Stress Management andMindfulness in the Workplace
By Miles Overholt and Mark Vickers

1Executive Summary
Mindfulness is the art of living in the moment. The idea dates backmillennia, but only recently has it been promoted as a valuable
workplace practice.
Why?
Some observers view it as a possible treatment for a number ofworkplace ills, ranging from rising stress levels to declining job
satisfaction to shortages of excellent leaders. Such beliefs partly
stem from scientific reports indicating that mindfulness practices
reduce stress and enhance concentration.
Despite such beliefs, however, there have been few studies of
workplace mindfulness practices or their effectiveness.
To help fill this gap in the research, the American Management
Association conducted a major survey in association with theBusiness Research Consortium (see sidebar). Following arehighlights from the study:
About half of respondents’ firms are leveraging
mindfulness as a part of their training and/or
management practices. That is, 49% of their organizations
provide mindfulness-related training or resources to some degree,
and about one-quarter do so to at least a moderate degree.
Mindfulness practices are seen as beneficial. Amongrespondents from the organizations that leverage mindfulness
practices, about 85% reported that mindfulness training and/or
resources are at least somewhat beneficial to their organizations,and nearly two fifths viewed them as “very beneficial.”
Workplace stress is a major problem in today’sorganizations. Among all the issues explored in the study,
the problem of high stress levels ranked highest. Well overhalf of respondents said their organizations suffered from aboveaverage stress levels, while just 8% reported less-than-averageamounts of worker stress.

About This Study
The findings in this report originate
from the American Management
Association’s Mindfulness Survey,
conducted in collaboration with theBusiness Research Consortium (BRC)
in late 2014. BRC provides researchexpertise to professional firms andvendors. Gathering information from991 respondents, most of them
residing in the United States, the survey
asked participants about whether
their organizations were using or
supporting mindfulness practices and,if so, how this was being done. It also
asked a series of questions about thestate of their organizations in termsof workforce-related issues such as
engagement and stress, as well as
leadership issues such as emotional
intelligence and decision-making
abilities.

2

Respondents who practice mindfulness believe the
top benefits are in the areas of stress reduction andincreased productivity. Among those who engage in off-ofthe-job mindfulness practices, 85% report that mindfulness helps
them control stress at work, and 82% say it makes them moreproductive.
Few leaders are good at managing employee stress. Only
about one-quarter of respondents said their leaders were above
average in this area. According to respondents, many leaders arealso lacking in the areas of emotional intelligence and employee
engagement.
There are five key associations between mindfulness andorganizational performance. The study asked about various
facets of organizational and leadership performance and thencorrelated those facets with the degree to which mindfulness
practices were used. The strongest positive relationships between
mindfulness are:

There is a
widespread
impression
among study
participants that
mindfulness
practices canhave a beneficial
impact on theirorganizations• Employee engagement• Leaders’ ability to engage employees• Leaders’ emotional intelligence• Leaders’ ability to manage stress• An averaged index of multiple leadership abilities
No single mindfulness practice dominates in today’sorganizations. This may speak to the variety of such practices or
to fact that, as with any relatively new practice, organizations arestill experimenting with which ones best fit their needs.
Mindfulness practices are usually voluntary. Most
respondents whose organizations support mindfulness training
said that participation is voluntary (67%). Just 4% said it was
mandatory.
Bottom Line: There is a widespread impression among study
participants that mindfulness practices can have a beneficial
impact on their organizations. Although correlation is notcausation, a statistical investigation lends support to the ideathat mindfulness practices are positively related to various otherperformance indicators, such as employee engagement andleadership ability.

3Key Workforce Management Issues
To gain a better understanding of the management challenges facing U.S. organizations, the study asked about
employee engagement, worker stress levels, absenteeism, staff turnover, interpersonal conflicts, and decision-making.

Figure 1
Attaining High Levels of Employee Engagement Remains
a Challenge in Many U.S Organizations

Employee Engagement in
Participating Organizations
High

11.8%

35.5%

Average

Poor

Figure 1 illustrates that, according to
respondents, organizations were split
between those that reported higher-thanaverage employee engagement (46%) andthose who said employee engagement
was average or lower (54%). Considerably
more respondents reported aboveaverage engagement than below-average
engagement.

