ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to offer a broader understanding of the opportunities and challenges of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in the workplace by reporting on a longitudinal case study of a medium-sized Scandinavian company. The longitudinal study focuses on how specific participants experience the outcomes of an MBI over time and the role that the organizational environment plays in shaping these outcomes. The main outcome of the MBI is seen as the development of mindfulness-related abilities—for example, perspective-taking, self-reflection, empathy, authentic functioning, and the meta-ability to be aware of the ways in which these abilities are applied. The extent to which these abilities are developed and used is also related to the individual’s ability to embrace both the practical and spiritual aspects of the MBI. The results of the case study suggest that several elements in the organizational context supported the implementation of the MBI: authentic top management support, alignment between the MBI and a larger organizational transformation, a stable organizational environment, and the creation of a holding environment to support the managers’ integration of what they have learned into their everyday working lives.
