Foreword

Summary

Scholarly and practical interest in mindfulness has exploded in recent years, bringing with it questions about what mindfulness is, how it differs from related concepts in organization and management, and on the effectiveness of organizational mindfulness interventions. Professors Jochen Reb and Paul W. B. Atkins have gathered together the leading scholars and practitioners into a collection that seeks to address these questions and to demonstrate the theoretical and practical richness of mindfulness. This collection is deeply based in scholarship, taking care to discuss the history of mindfulness research, methodological challenges and critical debates; yet, it also includes several chapters by mindfulness teachers and practitioners. Thus, scholars interested in mindfulness can read rich descriptions of mindfulness interventions, and practitioners can better understand the empirical and theoretical basis of mindfulness research.

While mindfulness has traditionally centered on stress reduction, here the concept is applied to new areas of management scholarship, helping to further our understanding of negotiation, decision making, work-life balance, creativity and leadership, among others. It is a resource for those already conducting research on mindfulness as well as those considering moving into this exciting new area of organizational scholarship. This collection will also be useful to practitioners and educators who would like to know what others have done that has been effective and what has not worked so well. Overall we anticipate that this collection will help establish mindfulness in organizations as an important topic within management research and practice.