Your Team Should Practice Collective Mindfulness

 

Mindfulness can help reduce anxiety, stress, improve resilience, job satisfaction, focus. This should be implemented in organisations. However, in an organisation, the teas culture invariably presides over individual mindfulness practice. hence it becomes necessary to practice team mindfulness. With this, the team becomes more aware and accepting of itself as a team. The members become aware of teams objectives, tasks, and dynamics. This is essentially about what the team does together.

Groups that develop team mindfulness are concerned about the well being of the team members. They are collectively aware of the goals they share. Such groups less team conflict and it is observed that these teams will do better especially when faced with a crisis.

ALLOWING

It is the wisdom of accepting present reality and to approach any situation openly and compassionately.

This does not mean neglecting team's responsibility to change what should be changed. It's about not about putting all your efforts in wishing things were different than they are and figuring out who to blame. It means avoiding unwanted discussions and find ways and means to solve the problem together. It means encouraging each other to share their experiences and this builds up teams compassion for one another.

Any member of the team can ask

• How to be compassionate?
• How to care and hear their colleagues?
• How to be more accepting about system-wide dynamics?

INQUIRY

It is the capacity to be curious at three levels - about team members, about the team and its dynamics and the organisational system.

To meet this curiosity teams should at times pause, reflect. In team meetings which primarily focusses on what, teams should also address how? - the process of working as a team. Give the teams time to reflect and identify the habits the team and its objectives.

Team members to ask themselves

• If there is a way to think creatively together, what would it be?
• Whose voice is not being heard that should be heard to respond to the current situation?
• How will our response now influence our strengths in the long term?

META-AWARENESS

It is the capacity to observe and describe experiences from self, team, organisational perspective. Team leaders are in the best position to create meta-awareness. However, any member of the team should have the space and opportunity to increase mindfulness in meetings. This can happen when every member of the team is attentive to what is happening.

It can help to use short practices to increase steadiness, focus and awareness. Teams should regularly focus on their dynamics and any routines it might be stuck in. Team leaders should recognise how cultural assumptions influence their perceptions. they should stand apart from the flow of events to see things better. This is especially useful in crisis when habitual responses are no longer adequate.

Consider designating one team member as an observer. their job is to keep the big picture in mind and remind the team periodically.

teams should ask themselves

• What to de e notice gong on within and in teams?
• If one were a key customer, how would it be sen by him?
• If one were an observer, what would one notice in terms of communication, assumptions and focus of attention?

Teams that excel in mindfulness would be psychologically safer and be in a better position to innovate. they will experience higher levels of well being and job satisfaction. 

Why Your Team Should Practice Collective Mindfulness

by Megan Reitz and Michael Chaskalson

HBR 2020/08