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Mindful leadership: mindfulness as a new antecedent of destructive and transformational leadership behavior

Achtsame Führung: Der Grad der Achtsamkeit als Prädiktor für destruktive und transformationale Führung

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Abstract

Purpose: While previous research has well-examined the stress reducing effects of mindfulness, much less is known, evidentially, about the impact that it might have on working behavior, particularly in the context of leadership. Against this background, the goal of our study was to examine whether mindfulness influences leadership behavior.

Design: To answer this question, we used a two-source survey study consisting of 60 teams, examining trait mindfulness of leaders via self-evaluation and their leadership behavior through the eyes of their subordinates. To analyze the given data, we conducted regression analyses.

Results: Our findings confirmed the hypothesized relationships. We found a negative relationship between leaders’ mindfulness and destructive leadership, as well as a positive one between leaders’ mindfulness and transformational leadership.

Implications: The results of our study underline the importance of mindfulness as a potential tool to optimize leadership quality. In order to prevent destructive and promote transformational leadership, organizations should help to develop leaders’ mindfulness capacities.

Zusammenfassung

Zweck: Während eine Vielzahl von Studien die stressmindernden Effekte von Achtsamkeit belegen, wissen wir noch wenig darüber, welchen Einfluss sie darüber hinaus im Arbeitskontext, insbesondere im Führungskontext mit sich bringt. Vor diesem Hintergrund widmen wir uns der Frage, ob Achtsamkeit bestimmtes Führungsverhalten beeinflussen kann.

Design: Wir befragten 60 Teams, wobei der Grad der Achtsamkeit von den Führungskräften in der Selbst-Perspektive und deren Führungsverhalten durch die Mitarbeitenden in der Fremdperspektive bewertet wurde. Um die Daten zu analysieren verwendeten wir Regressionsanalysen.

Ergebnisse: Unsere Ergebnisse bestätigten die von uns vermuteten Zusammenhänge. Es zeigte sich, dass achtsamere Führungskräfte weniger destruktiv und mehr transformational-führend von ihren Mitarbeitenden wahrgenommen werden.

Implikationen: Die Ergebnisse unserer Studie untermauern die Bedeutsamkeit von Achtsamkeit als potenzielles Werkzeug um Führungsverhalten zu verbessern. Organisationen sollten den Grad der Achtsamkeit ihrer Führungskräfte erhöhen, um dessen destruktive Führungsverhaltensweisen zu verringern und transformationale Führung zu fördern.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zentrum für Hochschulbildung, Lehrstuhl für Personalentwicklung & Veränderungsmanagement, Technische Universität Dortmund, Hohe Straße 141, 44139, Dortmund, Germany

    Sarah Lange &  Jens Rowold

  2. Management von Familienunternehmen, Universität Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany

    Kai C. Bormann

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  1. Sarah Lange
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  2. Kai C. Bormann
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  3. Jens Rowold
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Correspondence to Sarah Lange.

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Lange, S., Bormann, K.C. & Rowold, J. Mindful leadership: mindfulness as a new antecedent of destructive and transformational leadership behavior. Gr Interakt Org 49, 139–147 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-018-0413-y

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