A workplace mindfulness training program may affect mindfulness, well-being, health literacy and work performance of upper-level ICT-managers: An exploratory study in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction Mindfulness-based interventions have gained more importance in workplace health promotion due to increased psychological distress in the digital era. Although managers in the information communication technology sector (ICT)-sector are at risk for lower mental health, few studies have evaluated the effects of workplace mindfulness trainings (WMT) on upper-level ICT-managers. Methods By applying a mixed methods approach, the study aimed at exploring differences in upper-level ICT-managers’ mindfulness, well-being, health literacy and work performance at the beginning of a WMT (t0), immediately after (t1) and 3  months after (t2) a WMT. Thirteen groups of managers (n = 56) completed the training and three corresponding surveys consecutively from October 2019 to April 2021. Managers rated their mindfulness (MAAS), well-being (WHO-5), health literacy, and work performance (HPQ). During the COVID-19-pandemic the training switched from a live on-site mode to a hybrid mode and finally to a digital mode. Repeated measures ANOVAs and Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc analyses were used for data analysis. Open-ended responses were content analyzed. Results We found significant differences in managers’ mindfulness [F(2.106) = 3.376, p = 0.038, ηp2 = 0.06, n = 54], well-being [F(2.106) = 73.019, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.17, n = 54], health literacy [F(2.108) = 9.067, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.15, n = 55], and work performance [F(2.80) = 7.008, p = 0.002, ηp2 = 0.15, n = 41] between t0 and t2. Significant differences between t0 and t1 were also found for well-being, health literacy and work performance, but not for mindfulness. Qualitative findings demonstrated positive training effects, barriers and facilitators to daily application of mindfulness practice. Discussion The results suggest that compared to the beginning of the WMT, the post and follow-up measurements showed outcome improvements. The workplace mindfulness training may thus be a promising program to facilitate mental health and working capabilities among upper-level ICT-managers. Contextual workplace factors need to be considered to sustain long-term mindfulness practice of managers.

[1]  A. Bakker,et al.  Leadership and Job Demands-Resources Theory: A Systematic Review , 2021, Frontiers in Psychology.

[2]  W. Haas,et al.  Die verschiedenen Phasen der COVID-19-Pandemie in Deutschland: Eine deskriptive Analyse von Januar 2020 bis Februar 2021 , 2021, Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz.

[3]  M. Diercke,et al.  Die verschiedenen Phasen der COVID-19-Pandemie in Deutschland: Eine deskriptive Analyse von Januar 2020 bis Februar 2021 , 2021, Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz.

[4]  Laura Ilona Urrila.  From personal wellbeing to relationships: A systematic review on the impact of mindfulness interventions and practices on leaders , 2021 .

[5]  Tanuja Sharma.  Book review: Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter, The Mind of the Leader: How to Lead Yourself, Your People, and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results , 2020, Journal of Human Values.

[6]  S. Jordan,et al.  Inanspruchnahme von Maßnahmen der betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung in Deutschland – Ergebnisse der Studie „Gesundheit in Deutschland aktuell“ (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS) , 2020, Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz.

[7]  Andreia P. Costa,et al.  The WHO-5 well-being index – validation based on item response theory and the analysis of measurement invariance across 35 countries , 2020, Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.

[8]  Peter B. Jones,et al.  Effectiveness of providing university students with a mindfulness-based intervention to increase resilience to stress: 1-year follow-up of a pragmatic randomised controlled trial , 2020, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

[9]  A. Bakker,et al.  Job Demands–Resources theory and self-regulation: new explanations and remedies for job burnout , 2020, Anxiety, stress, and coping.

[10]  S. Gondim,et al.  Stress and well-being at work: a literature review. , 2020, Ciencia & saude coletiva.

[11]  N. Kawakami,et al.  Construct validity and test-retest reliability of the World Mental Health Japan version of the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire Short Version: a preliminary study , 2020, Industrial health.

[12]  L. Waller,et al.  Developing leaders through mindfulness practice , 2020 .

[13]  M. Bohus,et al.  Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials , 2020 .

[14]  Jonathan J Mohr,et al.  Assessing Perceived Barriers to Meditation: the Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory-Revised (DMPI-R) , 2020, Mindfulness.

