ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that staff/colleague stress and absenteeism have become key concerns for higher education institutions as workloads increase, resources are depleted, and cultures become toxic. The chapter argues that in order to become a healthy organization that is functioning effectively, human capital needs to be nurtured. It is also argued that compassion based working practices can play a central role in building the healthy and compassionate educational organization. A healthy organizational culture must be in place that allows a workplace well-being strategy to succeed and flourish. By employing an applied holistic business psychology evidence base, integrative compassion based coaching practice, coupled with positive psychology philosophies and interventions, universities would be well equipped to enable individuals to live a more fulfilled life, or a more compassionate life. By utilizing such an approach, I will propose a new model of coaching practice that integrates mind, body, and spiritual techniques. It is advocated that such an integrative or holistic approach will support educational organizational culture change and play a central role in building a compassion-focused and healthy educational organization, with compassionate and ethical leadership at its forefront. By drawing upon on an applied holistic business psychology evidence base to inform organizational policies, higher education institutions can promote healthy organizational practices and build compassionate organizational cultures.
