Mindfulness in the Working Life. Beyond the “Corporate” View, in Search for New Spaces of Awareness and Equanimity

Abstract

In this chapter some aspects of the so-called mindfulness-based interventions in work and organizational settings are considered, in particular regarding those currently put under the heading of “corporate mindfulness”. The use of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) protocol or of other similar techniques within such interventions—in which mindfulness is an instrumental support to personal and organizational development—is here interpreted as being primarily aimed at reinforcing the “individualized” nature of modern organizations. Some criticisms towards corporate mindfulness are reported, by the side of both lay and religious representatives of Buddhism—mostly related to the lack of ethical commitment in MBSR practices—and social critics and activists, concerned with the manipulative nature of the MBSR in working environments.