34.0%

Above
Average

Below
Average

Finding 1: For Many,
Employee Engagement Is
Mediocre or Worse

14.3%

4.3%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

4

Figure 2
High Stress Has Become a Significant Problem in U.S. Organizations,
Outranking Other Workforce Management Issues

Finding 2: High Stress Isa Major Challenge

Percent of Organizations That Experience
the Following Issues to an Above Averageor Very High Degree

Among all the workforce-related issues we
explored, the problem of high stress levels
ranked highest. Fully 55% of respondents
indicated that their organizations sufferedfrom an above average or very high degreeof employee stress. In contrast, only about
8% reported their organizations had lessthan-average amounts of employee stress.

55.4%

StressLevelsPoor
DecisionMaking

21.8%

Staff
Turnover

21.1%

17.1%

Interpersonal
Conflicts

Absenteeism

9.0%

Although employee stress was the highest
ranking problem, it was not the only one.
More than one-fifth of the respondents
indicated their organizations showed
unusually high degrees of poor decisionmaking and worker turnover. Interpersonal
conflicts were also a problem in many
companies.
All in all, the typical respondent’sorganization exhibits high levels of
employee stress, punctuated by significant
levels of poor decision-making andinterpersonal conflicts. Not only does thissuggest that such operational problems are
relatively common, it indicates that many
respondents are working in environmentsthat are potentially detrimental toemployee health.

0% 6% 12% 18% 24% 30% 36% 42% 48% 56%

5Figure 3
The Most Significant Leadership Deficits Are In the Areas ofStress Management, Ability to Engage, and Emotional Intelligence

Percent of Respondents Whose Leaders
Demonstrate These Qualities to an Average,
Below Average, and Very Low Average Degree
75.4%

StressManagement

Ability to
EngageEmployees

66.6%

EmotionalIntelligence

64.8%

Wise
DecisionMaking
Resilience in
the Face of
Setbacks

59.3%

Finding 3: There Are
Three Key Leadership
Deficits
This study also examined leadership, asking
respondents to rate the degree to whichleaders in their organizations demonstrated
five qualities:• Emotional intelligence• Wise decision-making• Ability to engage employees• Resilience in the face of setbacks• Stress management
Of all the leadership qualities we
examined, stress management received
the lowest scores. Only about one-quarterof respondents said their leaders wereabove average in this area, whereas threequarters said they were average or worse.
These findings are consistent with the
responses to the previous question aboutorganizational problems (see Figure 2),
which found high employee stress levels
are common.
Stress is a major issue and many leaders
are not effectively addressing it. Thisfinding, above all others, indicatesthat organizations could benefit frommindfulness programs.

46.9%

8% 16% 24% 32% 40% 48% 56% 64% 72% 80%

6Figure 3
The Most Significant Leadership Deficits Are In the Areas ofStress Management, Ability to Engage, and Emotional Intelligence

Percent of Respondents Whose Leaders
Demonstrate These Qualities to an Average,
Below Average, and Very Low Average Degree
75.4%

StressManagement

Ability to
EngageEmployees

66.6%

64.8%

EmotionalIntelligence

Wise
DecisionMaking
Resilience in
the Face of
Setbacks(Finding 3 continued)
Perhaps related to these poor stressmanagement skills are concerns about
emotional intelligence and employee
engagement. Only about 34.3% ofparticipants rated their leaders as above
average in these two areas.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be defined
as a person’s ability to correctly assess hisor her own emotions and the emotionsof others and to use such information to
engage in appropriate behaviors. Leaders
who are less emotionally intelligent areprobably less capable of managing theirown or their subordinates’ stress levels
well.
Similarly, leaders who lack a high degree
of EI may well have a more difficult timeengaging employees. After all, employees
suffering from high levels of workplacestress are not likely to feel engaged intheir work. Rather, they are likely to resent
leaders for unrealistic and stress-inducing
workloads.

