Choi, E., Gruman, J. A., & Leonard, C. M. (2021). A balanced view of mindfulness at work. Organizational Psychology Review, 20413866211036930. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20413866211036930
The balanced framework highlights that all positive phenomena have a nuanced nature. Optimal human functioning is often about finding this balance. Positive Psychology has contributed much to the coaching field but a justifiable critique is that approach fails to fully appreciate the complexity of phenomena in the real world. Mindfulness is one such phenomena that despite its benefits can have downsides for many practitioners. There is a middle ground where the benefits can be found for most and this paper presents a conceptual framework to have a deeper appreciation for Mindfulness techniques.
Abstract
Mindfulness has grown from an obscure subject to an immensely popular topic that is associated with numerous performance, health, and well-being benefits in organizations. However, this growth in popularity has generated a number of criticisms of mindfulness and a rather piecemeal approach to organizational research and practice on the subject. To advance both investigation and application, the present paper applies The Balance Framework to serve as an integrative scaffolding for considering mindfulness in organizations, helping to address some of the criticisms leveled against it. The Balance Framework specifies five forms of balance: 1) balance as tempered view, 2) balance as mid-range, 3) balance as complementarity, 4) balance as contextual sensitivity, and 5) balance among different levels of consciousness. Each form is applied to mindfulness at work with a discussion of relevant conceptual issues in addition to implications for research and practice.
