Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Leading Mindfully: Two Studies on the Influence of Supervisor Trait Mindfulness on Employee Well-Being and Performance

  • ORIGINAL PAPER
  • Published:
Mindfulness Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This research examines the influence of leaders’ mindfulness on employee well-being and performance. We hypothesized that supervisors’ trait mindfulness is positively associated with different facets of employee well-being, such as job satisfaction and need satisfaction, and different dimensions of employee performance, such as in-role performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. We also explored whether one measure of employee well-being, psychological need satisfaction, plays a mediating role in the relation between supervisor mindfulness and employee performance. We tested these predictions in two studies using data from both supervisors and their subordinates. Results were consistent with our hypotheses. Overall, this research contributes to our understanding of leadership by examining the foundation of supervisors’ effectiveness in their awareness and attention. It also contributes to our understanding of mindfulness by examining its interpersonal effects in a very important domain of human life: the workplace.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arch, J. J., & Craske, M. G. (2006). Mechanisms of mindfulness: Emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44, 1849–1858.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Walumbwa, F. O., Luthans, F., & May, D. R. (2004). Unlocking the mask: A look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 15, 801–823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baer, R. A., Smith, G. T., Hopkins, J., Krietemeyer, J., & Toney, L. (2006). Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment, 13, 27–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes, S., Brown, K. W., Krusemark, E., Campbell, W. K., & Rogge, R. D. (2007). The role of mindfulness in romantic relationship satisfaction and responses to relationship stress. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(4), 482–500.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, R. J., & Robinson, S. L. (2000). Development of a measure of workplace deviance. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 349–360.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bennis, W. (2007). The challenges of leadership in the modern world: Introduction to the special issue. The American Psychologist, 62, 2–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, S. R., et al. (2004). Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 230–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Block-Lerner, J., Adair, C., Plumb, J. C., Rhatigan, D. L., & Orsillo, S. M. (2007). The case for mindfulness-based approaches in the cultivation of empathy: Does nonjudgmental, present-moment awareness increase capacity for perspective-taking and empathic concern. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(4), 501–516.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bono, J. E., & Judge, T. A. (2004). Personality and transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 901–910.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2005). Resonant leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brower, H. H., Schoorman, F. D., & Tan, H. H. (2000). A model of relational leadership: The integration of trust and leader–member exchange. The Leadership Quarterly, 11, 227–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutary effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cahn, R. B., & Polich, J. (2006). Meditation states and traits, EEG, ERP and neuroimaging studies. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 180–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, D., & Klesh, J. (1979). The Michigan organizational assessment questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, M. (2008). The mindful leader: Ten principles for bringing out the best in ourselves and others. Boston: Trumpeter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2010). A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations. Psychological Medicine: A Journal of Research in Psychiatry and the Allied Sciences, 40, 1239–1252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colquitt, J., Conlon, E., Wesson, M., Porter, C., & Ng, K. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 425–445.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dane, E. (2011). Paying attention to mindfulness and its effects on task performance in the workplace. Journal of Management, 37(4), 997–1018.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkrantz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S. F., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564–570.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Gagné, M., Leone, D. R., Usunov, J., & Kornazheva, B. P. (2001). Need satisfaction, motivation, and well-being in the work organizations of a former Eastern Bloc country: A cross-cultural study of self-determination. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 930–942.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dulebohn, J. H., Bommer, W. H., Liden, R. C., Brouer, R. L., & Ferris, G. R. (2012). A meta-analysis of antecedents and consequences of leader-member exchange: Integrating the past with an eye toward the future. Journal of Management, doi:10.1177/0149206311415280

  • Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R., & Walumba, F. O. (2005). Can you see the real me? A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 343–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerstner, C. R., & Day, D. V. (1997). Meta-analytic review of leader–member exchange theory: Correlates and construct ideas. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 827–844.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2011). Mindfulness at work. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 30, 115–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenhaus, J. H., Collins, K. M., & Shaw, J. D. (2003). The relation between work–family balance and quality of life. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 63, 510–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greguras, G. J., & Diefendorff, J. M. (2009). Different fits satisfy different needs: Linking person–environment fit to employee commitment and performance using self-determination theory. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 465–477.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, P. (2011). Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology’s (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment, 23, 1034–1040.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 755–768.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., Bono, J. E., Ilies, R., & Gerhardt, M. (2002). Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 765–780.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1982). An out-patient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry, 4(1), 33–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10, 144–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., & Burney, R. (1985). The clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8(2), 163–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J., Massion, A. O., Kristeller, J., Peterson, L. G., Fletcher, K., Pbert, L., et al. (1992). Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 149(7), 936–943.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langer, E. (1989). Mindfulness. Reading: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langer, E. (2005). On becoming an artist: Reinventing yourself through mindful creativity. New York: Ballantine.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lau, M. A., Bishop, S. R., Segal, Z. V., Buis, T., Anderson, N. D., Carlson, L., et al. (2006). The Toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62, 1445–1468.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, K. B., Kroeck, K. G., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (1996). Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic review of the MLQ literature. The Leadership Quarterly, 7, 385–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C. (1982). Burnout: The cost of caring. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Fiske, S. T., Schacter, D. L., & Zahn-Waxler, C. eds. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397–422

  • McNeely, B. L., & Meglino, B. M. (1994). The role of dispositional and situational antecedents in prosocial organizational behavior: An examination of the intended beneficiaries of prosocial behavior. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 836–844.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikulas, W. (2011). Mindfulness: Significant common confusions. Mindfulness, 2, 1–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg, H. (1973). The nature of managerial work. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moorman, R. H., & Blakely, G. L. (1995). Individualism–collectivism as an individual difference predictor of organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16, 127–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Motowidlo, S. J., & Scotter, J. R. V. (1994). Evidence that task performance should be distinguished from contextual performance. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 79, 475–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Narayanan, J., Chaturvedi, S., Reb, J. & Srinivas, E. (2011). Examining the role of trait mindfulness on turnover intentions and job performance: The mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Working paper, National University of Singapore

  • Riskin, L. (2002). The contemplative lawyer: On the potential contributions of mindfulness meditation to law students, lawyers and their clients. Harvard Negotiation Law Review, 7, 1–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, S. L., & Bennett, R. J. (1997). Workplace deviance: Its definition, its manifestations, and its causes. In R. J. Lewicki & R. J. Bies (Eds.), Research on negotiation in organizations (Vol. 6, pp. 3–27). Greenwich: JAI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salvato, C. (2009). Capabilities unveiled. The role of ordinary activities in the evolution of product development processes. Organization Science, 20(2), 384–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scandura, T. A., & Schriesheim, C. A. (1994). Leader–member exchange and supervisor career mentoring. The Academy of Management Journal, 37, 1588–1602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1996). Maslach burnout inventory manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologist Press.

  • Shao, R., & Skarlicki, D. P. (2009). The role of mindfulness in predicting individual performance. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 41(4), 195–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uhl-Bien, M. (2006). Relational leadership theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing. The Leadership Quarterly, 17, 654–676.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wachs, K., & Cordova, J. V. (2007). Mindful relating: Exploring mindfulness and emotion repertoires in intimate relationships. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 33(4), 464–481.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., & Putnam, T. (2006). Organizing for mindfulness: Eastern wisdom and western knowledge. Journal of Management Inquiry, 15, 275–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2006). Mindfulness and the quality of organizational attention. Organization Science, 17(4), 514–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E., Sutcliffe, K. M., & Obstfeld, D. (1999). Organizing for high reliability: Processes of collective mindfulness. Research in Organizational Behavior, 21, 81–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, C.-S., & Law, K. S. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly, 13, 243–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University, 50 Stamford Road, Singapore, 178899, Singapore

    Jochen Reb

  2. NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Jayanth Narayanan

  3. Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Sankalp Chaturvedi

Authors
  1. Jochen Reb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jayanth Narayanan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sankalp Chaturvedi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jochen Reb.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Reb, J., Narayanan, J. & Chaturvedi, S. Leading Mindfully: Two Studies on the Influence of Supervisor Trait Mindfulness on Employee Well-Being and Performance. Mindfulness 5, 36–45 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0144-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-012-0144-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation