A Mindful Leader: Mindfulness Strengthens the Leadership Ability of the Leaders in Higher Education Institute

Burmansah Burmansah; Komang Sutawan; Heldy Ramadhan Putra P; Asep Ramadhan

doi:10.35445/alishlah.v14i4.2734

A Mindful Leader: Mindfulness Strengthens the Leadership Ability of the Leaders in Higher Education Institute

Burmansah Burmansah, Komang Sutawan, Heldy Ramadhan Putra P, Asep Ramadhan

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to describe the practice of leader's mindfulness, which affects leadership ability. This research was conducted at Higher Education School in France. The study used the qualitative research method of a single case study. The data collection techniques used were observation, interviews, and documentation. The procedures in the study had six steps: plan, design, prepare, collection of the data, data analysis, and share. Analysis of the study was done with data validity testing using a data source, method, technique triangulations by pattern matching and used Nvivo 12 Plus. The result of the research shows that the leader develops mindfulness practice in his daily routine through mindfulness values and leadership actions. The training increases leadership's ability to develop concentration and decision-making by practising the formal and informal practice of mindfulness. The Practice brings the leadership ability to create relationships with the community and develop compassion and nonjudgmental attention in leadership activities. The research can benefit the practice of educational leadership to develop their leader's abilities to challenge the status quo in their workplace-based mindfulness. It is how the leader sets mindfulness practice on their leadership practice.

Keywords

educational leadership; educational leader leadership mindfulness; mindful leadership; mindful leader

Full Text:

PDF

References

Arnold, K., & Walsh, M. (2017). Mindful Leadership and Employee Well-Being : The Mediating Role of Leader Behaviours. In Leading to Occupational Health and Safety: How Leadership Behaviours Impact Organizational Safety and Well-Being (In E.K. Ke, pp. 235–254). London: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330409339_Mindful_leadership_and_employee_well-being_The_mediating_role_of_leader_behaviours

Aviles, P. R., & Dent, E. B. (2015). The role of mindfulness in leading organizational transformation: a systematic review. The Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 20(3), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.9774/gleaf.3709.2015.ju.00005

Baer, D. (2017). Here’s What Google Teaches Employees In Its “Search Inside Yourself” Course. Retrieved November 8, 2018, from Business Insider website: https://www.businessinsider.sg/marc-benioff-monks-tips-for-mindful-meetings-2017-11/?r=US &IR=T

Bakosh, L. S., Snow, R. M., Tobias, J. M., Houlihan, J. L., & Leiker, C. B. (2016). Maximizing mindful learning: mindful awareness intervention improves elementary school students’ quarterly grades. City Research Online, 7(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0387-6

Beekum, S. Van. (2015). Mindfulness and leadership: a critical reflection. Business and Management Studies, 2(1), 44–50. https://doi.org/10.11114/bms.v2i1.1190

Beverage, S., DeLong, K., Herold, I. M. H., & Neufeld, K. (2014). Mindful leadership defined and explained. Advances in Librarianship Journal, 38, 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020140000038000

Bhandal, S. . S. K. (2015). Strengthening relationships through mindfulness practices (Trinity Western University Library; Vol. 3). Trinity Western University Library. Retrieved from https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/bhandal_s.pdf

Bogdan, B., & Biklen, S. K. (1992). Quality research for education: An introduction to theory and methods.

Brendel, W., Hankerson, S., Byun, S., & Cunningham, B. (2016). Cultivating leadership Dharma: Measuring the impact of regular mindfulness practice on creativity, resilience, tolerance for ambiguity, anxiety and stress. Journal of Management Development, 35(8), 1056–1078. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-09-2015-0127

Burmansah, B., Rugaiyah, R., Mukhtar, M., Nabilah, S., Ripki, A. J. H. A. J. H., & Fatayan, A. (2019). Mindful leadership: the ability of the leader to develop compassion and attention without judgment - a case study of the leader of buddhist higher education institute. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.1.51

Capurso, V., Fabbro, F., & Crescentini, C. (2014). Mindful creativity: the influence of mindfulness meditation on creative thinking. Frontiers in Psychology, 4(January), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.01020

Carleton, E. L., Barling, J., & Trivisonno, M. (2018). Leaders’ trait mindfulness and transformational leadership: the mediating roles of leaders’ positive affect and leadership self-efficacy. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 50(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000103

Chesley, J., & Wylson, A. (2016). Ambiguity: the emerging impact of mindfulness for change leaders. Journal of Change Management, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2016.1230334

Cohen, W. (2009). A class with drucker: the lost lessons of the world’s greatest management teacher. Nashville, United States: Harpercollins Focus.

Cresswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. In Muqarnas (3rd ed., Vol. 8). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publication Inc.

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design: choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). California, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Dawson, J. (2003). Reflectivity, Creativity, and the Space for Silence. Reflective Practice, 4(1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/1462394032000053512

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2013). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials (4th ed.; H. Samon, Ed.). Los Angles: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Didonna, F. (2009). Mindfulness and ocd: developing a way to trust and validate one’s internal experience. In Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness (In: Didonn, pp. 189–219). New York, NY: Springer,. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09593-6_12

Dolly, K. C., & Nonyelum, O. P. (2018). Impact of autocratic leadership style on job performance of subordinates in academic libraries in port harcourt, rivers state, nigeria. International Journal of Research - Granthaalayah, 6(10), 212–220. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1486215

Donaldson-Feilder, E., Lewis, R., & Yarker, J. (2019). What outcomes have mindfulness and meditation interventions for managers and leaders achieved? a systematic review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 28(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2018.1542379

Drucker, P. F. (2011). The practice of management. New York, USA: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

Dudley, J., Eames, C., Mulligan, J., & Fisher, N. (2018). Mindfulness of voices, self-compassion, and secure attachment in relation to the experience of hearing voices. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjc.12153

George, B. (2016). The Power of Mindful Leadership. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill?george/the?power?of?mindful?lead_b_7878482.html 2/5

Gilbert, P., & Procter, S. (2006). Compassionate Mind Training for People with High Shame and Self-Criticism: Overview and Pilot Study of a Group Therapy Approach. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 379, 353–379. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.507

Glomb, T. M., Duffy, M. K., Bono, J. E., & Yang, T. (2015). Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management Mindfulness at Work Article information : In Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (Vol. 30). Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0742-7301(2011)0000030005

Go, I., & JE, O. (2015). Impact of leadership style on organization performance: A Critical Literature Review. Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 5(5), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.4172/2223-5833.1000142

Gröschner, A., Seidel, T., Pehmer, A. K., & Kiemer, K. (2014). Facilitating collaborative teacher learning: the role of “mindfulness” in video-based teacher professional development programs. Gruppendynamik Und Organisationsberatung, 45(3), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-014-0248-0

Hanley, A. W., Warner, A. R., Dehili, V. M., Canto, A. I., & Garland, E. L. (2015). Washing Dishes to Wash the Dishes: Brief Instruction in an Informal Mindfulness Practice. Mindfulness, 6(5), 1095–1103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-014-0360-9

Hawley, L. L., Schwartz, D., Bieling, P. J., Irving, J., Corcoran, K., Farb, N. A. S., … Segal, Z. V. (2014). Mindfulness practice, rumination and clinical outcome in mindfulness-based treatment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 38(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-013-9586-4

Hougaard, R., Carter, J., & Dybkjaer, G. (2017, January). Spending 10 Minutes a Day on Mindfulness Subtly Changes the Way You React to Everything. Harvard Business Review, 2–4. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/01/spending-10-minutes-a-day-on-mindfulness-subtly-changes-the-way-you-react-to-everything

Hunter, J., & Chaskalson, M. (2013). Making the mindful leader. In H. S. Leonard, R. Lewis, A. M. Freedman, & J. Passmore (Eds.), The wiley-backwell handbook of the psychology of leadership, change, and organizational development (1st ed., pp. 195–219). New Jersey, USA: Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118326404.ch10

Kearney, W. S., Kelsey, C., & Herrington, D. (2013). Mindful leaders in highly effective schools: a mixed-method application of hoy’s m-scale. Educational Management Administration and Leadership, 41(3), 316–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143212474802

King, E., & Haar, J. M. (2017). Mindfulness and job performance: a study of australian leaders. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 55(3), 298–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12143

Klocko, B. A., & Wells, C. M. (2015). Workload pressures of principals: a focus on renewal, support, and mindfulness. NASSP Bulletin, 99(4), 332–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192636515619727

Koller, N. (2017). Mindful leadership: the impact of mindfulness on managers’ ethical responsibility (Library of Zurich University). Library of Zurich University. Retrieved from https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/bitstream/11475/7681/1/Koller_Nadine_W.MA.IB.pdf

Kroon, B., Van Woerkom, M., & Menting, C. (2017). Mindfulness as Substitute for Transformational Leadership. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 32(4), 284–297. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-07-2016-0223

Lange, S., Bormann, K. C., & Rowold, J. (2018). Mindful leadership: mindfulness as a new antecedent of destructive and transformational leadership behavior. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift Fur Angewandte Organisationspsychologie, 49(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-018-0413-y

Lewis, A. B., & Ebbeck, V. (2014). Mindful and Self-Compassionate Leadership Development: Preliminary Discussions with Wildland Fire Managers. Journal of Forestry, 112(2), 230–236. https://doi.org/10.5849/jof.12-107

Lippincott, M. (2018). Deconstructing the relationship between mindfulness and leader effectiveness. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 39(5), 650–664. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-11-2017-0340

Loubier, B. L. A., & Munoz, G. M. (2017). Mindfulness : Tapping Into Its Power to Achieve Professional and Personal Success and Wellness. The Abstract, (Spring), 31–39. Retrieved from https://www.stearnsweaver.com/files/2017 Gisela Munoz ACMA Mindfulness.pdf

Louis, Baron; Véronique, Rouleau; Simon, Grégoire; Charles, B. (2017). Journal of Management Development. Journal of Management Development, 37(2), 165–177. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-03-2016-0036

Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Leadership versus managmenet: a key distinction-at least in theory. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 14(1), 1–4. Retrieved from https://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/comp3120/local_docs/readings/Lunenburg_LeadershipVersusManagement.pdf

Luqman, R. A., Farhan, H. M., Shahzad, F., & Shaheen, S. (2012). 21st century challenges of educational leaders, way out and need of reflective practice. International Journal of Learning and Development, 2(1), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v2i1.1238

Lyn, H. (2013). Mindful leadership. 47(2), 208. https://doi.org/10.978.789492/004000

Mahfouz, J. (2018). Mindfulness training for school administrators: effects on well-being and leadership. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(6), 602–619. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-12-2017-0171

Mansi, M. (2011). Meditation and Workplace Creativity : A Potential Relationship Meditation and Workplace Creativity : A Potential Relationship. ANZAM 2011, 1–21. Wellington, New Zealand: Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7d5d/1b49d3a05074d854b1853c969d45663d9aad.pdf

Neff, K. (2003). Self-compassion: an alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860390129863

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory & Practice Seventh Edition (7th ed.). California: SAGE Publications, Inc.

Peterson, B. (2017). Marc Benio Relies on These Monks for Guidance — Here Are Their Tips for Holding Better, More Mindful Meetings Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff Has a Head for Meditation and Mindfulness . Benioff’s Love is So Great, In Fact, That He Has Formed A Close. The Business Insider US. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.sg/marc-benioff-monks-tips-for-mindful-meetings-2017-11/?r=US &IR=T

Peterson, K. J. (2015). Mindful instructional leadership practices of elementary principals in washington state (Proquest). Proquest. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/79ea/daa682a837122e4e71a95bce0a576a30be70.pdf

Pinck, A. S., & Sonnentag, S. (2018). Leader mindfulness and employee well-being: the mediating role of transformational leadership. Mindfulness Springer Science and Business Media Journal, 9(3), 884–896. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-017-0828-5

Piyasilo, V. (1992). Charisma in Buddhism. Malaysia: Dharmafarer Enterprises. Retrieved from https://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/charisma6.pdf

Pressley, M., Wood, E., Woloshyn, V. E., Martin, V., King, A., Pressley, M., & Menke, D. (2010). Encouraging mindful use of prior knowledge: attempting to construct explanatory answers facilitates learning encouraging mindful use of prior knowledge: attempting to construct explanatory answers facilitates learning. Educational Psychologist, 27(1), 91–109. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2701

Pritchard, J. (2015). Ideation , Creativity and Mindfulness : Investigating the Influence of Mindfulness Practice on (University of Alberta Library). University of Alberta Library. Retrieved from https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/3819d410-0c52-4adb-bb3e-7bbd0e29f554/view/59288617-ac54-4b5b-ac8d-03ed0d56515c/Pritchard_Justin_O_201509_MDes.pdf

Rauzi, R. (2013, February 23). Tapping into the power of mindfulness. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/23/business/la-fi-meditation-management-20130224

Rishel, C. (2015). The Role of Resilience and Mindful Leadership in Oncology Nursing. Oncology Nursing Forum, 42(2), 198–199. https://doi.org/10.1188/15.ONF.198-199

Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2018). Essentials of organizational behavior, global eEdition (14th ed.). arlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited.

