Strategically developing a resilient safety culture: Organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing

Abstract

The idea that an organizational workforce as a collective can have the attribute of being ‘collectively mindful’ points towards a readiness to respond through stable cognitive processes and variability in actions which are needed to maintain system functioning and manage system fluctuations when the unexpected happens. This paper reviews recent theory and research on the concepts of Organizational Mindfulness and Mindful Organizing with a view to imparting understanding on how the collective workforce plays a key role in the management of the unexpected by using the five principles of organizational collective mindfulness. Suggestions for strategically enhancing these organizational mindfulness concepts are discussed to enable enhancement of an organizational resilience safety culture.