[15]  Ravi S. Kudesia,et al.  Leader Mindfulness and Employee Performance: A Sequential Mediation Model of LMX Quality, Interpersonal Justice, and Employee Stress , 2019 .

[16]  J. Reb,et al.  A self-regulation model of leader authenticity based on mindful self-regulated attention and political skill , 2019, Human Relations.

[17]  K. Xin,et al.  The Interpersonal Benefits of Leader Mindfulness: A Serial Mediation Model Linking Leader Mindfulness, Leader Procedural Justice Enactment, and Employee Exhaustion and Performance , 2019 .

[18]  M. Wittmann,et al.  Mindful Leader Development: How Leaders Experience the Effects of Mindfulness Training on Leader Capabilities , 2019, Front. Psychol..

[19]  H. Pfaff,et al.  Managers’ Well-Being in the Digital Era: Is it Associated with Perceived Choice Overload and Pressure from Digitalization? An Exploratory Study , 2019, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[20]  Katharina G. Kugler,et al.  Mindfulness and Leadership: Communication as a Behavioral Correlate of Leader Mindfulness and Its Effect on Follower Satisfaction , 2019, Front. Psychol..

[21]  A. Bjørndal,et al.  Long-term Mental Health Effects of Mindfulness Training: a 4-Year Follow-up Study , 2019, Mindfulness.

[22]  E. Donaldson-Feilder,et al.  What outcomes have mindfulness and meditation interventions for managers and leaders achieved? A systematic review , 2018, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.

[23]  B. Gusy,et al.  The job demands-resources model: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies , 2018, Work & Stress.

[24]  T. Lomas,et al.  Mindfulness-based interventions in the workplace: An inclusive systematic review and meta-analysis of their impact upon wellbeing , 2018, The Journal of Positive Psychology.

[25]  H. Pfaff,et al.  Exploring the Association Between Health Literacy and Psychological Well-Being Among Industry Managers in Germany , 2018, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine.

[26]  Steven Cummins,et al.  Taking account of context in population health intervention research: guidance for producers, users and funders of research , 2018 .

[27]  M. Wittmann,et al.  A Workplace Mindfulness Intervention May Be Associated With Improved Psychological Well-Being and Productivity. A Preliminary Field Study in a Company Setting , 2018, Front. Psychol..

[28]  Per Winkel,et al.  When and how should multiple imputation be used for handling missing data in randomised clinical trials – a practical guide with flowcharts , 2017, BMC Medical Research Methodology.

[29]  S. Grover,et al.  Mindfulness as a personal resource to reduce work stress in the job demands‐resources model , 2017, Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress.

[30]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and Implementation: A Meta-Analysis , 2017, The Journal of applied psychology.

[31]  R. B. Johnson,et al.  How to Construct a Mixed Methods Research Design , 2017, Kolner Zeitschrift fur Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie.

[32]  J. Haar,et al.  Mindfulness and job performance: a study of Australian leaders , 2017 .

[33]  Lasse Lychnell.  When work becomes meditation: how managers use work as a tool for personal growth , 2017 .

[34]  Peter D. Harms,et al.  Leadership and stress: A meta-analytic review , 2017 .

[35]  Jyotsna Sanzgiri,et al.  “Moments of Waking Up” , 2017 .

[36]  A. P. Verdorfer.  Examining Mindfulness and Its Relations to Humility, Motivation to Lead, and Actual Servant Leadership Behaviors , 2016, Mindfulness.

[37]  A. P. Verdorfer.  Examining Mindfulness and Its Relations to Humility, Motivation to Lead, and Actual Servant Leadership Behaviors , 2016 .

[38]  Timothy J. Vogus,et al.  Mindfulness in Organizations: A Cross-Level Review , 2016 .

[39]  D. Lamis,et al.  The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale: Further Examination of Dimensionality, Reliability, and Concurrent Validity Estimates , 2016, Journal of personality assessment.

[40]  W. Schaufeli.  Engaging leadership in the job demands-resources model , 2015 .

[41]  Alejandro Rodriguez,et al.  Metaphors for today’s leadership: VUCA world, millennial and “Cloud Leaders” , 2015 .

[42]  A. Beauducel,et al.  Evaluation des Gesundheitsverhaltens Studierender , 2015 .

