Abstract
This chapter is dedicated to exploring the efficacy and ethical considerations of teaching mindfulness in business. The emergence of mindfulness as a popular means of enhancing workplace skills has come under some scrutiny and criticism. Particularly, teaching mindfulness in business without the foundation in ethics and wisdom poses unique challenges and consequences. Drawing from Buddhist teachings, mindfulness research, management theory, and experiences of corporate mindfulness instructors, this chapter looks at two paradoxes of teaching mindfulness in business: (1) Mindfulness programs seek to reduce stress at work without changing work conditions that cause stress and (2) Mindfulness is grounded in ethics but applied in business without ethical considerations. The chapter offers mindful inquiry of our circles of influence as a comprehensive framework to guide our intentions and work of integrating mindfulness in business to enhance the well-being of all its stakeholders. The lens of mindful inquiry is expanded to include not only mindful awareness but also wisdom and ethical considerations. Mindfulness instructors can utilize this expanded framework as a pragmatic approach to navigate the challenges of teaching corporate mindfulness, without compromising the integrity and efficacy of their programs.
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Bahl, S. (2017). Paradoxes of Teaching Mindfulness in Business. In: Monteiro, L., Compson, J., Musten, F. (eds) Practitioner's Guide to Ethics and Mindfulness-Based Interventions . Mindfulness in Behavioral Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64924-5_14
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