A case study on the use of meditation techniques to develop mindfulness in MBA supply chain management students

Abstract

An increased focus on spirituality and mindfulness in the management education literature has resulted in calls for greater empirical work of a nontraditional nature. Therefore, this research looks to contribute to this growing body of literature by looking at the deployment of a specific aspect of spirituality, mindfulness, in a higher education context in the teaching of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) supply chain management (SCM) module. This research shows that the use of meditation techniques by SCM students can engender mindfulness and increase their attention, awareness, and acceptance. In this case study, students completed a learning journal reflecting their experiences of meditation over a 6-week period. Grounded theory techniques articulated a model of the meditation exercise in this context. The research found a number of expected and unexpected benefits, including students' ability to focus for longer periods of time. The costs of the exercise, cited only by self-identified skeptical students, included an increase in stress and frustration with the exercise. The subsequent analysis and model show how to improve the techniques and prevent negative outcomes.