Harnessing Meditation for Workplace Well-Being: Advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal 8

  • Ashok Ashta The University of Kitakyushu
Keywords: Meditation, employee wellbeing, Society 5.0, lived experience, autoethnography, participant observation

Abstract

This paper aims to develop an integrated understanding of how meditation can enhance employee well-being, particularly in the context of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 of decent work.  This paper aims to develop an integrated understanding of how meditation can enhance employee well-being, particularly in the context of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 8 of decent work.  The research findings generate an integrated conceptual model illustrating how meditation reduces stress and positively impacts performance, relationships, and well-being in the workplace. The study highlights the relevance of meditation for promoting safe and healthy working environments.  This study is among the first to link the practice of meditation directly to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically focusing on decent work. The implications for incorporating meditation into educational curricula and workplace policies are also discussed.

References

Adam, M. T. (2002). Meditation and the Concept of Insight in Kamalaśīla's Bhāvanākramas. McGill University Libraries.

Adams, T. E., & Herrmann, A. F. (2020). Expanding Our Autoethnographic Future. Journal of Autoethnography, 1(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1525/joae.2020.1.1.1

Ashta, A. (2021). Postulation of India-Japan Vedic-Buddhist cross-cultural management cluster: conceptualizing a spiritual philosophy-based explanation for emerging theory. Management Research Review, 44(7), 1029–1041. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-06-2020-0345

Ashta, A. (2023). Marketing, Value Creation and Values Dynamics: Gazing Out to Asia and Europe from Kitakyushu. Journal of Creating Value, 9(1), 124–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/23949643221082726

Ashta, A., & Stokes, P. (2023a). A consideration of the dimensions of servant leadership in intercultural contexts: a focal case study of a UK executive in Japan. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 12(2), 347–368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-023-00177-2

Ashta, A., & Stokes, P. (2023b). Japanese self‐initiated expatriates' adjustment to Indian assignments: the role of traditional values. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 61(3), 694–723. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12346

Bevilaqua, D. (2020). Observing Yoga. The use of ethnography to develop yoga studies. In Newcombe Suzanne & O'Brien-Kop Karen (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies, 241–254.

Bostock, S., Crosswell, A. D., Prather, A. A., & Steptoe, A. (2019). Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(1), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000118

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Chakraborty, S. K. (1991). Management by Values. Towards cultural congruence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chowmas, D., Adi W Gunawan, & Sutikyanto. (2021). The influence of mindfulness and Buddhist rituals on the spirituality of students at STAB Maitreyawira Pekanbaru. SMARATUNGGA: JURNAL OF EDUCATION AND BUDDHIST STUDIES, 1(2), 37–49. https://doi.org/10.53417/sjebs.v1i2.60

Dane, E. (2021). Attention, Please: How the Attention-Related Stories We Tell Our Students in Class Influence Their Performance at Work. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 20(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2018.0325

de Rond, M., Lok, J., & Marrison, A. (2022). To Catch a Predator: The Lived Experience of Extreme Practices. Academy of Management Journal, 65(3), 870–902. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.1492

Fisher, C. D. (2010). Happiness at Work. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(4), 384–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00270.x

Frew, D. R. (1974). Transcendental Meditation and Productivity. Academy of Management Journal, 17(2).

Gargiulo, M. T. (2023). The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Mindfulness Practices: A Qualitative Literature Review. SMARATUNGGA: JURNAL OF EDUCATION AND BUDDHIST STUDIES, 3(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.53417/sjebs.v3i1.86

Good, D. J., Lyddy, C. J., Glomb, T. M., Bono, J. E., Brown, K. W., Duffy, M. K., … Lazar, S. W. (2016). Contemplating Mindfulness at Work. Journal of Management, 42(1), 114–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315617003

Grant, A. M., Christianson, M. K., & Price, R. H. (2007). Happiness, Health or Relationships? Managerial Practices and Employee Well-Being Tradeoffs Executive Overview. Academy of Management Perspectives, 21(3), 51–63.

Hafenbrack, A. C. (2017). Mindfulness Meditation as an On-The-Spot Workplace Intervention. Journal of Business Research, 75, 118–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.01.017

Hart, W. (2011). The art of living: Vipassana meditation as taught by SN Goenka. Maharashtra: Vipassana Research Institute.

Howard-Grenville, J., Nelson, A., Vough, H., & Zilber, T. B. (2021). From the Editors—Achieving Fit and Avoiding Misfit in Qualitative Research. Academy of Management Journal, 64(5), 1313–1323. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2021.4005

Humphreys, M., & Learmonth, M. (2012). Autoethnography in organizational research: Two tales of two cities. In G. Symon & C. Cassell. Qualitative Organizational Research, 314–327.

Husgafvel, V. (2020). Meditation in current contexts. Current Discussions. In S. Newcombe & K. O'Brien-Kop (Eds.). Routeldge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies, 22–36.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2011). Some reflections on the origins of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps. Contemporary Buddhism, 12(1), 281–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2011.564844

Komjathy, L. (2020). Daoist meditation. In S. Newcombe & K. O'Brien-Kop (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies, 241–254.

Kurita, H. (2020). The political history of yoga and meditation in Japan. In S. Newcombe & K. O'Brien-Kop (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies, 307–324.

La Forge, P. G. (1997). Teaching Business Ethics through Meditation. Journal of Business Ethics, 16, 1283–1295.

Mahindroo, N., & Srivastava, M. (2022). Impact of Vipassana Mindfulness Meditation on Well-being During the Pandemic. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 58(1).

Marques, J. (2010). Toward Greater Consciousness in the 21st Century Workplace: How Buddhist Practices Fit In. Journal of Business Ethics, 92(2), 211–225.

Matko, K., Ott, U., & Sedlmeier, P. (2021). What Do Meditators Do When They Meditate? Proposing a Novel Basis for Future Meditation Research. Mindfulness, 12(7), 1791–1811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01641-5

Monzani, L., Escartín, J., Ceja, L., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Blending mindfulness practices and character strengths increases employee well‐being: A second‐order meta‐analysis and a follow‐up field experiment. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(4), 1025–1062. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12360

Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Jha, A., Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., … Harrison, J. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: Results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 787–804. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032093

Saunders, D. E. (1971). Buddhism in Japan: With an outline of its origins in IndiaSa. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Stoeber, M., & Lee, J. (2020). Classical, modern and postmodern forms of meditation. In S. Newcombe & K. O'Brien-Kop (Eds.). Routledge Handbook of Yoga and Meditation Studies, 241–254.

Stokes, P. (2011). Critical concepts in management and organization studies: Key terms and concepts. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Stokes, Peter, Baker, C., & Lichy, J. (2016). The Role of Embedded Individual Values, Belief and Attitudes and Spiritual Capital in Shaping Everyday Postsecular Organizational Culture. European Management Review, 13(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/emre.12065

Tihanyi, L., Howard-Grenville, J., & DeCelles, K. A. (2022). From the Editors—Joining Societal Conversations on Management and Organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 65(3), 711–719. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2022.4003

Unesco. (2023). Japan pushing ahead with Society 5.0 to overcome chronic challenges.

Vella, E., & McIver, S. (2019). Reducing stress and burnout in the public‐sector work environment: A mindfulness meditation pilot study. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 30(2), 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.192

Yorozu, C. (2023). Expatriate management in Japanese firms: paradox of the HR system for Thai self-initiated expatriates. Journal of Global Mobility: The Home of Expatriate Management Research, 11(3), 388–410. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-09-2022-0052

Published
2024-06-30
Section
Articles