Exploring the limits of mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative evidence from African context

Abstract

PurposeThis paper is one of the first studies to examine specificities, including limits of mindfulness at work in an African organisational context, whilst dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It specifically addresses the role of organisational and managerial support systems in restoring employee wellbeing, social connectedness and attachment to their organisations, in order to overcome the exclusion caused by the ongoing pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a qualitative research methodology that includes interviews as the main data source. The sample comprises of 20 entrepreneurs (organisational leaders) from Ghana and Nigeria.FindingsThe authors found that COVID-19-induced worries restricted the practice of mindfulness, and this was prevalent at the peak of the pandemic, particularly due to very tough economic conditions caused by reduction in salaries, and intensified by pre-existing general economic and social insecurities, and institutional voids in Africa. This aspect further resulted in lack of engagement and lack of commitment, which affected overall team performance and restricted employees’ mindfulness at work. Hence, quietness by employees even though can be linked to mindfulness was linked to larger psychological stress that they were facing. The authors also found leaders/manager’s emotional intelligence, social skills and organisational support systems to be helpful in such circumstances. However, their effectiveness varied among the cases.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first studies to establish a link between the COVID-19 pandemic and mindfulness limitations. Moreover, it is a pioneering study specifically highlighting the damaging impact of COVID-19-induced concerns on leader–member exchange (LMX) and team–member exchange (TMX) relationships, particularly in the African context. It further brings in a unique discussion on the mitigating mechanisms of such COVID-19-induced concerns in organisations and highlights the roles of manager’s/leader’s emotional intelligence, social skills and supportive intervention patterns. Finally, the authors offer an in-depth assessment of the effectiveness of organisational interventions and supportive relational systems in restoring social connectedness following a social exclusion caused by COVID-19-induced worries.

Forced shift to teleworking: how abusive supervision promotes counterproductive work behavior when employees experience COVID-19 corporate social responsibility

“…In the context of a virtual workplace where supervisors employ abusive tactics, the employees may find themselves lacking the necessary resources to cope with the stressful conditions (Zhang et al, 2019). Furthermore, abusive supervision during forced teleworking heightens employees' ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 (Wang et al, 2022), which in turn triggers anxiety and insecurity, hindering employees' ability to remain present in the moment (Alo et al, 2023;Zheng et al, 2022). Consequently, employees experience resource depletion due to abusive supervision in the context of COVID-19.…”

“…However, these studies have often overlooked the significant role of mindfulness, an essential personal resource (Du et al ., 2019; Orazi et al ., 2021). During the COVID-19 period, mindfulness has emerged as a crucial tool for managing negative emotions and depression (Alo et al ., 2023; Lam et al ., 2022). State mindfulness, in particular, is characterized by non-judgmental metacognitive monitoring in the present moment, free from attachment to the past or future.…”

Guest editorial: Mindfulness and relational systems in organizations: enabling content, context and process

“…The last article by Alo et al (2024), "Exploring the limits of mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative evidence from African context," explores the linkage between the COVID-19 pandemic and the boundaries of mindfulness in an African organizational work setting. They found that the pandemic-induced worries during its peak limit the practice of mindfulness, mainly due to the worsening already harsh economic conditions, social uncertainties and institutional challenges in Africa.…”

“…The last article by Alo et al . (2024), “Exploring the limits of mindfulness during the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative evidence from African context,” explores the linkage between the COVID-19 pandemic and the boundaries of mindfulness in an African organizational work setting.…”

“…Insights from these studies are likely to foster positive outcomes within the organizational setting, including creative process engagement (Awan et al ., 2024), employee safety behaviors (Liu et al ., 2024), team resilience (Degbey and Einola, 2020), employee retention (Degbey et al ., 2021), employee work engagement (Conte et al ., 2019) and employee innovative behavior (Wang et al ., 2019), or minimize negative outcomes (e.g. pandemic-induced concerns on LMX–TMX relationships – Alo et al ., 2024; employee career regret – Budjanovcanin et al , 2019; abusive supervision – Shen et al , 2019; unethical pro-organizational behavior – Xu and Lv, 2018). In the following section, we provide a 10-year snapshot of where the extant research stands.…”