
52. Selye, H. (1956). The Stress of life. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.
53. Shao, R., &Skarlicki, D. P. (2009). The role of mindfulness in predicting individual performance.
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 41(4), 195–
201. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015166
54. Sirkin, Keenan, & Jackson. (2005). The Hard Side of Change Management. Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from:https://hbr.org/2005/10/the-hard-side-of-change-management
55. Smollan, R. K. (2015). Causes of stress before, during and after organizational change: a qualitative
study. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 301–314. doi: 10.1108/jocm- 03-2014-0055
56. St-Louis, A. C., Verner-Filion, J., Bergeron, C. M., &Vallerand, R. J. (2016). Passion and mindfulness:
Accessing adaptive self-processes. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(2), 155–164. doi:
10.1080/17439760.2016.1245771
57. Sun, J. (2014). Mindfulness in Context: A Historical Discourse Analysis. Contemporary Buddhism.15(2),
394 - 415. DOI: 10.1080/14639947.2014.978088
58. Sutcliffe, K. M., Vogus, T. J., & Dane, E. (2016). Mindfulness in Organizations: A Cross-Level Review.
Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3(1), 55–81. doi:
10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062531
59. Tang, Y. (2017). Traits and States in Mindfulness Meditation. The Neuroscience of Mindfulness
Meditation, 29-34. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46322-3_4
60. Vogus, T. J., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2012). Organizational Mindfulness and Mindful Organizing: A
Reconciliation and Path Forward. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 11(4), 722–735. doi:
10.5465/amle.2011.0002c
61. Vogus, T. J., Cooil, B., Sitterding, M., & Everett, L. Q. (2014). Safety Organizing, Emotional Exhaustion,
and Turnover in Hospital Nursing Units. Medical Care, 52(10), 870–876. doi:
10.1097/mlr.0000000000000169
62. Walinga, J. (2008). Toward a Theory of Change Readiness. The Journal of Applied BehavioralScience,
44(3), 315–347. doi: 10.1177/0021886308318967
63. Weeks, W. A., Roberts, J., Chonko, L. B., & Jones, E. (2004). Organizational Readiness for Change,
Individual Fear of Change, and Sales Manager Performance: An Empirical Investigation. Journal of
Personal Selling & Sales Management, 24(1), 7–17. doi: 10.1080/08853134.2004.10749012
64. Weick, K. E., & Roberts, K. H. (1993). Collective Mind in Organizations: Heedful Interrelating on Flight
Decks. Administrative Science Quarterly, 38(3), 357. doi: 10.2307/2393372
65. Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(1). doi:
10.1186/1748-5908-4-67
66. Weiss, R. (2016, February 3). Where Change Management fails? Retrieved from htps://rhus.mediaroom.com/2016-02-03-Where-Change-Management-Fails
67. Wongtongkam, N., Krivokapic-Skoko, B., Duncan, R., &Bellio, M. (2017). The influence of a
mindfulness-based intervention on job satisfaction and work-related stress and anxiety. International
Journal of Mental Health Promotion,19(3), 134-143. doi:10.1080/14623730.2017.1316760
68. Yousef, D. A. (2000). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction as predictors of attitudes toward organizational change in a non‐western setting. Personnel Review,29(5), 567-592.doi:10.1108/00483480010296401
69. Zhang, J., & Wu, C. (2015). Corrigendum to “The influence of dispositional mindfulness on safety behaviors: A dual process perspective” [Accid. Anal. Prev. 70 (2014) 24–32]. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 76, 166. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2014.12.003
70. (2018, November). Mindfulness. Retrieved from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxietydepression/mindfulness/
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 AUTHOR

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.