By Karin Madsen, Associate Partner & Freja Holfelt, Research Associate, Albright Partners Ltd.
Resume:
In 2022, Albright Partners introduced the concept of “The Quadruple Bottom Line” driven by the realization that to remain sustainable it is no longer enough for companies to focus on Profit, People & Planet. A fourth dimension is missing from the equation - Peace. Essentially, companies across the globe are entirely dependent on the broad existence of peace, freedom and democracy in our world. But it all starts with building our own, individual inner peace as this is the foundation for creating peace in society.
Our Associate Partner, Karin Madsen, recently attended a course on Mindfulness in the Modern Organisation at Business Academy Aarhus, Denmark. This was not just another fast-paced course with extensive slide decks and tips & tricks in the hunt for effectiveness, but a calm and transformative experiential course attended by thirteen students with diverse backgrounds enriching the dialogue and learnings shared. The curriculum covered mindfulness theory and practice perspectives unfolding the full range of mindfulness from evidence-based programs to dialogue of spiritual reading, meditation and even napping practices to boost mental health and habits.
What’s the immediate outcome of mindfulness?
Although it seems almost contradictory to strive for immediate outcome of mindfulness practice, there is a lot of research about the positive short- and long-term effects of mindfulness both at the individual- and organizational levels. See facts:
Source: Mayo Clinic & Cameron and Hafenbrack
Specifically, regarding impact of mindfulness on leadership, Goleman and Lippincott hypothesize that it is through improvement in competencies related to emotional intelligence that mindfulness makes executives more effective leaders.
Thus, with mindfulness practices, we are cultivating inner peace and enhancing emotional intelligence. Consequently, our listening skills will be sharpened, improving our capability to mediate conflicts at all levels.
What are the links between spiritual perspectives and peace?
The film A cloud never dies about the life and learnings of the Vietnamese, Buddhist monk, peace activist and mindfulness practitioner, Thich Nhat Hangs can be strongly recommended. Considering the current situation in the world, Thich Nhat Hang’s example of a peace activist is as important today as back in 1967, when Martin Luther King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Brian Pappas, Dean and Professor of Law and M(conflict resolution) is a strong advocate for mindfulness in mediation enhancing and improving communication and finding creative solutions to bridge differences. Pappas argues that when we develop our own inner peace it is directly building societal peace, as being present and aware of our emotions is important for preventing anger reactions towards others. Viewing ourselves as connected with others and their perspectives makes it easier to be compassionate. This allows us to respond to others in a deliberate and peaceful manner.
Inner peace contributes directly to creating peace in society – the fourth dimension in the quadruple bottom line concept.
The above is well-aligned with our thinking in relation to the quadruple bottom line, as we believe that cultivating our inner peace contributes directly to creating peace in society – the fourth dimension in the quadruple bottom line concept.
So mindfulness starts with ourselves - and in ourselves – as humans, employees and leaders – and potentially leads to inner peace and the ability to focus on the present moment and driving attention in relationships – altogether key ingredients in building societal peace.
References:
Mindfulness-Based Programs in the Workplace: a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Vonderlin R; Mindfulness (2020) 11:1579–1598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01328-3
Research: When Mindfulness Does — and Doesn’t — Help at Work, by Lindsey Cameron and Andrew Hafenbrack, HBR 2022 (link)
Without Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness Doesn’t Work, by Daniel Goleman and Matthew Lippincott, HBR, 2017 (link)
Mindfulness Mitigates Biases You May Not Know You have, by Nicole Torres, 2014 (link)
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