EFFECT OF MEDITATION ON SELF-PERCEPTION OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS: A CONTROL GROUP STUDY OF CEOs

Abstract

Using self-perception of leadership skills (SPLS) instrument, constructed from Leader Practice Inventory (LPI) and Moral Competence Inventory (MCI) and validated with a pilot study (N=20), we conducted a randomized pretest-posttest control group study for a period of 12 weeks in a laboratory setting to learn the effect of mindfulness meditation (MM) in its secularized Vipassana form on senior managers (N=64) selected from a sampling frame of companies registered in London. The effect was measured on five components of leadership: leader as a role model, inspiring a shared vision, demonstrating moral intelligence, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart/motivating, individually and collectively as a bundle. We found that meditation statistically significantly enhanced participants' self-perception of leadership skills as a bundle of all five skills, and the individual skills of inspiring a shared vision, demonstrating moral intelligence, and encouraging the heart/motivating. However, meditation did not statistically significantly enhance participants' skills as a role model and enabling others to act. Complete analyses with directions for further research are provided.A large number of studies document psychological and physiological benefits of practicing meditation or mindfulness meditation (MM) (see, for example, Kabat-Zinn et al. (1998), Gallantino et al, (2005), Anderson et al., (2008), andChan andWoollacott, (2007)). Researchers link it to relief from anxiety, depression, and pain (Goyal, et al, 2014), stress reduction 1 To not exceed the page limit of 40, following the advice of the Division Chair, we have cut out some references.Readers may ask the corresponding author to receive those references. McLaughlin, 2005), increased concentration (Goleman, 1998), higher emotional intelligence (EI) (Goleman, 1995(Goleman, , 2003Davidson et al, 2003;Lutz et al, 2004; Walsh Shapiro, 2006), improved consciousness (McLaughlin, 2005;McCollum, 1999;Harung et al., 1995) There have also been several studies that show the benefit of MM to cognitive processes that impact task performance. According to Ellis and Ashbrook (1988) MM teaches one to disengage from a negative stimulus and return to more effective cognitive function for task at hand. It has been known that MM allows one to psychologically distance oneself from one's feelings, bringing one to a balanced emotional state (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). Brown and Ryan (2003) show that those who practice MM have higher concordance between implicit and explicit emotional states. Hayes and Wilson (2003) find that it promotes behavioral flexibility due to a decentered perspective which casts subjective experiences as transient and not as permanent outcomes of the self (Teasdale, 1999; Teasdale et al., 1995). Ortner, Kilner & Zelazo (2007) conducted studies that show that MM reduced emotional interference from unpleasant events, effectively prolonging reactivity to negative emotional stimuli. Tamwatin, Hlupic and Amar (2013) conducted empirical experiments linkin...

What outcomes have mindfulness and meditation interventions for managers and leaders achieved? A systematic review

“…Six were PhD theses (Capa, 2014;Carlisle, 2005;Linger, 2014;McCollum, 2000;Rakoff, 2010;Romano, 2014). Of the other three, two were conference presentations (Amar, Hlupic & Tamwatin, 2014;Halldorson, St-Hilaire, MacDonald, Kornelsen & McIntyre, 2016) and Reitz, Chaskalson, Olivier and Waller (2016) was published as a business school research report. Table 2 provides a summary of the study, participant population, intervention characteristics and outcome measures for these 19 papers, and each of these areas is considered in turn below.…”

“…Wasylkiw et al (2015) also used Anderson's (2006Anderson's ( , 2012 measure of Leadership effectiveness and found significant post-intervention changes. Two studies (McCollum, 2000;Amar, Hlupic & Tamwatin, 2014) looked at Kouzes and Posner's (1993) model of leadership, as measured by their Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), and found that intervention participants had higher scores on change in LPI than controls. Another study (Rakoff, 2010) used the Centre for Creative Leadership's model/ measure of leadership and found that all participants showed improvements in one of more of the three ability areas (attention, connection, tension/stress) in their self-report data and in some cases the 360degree assessment ratings also improved.…”

“…Amar, Hlupic and Tamwatin (2014); 2 =Baron (2016); 3 = Brendel et al (2016); 4 = Capa (2014); 5 = Carlisle (2005); 6 = Halldorson et al (2016); 7 = Keuchler and Stedham (in press); 8 = Linger (2014); 9 = McCollum (2000); 10 = Pipe et al (2009); 11 = Rakoff (2010); 12 = Reitz et al (2016); 13 = Romano (2014); 14 = Schmidt-Wilk (2000); 15 = Schmidt-Wilk (2003); 16 = Schneider, Zollo & Manocha (2010); 17 = Shonin & Van Gordon (2015); 18 = Shonin et al (2014); 19 = Wasylkiw et al (2015)…”

Effects of Practicing Meditation in the East and the West: Leaders in the West Benefit More

“…To represent the West, we picked the sample previously used by Tamwatin, et al (2013) and Amar et al (2014). This sample included 64 CEOs or senior managers working for the firms listed in London, UK, primarily those listed on the London Stock Exchange.…”