Leading Creative Problem Solving: A Mindfulness Intervention

Background

Individuals have an astounding twelve thousand to fifty thousand thoughts a day; this, coupled with the fact that the human mind wanders an approximate 46.9% of the time, attests to the notion that a person has a full mind (Shapiro, 2014). Individuals are required to function with these full minds in both their personal and professional lives. Shapiro (2014) contends that the practice of mindfulness could be used to mitigate the automaticity with which many individuals have conducted their lives.

The imminence of a fifth Industrial Revolution, coupled with the fact that the business world has to adjust to a rampant evolution in technology, buttresses the need for leaders who are not only mindful and resilient but perhaps even more importantly creative. The role of creativity and innovation as essential factors influencing the success of organisations has been evidenced by various scholars (Khalili, 2016; Gisbert-Lopez et al., 2014). Baas et al. (2008) contended that in order to survive and remain prosperous in a fast-evolving technological world, creativity is vital; this involves novel ideas being generated and innovative products and services being created. Baas et al. (2008) asserted that the relationship between mindfulness and creativity has been neglected in research.

Creativity and innovation are key drivers of success within organisations (Khalili, 2016). This, coupled with the fact that the business world is having to adjust to rapid technological evolution, and a greater drive toward digitisation, further highlights the need for leaders who are creative and innovative. The researchers assert that creativity and innovation are imperative to ensure the sustainability and competitive advantage of organisations. The importance of creativity and innovation is supported by Gisbert-Lopez et al. (2014) who postulated that these qualities are pivotal for the establishment of competitive advantage.

Studies have provided evidence that mindfulness within an organisational context could impact the bottom line of organisations, while also offering an array of benefits, which include improvements in a range of workplace outcomes (Dane & Brummel, 2014). Some of these positive outcomes include greater job satisfaction, increased productivity, reduced staff turnover, and greater creativity (Brown et al., 2007, Wolever et al., 2012, Hülsheger et al., 2013 and Lindsay et al., 2018). However, for the purposes of this chapter, the potential of increasing creativity using mindfulness is the focus point. The research objective of this chapter is to explore the impact of a mindfulness intervention on the creativity and perceptions of leaders in a telecommunications company. The chapter aims to explore after having been exposed to a mindfulness intervention, will leaders within the telecommunications industry be able to use creativity when solving a problem.