59.3%

46.9%

8% 16% 24% 32% 40% 48% 56% 64% 72% 80%

7The State of Mindfulness Practices in Today’s Organizations
Figure 4
Nearly Half of Organizations Are Leveraging Mindfulness
Practices, Few Are Doing So to a High Degree

Finding 4: Nearly Halfof Respondents’ Firms
Leverage Mindfulness

Organizations Providing Training
or Other Resources for
Mindfulness Practices

So, given the high stress of today’s
workplace, what proportion oforganizations have introduced mindfulness
training or otherwise provided resources
to mindfulness practices? Among our
respondents, nearly half stated thatthey do this to some degree. But only
about one-quarter of participants saytheir organizations provide training or
resources in mindfulness to at least amoderate degree, and just 13% said theirorganizations do so to a very or fairly highdegree.

Very
High

Fairly
High

5.2%

7.7%

13.8%

Moderate

22.2%

Low

45.8%

Not at
All
Don’t
Know

5.2%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%8Figure 5
Among Organizations That Leverage Mindfulness, the Most
Commonly Used Are Attention-Training Exercises and Yoga/Tai Chi

Percent of Respondents Whose
Organizations Use These Types of Practices
Attention
Training

30.1%

28.2%

Yoga/
Tai ChiBreathing
Exercises

18.2%

17.9%

Visualization
Journaling
Meditative
Walking
Other

Mindfulness practices can take many forms,
so the survey asked participants about theirorganization’s practices. The study foundthat no single practice dominates, which
may speak to the variety of mindfulnessrelated practices or to the fact that, as withany relatively new practice, organizations
are still experimenting with which ones
best fit their needs.
About 30% said their organizations
make “Attention-training exercises”
available, but this is a catch-all categorythat potentially includes any or all of theother listed practices. Among the morewell-defined practices, the most commonly
provided or supported one was “Yoga or
Tai Chi,” with over one-quarter (28%) ofparticipants choosing it. It was followed by“Meditation,” at 24%.

24.0%

Meditation

Finding 5: The Most
Commonly-Used
Practices Involve
Attention-Training

14.2%

11.1%

39.6%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

In 2013, it was reported that 15 million
people regularly participated in yoga in
the U.S., and over $27 billion was spent
on yoga products. Some sources reportthat there are as many as 300 million
yoga practitioners worldwide. As for taichi, a National Health Interview Survey
reported that about 2.5 million individuals
practice it in the U.S., and another half
million perform its close cousin qigong.
One source reports that, around the world,
nearly 250 million people practice taichi. Therefore, many organizations havelittle problem finding trainers capableof teaching these mindfulness-related
practices.

9Defining Common Mindfulness Practices
Yoga: A system of exercises, many of which involve stretching into
poses and holding them for a time. The goal is to enhance wellbeing while attaining greater control over body and mind. Althoughoriginating in India as part of religious traditions, a nonreligious formof the discipline was popularized in the U.S. and elsewhere in
the 20th century.
Tai chi: Although a martial arts discipline originating in China, it isgenerally viewed as a form of mindful exercise. Practitioners perform aseries of movements known as kata, often at a slow andcontrolled pace.
Meditation: An umbrella term that generally refers to practices
designed to help people regulate their attention from moment tomoment. So-called mindfulness meditation is a nonsectarian-based
form with roots in Western research on stress and other conditions.
It is designed to develop the skill of paying attention to internal andexternal experiences with acceptance, patience, and compassion.
Visualization: Often used in tandem with meditation, it generally
involves envisioning images and experiences to help enhancerelaxation or attention on passing thoughts.
Breathing exercises: Focusing on breathing is a common wayof centering a person’s attention during meditation, but breathing
exercises can also be used to increase relaxation and reducestress hormones.
Journaling: Involves keeping a journal that can be used to record
sensations, thoughts, feelings, and ideas. The goal is to make thepractitioner more aware of what is currently happening in his or
her mind.
Meditative walking: A method in which practitioners focus on their
immediate experiences as they walk. The goal is to focus awareness on
the experience of walking. It can be easier for people to focus on theirbodies while walking as opposed to sitting.
Attention training: An umbrella term for any type of training
designed to help people concentrate their attention on something.
Practices range from meditation to specific games or tasks in which
players are required to intently focus on something in orderto progress.

