Mindfulness Could Help Individuals Boost Creativity in Several Ways

Definition: “The combination of ongoing scrutiny of existing expectations, continuous refinement and differentiation of expectations based on newer experiences, willingness and capability to invent new expectations that make sense of unprecedented events, a more nuanced appreciation of context and ways to deal with it, and identification of new dimensions of context that improve foresight and current functioning.”  

Potential business benefits: mindfulness is fundamentally connected to many aspects of workplace functioning, and associates training with improvement in three key areas: Wellbeing, Relationships and Performance（Leadership Decision-making Creativity and innovation）:

Mindfulness could help individuals boost creativity in several ways: Focus mindfulnesspracticeresultsinanimprovedabilitytofocusandfilteroutother mental processes and external distractions during creative tasks. • Idea generation-Inone study scientists reported that “open monitoring” meditation (non-reactive observation of your thoughts over time) promoted “divergent thinking” a type of thinking that allows new ideas to be generated.

• Flexible thinking-Mindfulness reduces cognitive rigidity(the tendency to be b linded by experience). Instead it increases the capacity to respond in novel and adaptive ways to a particular problem. Mindfulness deliberately disrupts and erodes our habitual patterns of responding, leaving us receptive to new ideas and ways of thinking. Organizational transformation via collative mindfulness  

Quantitative evidence about the effect of mindfulness as a social practice within and across teams is only available for a small number of organisations, but research points to: • increased customer loyalty and customer satisfaction • improved safety outcomes for organisations as a whole • reduced employee emotional exhaustion and turnover • increases in innovation and financial performance • reduction in malpractice claims.

How collective mindfulness could be developed  • paying attention to change and variation in how people work and how work is organised  • an attitude of openness towards discussing problems or issues that could affect individuals, teams, or the organisation as a whole  • intentionally welcoming and encouraging critical dialogue at all levels of the organisation  • encouraging flexibility and fluid organisation of work tasks and people acting on the understanding that expertise changes across different tasks and situations, and deferring to actual expertise rather than to structural hierarchy.  

Workplace implementation  

 Getting started Scoping and planning 

Assessing training options: teacher-led programs; virtual webinars; digital programs and apps.

Identifying suitable training providers: external mindfulness trainer check list; internal mindfulness；trainer checklist  Gaining buy-in 

Dealing with common myth:1mindfulness is religion by the back door2mindfulness and meditation are the same thing3mindfulness is about being able to empty your mind4the aim of mindfulness is to become relaxed and chilled out5mindfulness is just about paying attention to the breath 6mindfulness training is good for everyone and helps with everthing7mindfulness is dangerous8mindfulness breeds passive employees and doesn’t lead to change in toxic organizational cultures9mindfulness is purely being exploite by businesses for capitalist ends.

 Implementation and roll-out  

Measuring and evaluating mindfulness programme outcomes: Incorporating Evaluation & Return on Investment (ROI) It’s always best to build in evaluation and ways to measure return on investment at the outset of the project rather than bolting it on at the end. Physiological measurement Physiological measurement involves assessing variables that serve as indicators for health and wellbeing. Cognitive assessment Cognitive assessment involves participants undertaking tasks that provide an index of some aspect of cognitive function, such as attention or memory. Psychometric questionnaires Psychometric questionnaires involve a set number of questions that together are regarded as assessing a particular psychological variable.