ABSTRACT
The authors' considers what it takes to achieve corporate and social change which is just, compassionate, collaborative and ecologically sustainable. They propose that what is required is ethical and radical leadership and that mindfulness can play a key part in bringing about this transformation on three levels. Drawing upon interviews with ten leaders with a mindfulness practice, the authors proposes that personal, interior work is a key, but generally unrecognized, dimension, shaping transformations at organizational and then at a wider systems level. Sustainable development focuses on change for good, but sustainability theory and practice traditionally prioritize the outer, ecological, social, economic and technological dimensions of change. Mindfulness has its roots in the contemplative practices of many of the world's wisdom traditions, including mainstream religions—Vedanta/Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. "Integral theory" offers a useful approach to exploring links between mindfulness and personal, organizational and systems change for sustainability.