Organizations were not as likely toprovide visualization, journaling, andmeditative walking practices, but wemust note that most of the mindfulness
practices listed in the survey question
could be considered variations on
the theme of meditation. Breathing
exercises are generally associated withmeditation, and yoga is a disciplinethat includes breath control andmeditation as well as various body
postures. Therefore, the lines between
each mindfulness method are often
blurred.
In addition to asking respondents
about specific mindfulness-enhancing
practices, we also asked them to writein other practices that were not listed.
A number of the write-ins were notwhat are generally considered related
to mindfulness. Among them were
Pilates, gym workouts, running events,and job effectiveness training. Items
that seemed more directly related
to mindfulness included speakers
on the subject, lunch events during
which related books are discussed,
websites that give people guidancein mindfulness practices, wellness
programs, and mindfulness training
specifically geared to higher level
managers.
10

On Delivering Mindfulness Training
Finding 6: Voluntary
Participation Is Common

Figure 6
The Majority of Mindfulness Programs Are ThoseThat Employees Engage In Voluntarily

Most respondents whose organizations
support mindfulness training said thatparticipation is voluntary (67%). Just 4%
said it was mandatory. The rest either
said they didn’t know (18%) or that “itdepends” (10%). We added “it depends”
to possible responses because, while we
expected that most programs in any given
organization would be voluntary, somemight be part of mandatory development
or employee assistance programs.

Type of Participation in
Respondent Organzations
4.2%
18.2%

Organizations might find that mandating
mindfulness training is self-defeating. An
employee who resents being asked tospend time on such training -- which could
be viewed as unconnected to work skills -is unlikely to benefit from it. And, becausesome techniques have, at least in termsof their origins, a religious or spiritualconnotation, other human resource-related
issues could arise.

10.3%

67.3%

4.2%

Mandatory

67.3%

Voluntary

10.3%

It Depends

18.2%

Don’t Know11

Finding 7: Delivery Is Not
Yet Standardized

Figure 7
There Is No Standard Way to Deliver Such Training

There is no obvious “right way” of giving
employees access to mindfulness-related
workshops, presentations, and/or training(see Figure 7). Among the participants
whose organizations do this, about
one-third primarily used internal trainers,
another third mainly used external vendors,
and the remaining third used both.

How Respondents' Organization Provided
Employees Access to Mindfulness-Related
Ideas, Interventions, and/or Training

30.3%
35.1%

The lack of a common practice in this area
is another indicator that mindfulnessrelated training in the workplace is still inthe early stages. We expect that, over time,
one of these three methods of providing
access will become more common thanthe others.

34.6%
35.1%

Primarily External Vendors

34.6%

Both Internal Trainers andExternal Vendors

30.3%

Primarily Internal Trainers
and Educators

12Figure 8
The Large Majority of Respondents to This StudyEngage In Mindfulness Practices Outside the Workplace

Degree to Which Participants Engage in
Mindfulness Practices Outside of Work
6.8%

12.1%

22.6%

24.0%

34.5%

6.8%

Very High Degree

22.6%

Fairly High Degree

34.5%

Moderate Degree

24.0%

Low Degree

12.1%

Not at All

Finding 8: Most
Respondents Practice
Mindfulness
The study found that a surprisingly highnumber of respondents (88%) engage
in mindfulness practices outside of work(see Figure 8). Nearly 30% report thatthey practice mindfulness to a high or avery high degree. If we include those who
engage in mindfulness to a moderate
degree, then almost 65% practice withsome regularity and focus.
This suggests there was a significant
degree of self-selection among those who
decided to respond to this survey. It is
important to keep this factor in mind wheninterpreting the other results of the study.
Many of the respondents may have cometo it with a pre-established interest in
mindfulness and a presumed belief
in its efficacy.
Another interpretation of the data isthat many respondents are employed
in stressful work environments and soare more likely to adopt mindfulness
practices in their personal lives. In thisstudy, demographic and organizational
performance questions indicate that many
participants are employed in global, highperforming organizations that presumably
demand long hours and accurate, highquality work.