Roeser, R. W. (2015). Mindfulness and Compassion in Human Development : Introduction to the Mindfulness and Compassion in Human Development : Introduction to the Special Section. Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038453

Rupprecht, S., Falke, P., Kohls, N., Tamdjidi, C., Wittmann, M., & Kersemaekers, W. (2019). Mindful leader development: how leaders experience the effects of mindfulness training on leader capabilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(May), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01081

Sauer, S., & Kohls, N. (2011). Mindfulness in Leadership: Does Being Mindful Enhance Leaders’ Business Success? In Culture and Neural Frames of Cognition and Communication (S. Han and, pp. 287–307). Verlag Berlin Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15423-2_17

Saviano, M., Caputo, F., & Prete, M. Del. (2018). Mindful leadership for sustainability: a theoretical and conceptual path. Excellence in Services 21th International Conference, 639–652. Paris, France: EISIC. Retrieved from http://sites.les.univr.it/eisic/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/46-Saviano-Caputo-Del-Prete.pdf

Schaufenbuel, K. (2014). Bringing mindfulness to your workplace. UK. Retrieved from https://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/~/media/Files/documents/executive-development/unc-white-paper-bringing-mindfulness-to-the-workplace_final.pdf

Schuh, S. C., Zheng, M. X., Xin, K. R., & Fernandez, J. A. (2017). The interpersonal benefits of leader mindfulness: a serial mediation model linking leader mindfulness, leader procedural justice enactment, and employee exhaustion and performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3610-7

Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences. (3rd ed.). New York, United States: Teachers College Press.

Sharp Rodriquez, J. A. (2015). Mindful Instructional Leadership: The Connection Between Principal Mindfulness and School Practices (Proquest). Proquest. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/97a1/76aa210ae2ed980ce32d3fcd16c42fcb1bd3.pdf

Sherretz, C. E. (2011). Mindfulness in education: case studies of mindful teachers and their teaching practices. Journal of Thought, 46(3), 79–96. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118294895.ch54

Sinkovics, N. (2018). The importance of pattern matching for business and management. In C. Cassell, A. Cunliffe, & G. Gina (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Business and Management Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, US: SAGE. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323856200_Pattern_matching_in_qualitative_analysis

Smuts, T. L. (2015). Mindfulness and its role in leader development (University of Pretoria). University of Pretoria. Retrieved from https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/52322/Smuts_Mindfulness_2016.pdf?sequence=1

Tingle, J. K. (2011). The relationship between organizational trust and mindfulness: an exploration of NCAA division III athletic departments (School of Business Faculty Research). School of Business Faculty Research. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&context=busadmin_faculty

van Marwijk, H., Sheffield, D., Armitage, C. J., Birtwell, K., Williams, K., van Marwijk, H., … Sheffield, D. (2018). An Exploration of Formal and Informal Mindfulness Practice and Associations with Wellbeing. Mindfulness, 2019(10), 89–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0951-y

Van Wietmarschen, H., Tjaden, B., Van Vliet, M., Battjes-Fries, M., & Jong, M. (2018). Effects of mindfulness training on perceived stress, self-compassion, and self-reflection of primary care physicians: a mixed-methods study. BJGP Open, 2(4), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen18x101621

Walsh, M. M., & Arnold, K. A. (2018). Mindfulness as a buffer of leaders’ self-rated behavioral responses to emotional exhaustion: a dual process model of self-regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(9), 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02498

Wamsler, C., Brossmann, J., Hendersson, H., Kristjansdottir, R., Mcdonald, C., & Scarampi, P. (2018). Mindfulness in sustainability science , practice , and teaching. Sustainability Science, 13(1), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-017-0428-2

Ward, S. F., & Haase, B. (2016). Conscious leadership. AORN Journal, 104(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2016.09.002

Wasylkiw, L., Holton, J., Azar, R., & Cook, W. (2015). The impact of mindfulness on leadership effectiveness in a health care setting: a pilot study. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 29(7), 893–911. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-06-2014-0099

Weber, J. (2017). Mindfulness is not enough: Why equanimity holds the key to compassion. Mindfulness & Compassion, 2(2), 149–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mincom.2017.09.004

Wells, C. M. (2015). Conceptualizing mindful leadership in schools how the practice of mindfulness informs the practice of leading. The National Council of Professors of Educational Administration (NCPEA), 2(1), 1–5. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105711.pdf

Wylson, A., & Chesley, J. A. (2016). The Benefits of Mindfulness in Leading Transformational Change. Graziadio Business Review, 19(1), 1–13. Retrieved from https://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2016/04/the-benefits-of-mindfulness-in-leading-transformational-change/

Xuan Bach, P. (2014). A dissertation: mindful leadership – a phenomenological study of vietnamese buddhist monks in america with respect to their spiritual leadership roles and contributions to society (ProQuest LLC). ProQuest LLC. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1860/4433

Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research: design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Yukl, G., & Mahsud, R. (2010). Why flexible and adaptive leadership is essential. Consulting Psychology Journal, 62(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019835

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i4.2734