[43]  N. Kohls,et al.  Mindful in a random forest: Assessing the validity of mindfulness items using random forests methods , 2015 .

[44]  P. Bech,et al.  The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: A Systematic Review of the Literature , 2015, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

[45]  Nirbhay N. Singh,et al.  Meditation Awareness Training (MAT) for Work-related Wellbeing and Job Performance: A Randomised Controlled Trial , 2014, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.

[46]  F. Luthans,et al.  The role of mindfulness and psychological capital on the well-being of leaders. , 2014, Journal of occupational health psychology.

[47]  Alexander Pundt,et al.  The Impact of Health-Oriented Leadership on Follower Health: Development and Test of a New Instrument Measuring Health-Promoting Leadership , 2014 .

[48]  P. Scuffham,et al.  Exploring the Validity of HPQ-Based Presenteeism Measures to Estimate Productivity Losses in the Health and Education Sectors , 2014, Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making.

[49]  Chieh-Yu Liu,et al.  Health literacy, self‐efficacy, and self‐care behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus , 2013, Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

[50]  Ute R. Hülsheger,et al.  Benefits of mindfulness at work: the role of mindfulness in emotion regulation, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction. , 2013, The Journal of applied psychology.

[51]  J. Bono,et al.  MINDFULNESS AT WORK , 2011 .

[52]  Charles Baron,et al.  Fostering post‐conventional consciousness in leaders: why and how? , 2011 .

[53]  M. Govers,et al.  Immunity to change: how to overcome it and unlock the potential in yourself and your organization , 2009, International Journal of Integrated Care.

[54]  Wilmar B. Schaufeli,et al.  Reciprocal relationships between job resources, personal resources, and work engagement. , 2009 .

[55]  Thomas Heidenreich,et al.  Die deutsche Version der Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS) Psychometrische Befunde zu einem Achtsamkeitsfragebogen , 2008 .

[56]  P. Sainsbury,et al.  Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. , 2007, International journal for quality in health care : journal of the International Society for Quality in Health Care.

[57]  A. Bakker,et al.  The job demands-resources model : state of the art , 2007 .

[58]  Brian S. Butler,et al.  Reliability, Mindfulness, and Information Systems , 2006, MIS Q..

[59]  Paul E. Stang,et al.  Using the World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) to Evaluate the Indirect Workplace Costs of Illness , 2004, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine.

[60]  Willem Verbeke,et al.  Using the job demands‐resources model to predict burnout and performance , 2004 .

[61]  J. Kabat-Zinn,et al.  Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future , 2003 .

[62]  Ronald C. Kessler,et al.  The World Health Organization Health and Work Performance Questionnaire (HPQ) , 2003, Journal of occupational and environmental medicine.

[63]  A. Bakker,et al.  The job demands-resources model of burnout. , 2001, The Journal of applied psychology.

[64]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[65]  Magdalena Stadin,et al.  Technostress operationalised as information and communication technology (ICT) demands among managers and other occupational groups - Results from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) , 2021, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[66]  Christine Nadel,et al.  Case Study Research Design And Methods , 2016 .

[67]  Eurofound.  Sixth European Working Conditions Survey – Overview Report , 2016 .

[68]  M. Sohail.  Stress and Health at the Workplace-A Review of the Literature , 2015 .

[69]  Theresa M. Glomb,et al.  MINDFULNESS AT WORK , 2011 .

[70]  Adriana Gamazo,et al.  EURYDICE (2013): Key data on teachers and school leaders in Europe. 2013 edition Eurydice report (Luxembourg Publications Office of the European Union) , 2013 .

[71]  D. Dunning.  The Dunning–Kruger Effect , 2011 .

[72]  E. Lykins,et al.  Mindfulness and positive psychological functioning. , 2011 .

[73]  C. Helfferich.  Die Qualität qualitativer Daten : Manual für die Durchführung qualitativer Interviews , 2011 .

[74]  Udo Kuckartz,et al.  Einführung in die computergestützte Analyse qualitativer Daten , 2005 .

[75]  R. Ryan,et al.  The benefits of being present: mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. , 2003, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[76]  M. Patton.  Qualitative research & evaluation methods , 2002 .

[77]  D. Nutbeam,et al.  Health promotion glossary (1998) , 1998 .