13Types of Practices Individuals Adopt
Figure 9Meditation Is the Most Commonly Used Mindfulness Practice Among
Individuals Who Pursue Such Activities in Their Personal Lives

Degree to Which Individuals Pursue These
Mindfulness Practice Outside of Work

46.3%

Meditation
Breathing
Exercises

45.4%

Visualization

39.5%

Meditative
Walking

38.5%

Yoga orTai Chi

29.9%

Journaling

28.3%

Various AttentionTraining Exercises
Other

23.8%

17.7%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Finding 9: Meditation
and Breathing Exercises
Are Key
When engaging in mindfulness practices
outside of the workplace, respondents
were most likely to practice “Meditation”
or “Breathing exercises.” By comparison,
the most commonly provided or supported
practices in the workplace were “Attentiontraining exercises” and “Yoga or Tai Chi.”
Why the difference? Yoga and tai chi
are types of exercise as well as formsof moving meditation. They are often
performed in group settings under thesupervision of skilled instructors. Instructors
are often paid and so these tend to beservices with a cost. It is possible that
employers view such supervised instruction
as preferable for a number of reasons:• Because they are exercises, yoga and tai chi
fall more clearly into the category of employee
wellness programs• Because there are associated instructors,
yoga and tai chi also fall more clearly into thecategory of training and development• Because they are group activities, yoga
and tai chi can bring employees together,helping to encourage a sense of teamwork andcohesiveness• Because they are paid-for activities, yoga
and tai chi work better as employee perks withdefinite value

In contrast, meditation and breathing
exercise are often something that, once
learned, can be done by individuals
in solitude. Unless they are part of aretreat, there are no fees associated withthese activities. Therefore, they may be
more attractive to individuals pursuing
mindfulness on their own time.

This is not to say that individuals are avoiding the other practices. As Figure 9 illustrates, visualization and meditative walking were
the third and fourth most pursued practices. In addition to the items appearing in the graph, respondents were also asked about what
other practices they engage in. The most often cited response was that they practiced prayer. Most of the write-in choices demonstrate
a working knowledge of what mindfulness is and the many forms it has.

14

The Impact of Mindfulness Practices
Among the key questions this study was designed to address is, “What’s the impact of mindfulness practices on theworkplace?” We examined this question on four levels:
1) Perceived impact of mindfulness practices on organizations that use them.
2) Perceived potential impact of mindfulness on organizations that do not use them.
3) Perceived impact of mindfulness practices on individual employees.
4) Statistical correlations between the use of mindfulness practices and other factors related to organizational or leadership performance.

Finding 10: Most
Respondents See Positive
Organizational Impacts

Figure 10
Most Respondents in Organizations with Mindfulness Practices
View Them as Being Beneficial to the Organization

Respondents from the organizations that utilize
mindfulness practices hold high opinions of
their utility. In fact, about 85% of respondents
reported that mindfulness training and/or
resources are at least somewhat beneficial
to their organizations, and nearly two fifths
viewed them as “very beneficial.”

Impact of Mindfulness Training or
Resources on Your Organization
0.3% 0.0%
14.8%This is not a surprise in itself. Organizations
that invest in such programs are likely to thinkthey derive some benefit from them. Moreover,as noted in the previous section, these
respondents may be somewhat predisposed toview mindfulness practices as worthwhile.

38.5%

46.4%

38.5%

Very Beneficial

46.4%

Somewhat Beneficial

14.8%

No Real Impact

0.3%

Somewhat Harmful

0.0%

Very Harmful

15

Finding 11: Most
Individuals Say They
Experience Work Benefits

Figure 11
Most Respondents in Organizations That Do Not Support
Mindfulness Practices Predict They Would Be Beneficial

How Would Mindfulness Initiatives /Interventions Affect Your Organization?
0.7% 0.4%
12.0%

32.8%

We found it interesting that optimism about
workplace-based mindfulness practices
extends to those whose companies do not yet
support it. That is, we asked respondents fromorganizations that do NOT provide training
and/or resources for mindfulness about how
beneficial they expect mindfulness practices
would be. Nearly as many of these participants(33%) estimated such training would be “verybeneficial” as those from organizations that
actually provide such training (39%). Another
54% estimated it would be “somewhat
beneficial.”
Although, as we have discussed, these
respondents may be somewhat predisposed
toward mindfulness, these findings nonethelesssuggest that there is a certain amount ofpent-up demand for such practices in today’s
workplaces. Of course, it is possible this is justtemporary enthusiasm for a concept that is
popular at the moment, and that enthusiasm
may wane in another few years. On the other
hand, if organizations can find ways of costeffectively providing mindfulness training/
resources, then there might well be a poolof interested employees who would takeadvantage of them. This leads us to believethat a growing proportion of organizations will
adopt mindfulness practices in coming years.

54.1%

32.8%

Would Be Very Beneficial

54.1%

Would Be Somewhat Beneficial

12.0%

Would Have No Impact

0.7%

Would Be Somewhat Harmful

0.4%

Would Be Very Harmful

16Figure 12
Most Respondents Who Engage in Off-the-Job Mindfulness Practices
Believe They Have an Impact at Work, Especially in the Areas of Productivity
and Stress Control

Percent Saying Mindfulness Has a Somewhat or
Very Beneficial Impact on These Features of
Their Work Life
Controlling
Stressat Work

85.2%

Productivity
at Work

82.2%

Decision-Making
at Work

79.0%

Relationships
at Work

76.5%

Engagementwith Your
Work

70.9%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Finding 12: Five Key
Statistical Relationships
EmergeThe perceived impact of mindfulness
practice on workplace performance isstrongly positive. Respondents report that
mindfulness helps them control stress atwork (85%), be more productive (82%),
make better decisions (79%), havebetter work relationships (76%), and be
more engaged (71%). Although there isa subjective element to these findings,
they would likely be of interest to most
executive teams.
Having discovered that most respondents
believed mindfulness practices benefit
their organizations as well as their own
work performance, we set out to see if
we could discover statistical correlations
between mindfulness practices and otherorganizational factors.
The analyses found that the degree towhich respondents reported that theirorganizations provide training and/or
resources for mindfulness practices ispositively correlated with five factors. Thatis, as one factor rises or falls, the otherfactors are significantly more likely to riseor fall.

Statistical Approach
The data in this study was analyzed using avariety of statistical methods, most of themseeking meaningful relationships between
the degree to which organizations utilize
mindfulness practices and other factors.
To find those relationships, we used a
combination of correlations, multiple
regressions, and Chi-square tests.

Although we discovered many relationships that were statistically significant, only a handful stood out as having relationships
strong enough to warrant reporting. The accompanying data is reported in terms of Spearman’s correlation coefficient numbers,
followed by p-values. The former indicates the strength of the relationship and the latter signifies that the relationship between
them is not merely coincidental.

17

• Employee engagement: Respondents who said employees were more engaged in their organizations were also significantly
more likely to say their organizations provided some type of training and/or resources for mindfulness practices. (Spearman’s
rho=0.31, p-value < 2.2e-16)• Leaders’ emotional intelligence: Respondents who gave their leaders higher marks in terms of their emotional intelligence werealso more likely to say their organizations provide some type of training and/or resources for mindfulness practices.
• Leaders’ ability to engage employees: Respondents who said their organizational leaders were better at engaging employees
were also more likely to say their organizations provide some type of training and/or resources for mindfulness practices.
• Leaders’ ability to manage stress: The ambiguity of the phrasing may have influenced the findings, since it is not perfectly clear
if leaders are managing their own or others’ stress levels. However, it is likely respondents were indicating their leaders were
better at managing the stress of employees if their organizations provided some type of training and/or resources for
mindfulness practices.
• The averaged index of multiple leadership abilities: We created an index by averaging the scores respondents gave their leaders
in terms of their abilities in the areas of emotional intelligence, decision-making, engagement, resilience, and stress management.
The higher the overall score, the more likely respondents were to say their organizations provide some type of training and/or
resources for mindfulness practices.

