Towards an integrated model of mindfulness at work : development of the mindfulness at work scale

Abstract

The application of mindfulness in organizations has been steadily rising. Despite the popularity of applying mindfulness to the workplace, the use of mindfulness techniques at work has outpaced scientific understanding of it. Although several measures exist that tap into general mindfulness, few work-specific measures of mindfulness existed prior to this set of studies. Therefore, the primary goal of this set of studies was the development of a measure of mindfulness at work (MaW). For the first study, the MaW scale was developed using the recommended stages of scale development, progressing through item generation, subject matter expert feedback, piloting, and psychometric testing (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis). At the end of the first study, the MaW reduced down to 29 items with two dimensions, individual and organizational mindfulness at work. In the second study, the MaW was then validated using a variety of convergent and discriminant measures. The MaW was further reduced down to 11 items following this study. For the third study, the effects of individual and organizational mindfulness at work on each other were tested using a cross-lagged panel design, including contextual factors of ethical leadership and perceived organizational support. The psychometric properties of the 11-item MaW were also re-tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Findings suggest that organizational mindfulness leads to stronger individual mindfulness, and that ethical leadership and perceived organizational support lead to stronger organizational mindfulness. Limitations of the studies, implications for training mindfulness at work, future research suggestions, and how to apply mindfulness to the research process are discussed.