Correlation is not causation, so it is impossible to know from these data whether mindfulness training is helping todrive such outcomes or whether organizations with such characteristics (e.g., better employee engagement and better
leadership) are simply more likely to be on the cutting edge of utilizing mindfulness practices.
We found it interesting that there were multiple correlations between mindfulness practices and leadershipperformance. It is possible that leaders who adopt and implement practices related to mindfulness are viewed as morecaring than other leaders, thereby enhancing their reputations as emotionally intelligent people capable of engaging
their workforces.
Another interpretation is that leaders who have access to mindfulness practices in the workplace genuinely improvetheir ability to do their jobs, increasing their own emotional intelligence and becoming better at managing
their staff members.

18

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that around half of respondents’ organizations are investing time and resources into
providing mindfulness training and support, although relatively few do this to a high degree. Among the key reasons forthis support seem to be a high degree of work-related stress and the need for organizations to manage
it more effectively.
Mindfulness practices and training take many forms, ranging from meditation and visualization to journaling andorganized activities. The most commonly provided or supported practices in the workplace were “Attention-training
exercises” and “Yoga or Tai Chi.”
There is no clear set of standards or delivery formats for organizations providing mindfulness training and support.
Among the participants whose organizations provide mindfulness practices, about one-third primarily used internal
trainers, another third mainly used external vendors, and the remaining third used both. This is typical for practices thatare still relatively new. Standard delivery processes will likely become clearer as mindfulness training andsupport programs spread.
Respondents’ personal experience with mindfulness tends to be positive. They report that mindfulness is an effective
way to counter their own stress levels while increasing productivity and decision-making abilities. Most reportthat mindfulness training and support either is or would be beneficial to their organizations. Respondents fromorganizations that provide mindfulness training and support are also more likely to view their workforces as more
highly engaged and their leaders as more highly skilled.
Given such findings, we expect that mindfulness practices will become more prevalent in coming years in U.S.
workplaces. The correlations between mindfulness and leadership skills suggest such practices may be increasingly
incorporated into leadership development programs. If the benefits of such practices are demonstrated over the longterm, then they will probably become part of the standard package of employee offerings, incorporated into existingwellness and learning programs.
19

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21About American Management Association International
www.amanet.org
For over 90 years, American Management Association International (AMA) has been a world leader in professional
development. AMA supports the goals of individuals, organizations, and government agencies with a complete rangeof corporate talent transformation solutions, including public open-enrollment seminars and onsite group training, withboth live and online learning capabilities. In addition, an extensive variety of resources are available through AMA,
including webcasts, webinars, podcasts, business books, and industry research. Organizations worldwide, including
90% of the Fortune 500, turn to AMA as their trusted partner.

About the Authors
The authors work collaboratively as the Business Research Consortium (BRC), which provides organizations withresearch, tools, and education. For more information on BRC, please visit http://www.leadership-solutions.info/BRC.
html or send email to brc@leadershipsolutions.info.
Dr. Miles H. Overholt is the Principal of Riverton Management Consulting Group his work centers on leading
individual, team and organizational transformation. His primary research focus is on identifying the drivers oforganizational performance and developing better methods to manage organizational transitions. He also researches
team behavior and performance. He has over 30 years of consulting and research expertise in strategy
execution and organizational design, as well as in guiding change for organizations, teams, andindividuals. His clients range from entrepreneurial start-ups to the Fortune 500.
He is the author of Building Flexible Organizations: A People-Centered Approach and has written numerous
articles on strategy execution, change processes and organizational alignment. Currently, Dr. Overholt is the Principalof Riverton Management Consulting Group. His undergraduate degree is from Lafayette College and he earned his
doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mark Vickers is a Principal at Vigoré Publications. He has worked in the research field for most of his career. He wasa research analyst and, later, managing editor at the Human Resource Institute at Eckerd College. He has also worked
as a writer at Nielsen Media, a senior analyst at Bersin by Deloitte, and vice-president of research at the Institutefor Corporate Productivity. He has authored, co-authored and edited hundreds of research reports and articles. He
graduated with Honors from Eckerd College.

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