Making the Invisible Visible

How to use mindfulness as an

organisational asset

Jutta Tobias Mortlock

17 January 2019

IOSH Chiltern

Note

• Source material acknowledged where indicated

Our AgendaMindfulness makes space – at 3 levels:

1. Mindful individualsa) Notice the need to come to their (5) sensesb) Shift between Doing and Being

2. Mindful teams a) Become socially sensitive and aware of automatic stress responses

3. Mindful organisationsa) Uncover how context and culture shapes behaviour (especially during difficulty)

And…

4. So what?

Quick show of hands please

Killingsworth & Gilbert, 2010. A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006).© Jutta Tobias Mortlock

Were you thinking about something else when I outlined our agenda just now? If yes, please raise your hand.

The snowglobe inside

Have another go using this weblink: https://lnkd.in/eMhZfnW

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How does mindfulness work?

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Mindfulness = Fully present in any situation

Attention

Intention

Attitude

Shapiro, Carlson, Astin, & Freedman, 2006. Mechanisms of Mindfulness. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3).

Stimulus (Re)Action

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Why should we practice Mindfulness?

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The Brain’s 2 Operating Modes: Doing vs Being

Doing(Thinking)

Being

• Problem solving• Goal achievement• Analytical & Planning• Worry & Rumination• Mental time travel

• “Anticipating Remembering”

• Noticing (what, who, how, when etc. is present)• No immediate goal• Embodied• Present

• “Experiencing”

Adapted from Mark Williams (2010). Mindfulness and Psychological Process. Emotion 10(1), 1-7. © Jutta Tobias Mortlock

Page 12

Coming to Our (5) Senses

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Please write down in 1 word:

• How do you feel now?

Please discuss with your neighbour:

• What did you notice?

• Any useful intel?

• How might such a practice help you• Hear the voices you sometimes miss at work?

• Notice people you sometimes overlook at work?

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Mindfulness for Oil Riggers?

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What if I don’t notice I should come to my senses until it’s too

late?

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How Many of us Today Deal with Stress

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Making Space for Discussing Emotions

“Emotion Display Rules” at Work

• Bottling vs Brooding

• Tendency to choose “Comfort” over “Courage”

• Emotions ≠ the (often important) signals below them

EmotionUnderlying

Signal

Based on Susan David (2016) Emotional Agility © Jutta Tobias Mortlock

How about your organisations? Please discuss –

• What “Emotion Display Rules” are at play in your organisations? • Any Bottling?

• Any Brooding?

• What are the barriers to bringing “emotional” data into your work?

• What are the enablers?

EmotionUnderlying

Signal

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A quote from my work‘I’m disappointed in your team work today. There’s a way we should deal witheach other, even when under pressure. We should try to engage with people,even when the chips are down. When we’re under pressure, we focus on whatwe need, what we want – we think only of ourselves. But who are we fighting?Ginger! Who are we not fighting? Each other.’

Commander Debrief after training simulation, Royal Navy vessel

‘Ginger’ is the code name given to the enemy in RN training simulations.

Fight / Flight (F/F)

Freeze

FreezeMobilise Action

Social Engagement

Our automatic stress response system

Automatic Nervous System (ANS) stress responseBased on Stephen Porges (2011) The Polyvagal Theory

1. When stressed, we play our newest, best card first. If that doesn’t work (or has not worked previously for us), we try our older, second card. If that doesn’t

work, we play our oldest, last card. If that doesn’t work we are in extreme danger of (social) death.

2. Our ANS adapts: If Fight/Flight is successful or continuously rewarded (in many high-performance contexts), it becomes increasingly addictive to the brain. Our brain

then gets “stuck on high”; seeking more high-adrenaline activities, e.g. extreme leisure pursuits (Ironman anyone?). In this case, stress management needs to be approached carefully. Dramatic “gear changes” (e.g. meditation) may be rejected (as our ANS interprets them as a less adaptive stress management strategy, akin to Freeze).

3. Our most adaptive response to stress is social engagement (but requires interpersonal trust & respect).

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Personal Reflection

Please consider (and share what you feel is appropriate)

• What can you notice about your automatic response to stress?

• How might this have evolved in your (organisational) life?

• Do you sometimes thrive on stress?

• How can you help others?

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Team Mindfulness

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Team Mindfulness scale

Please consider an important team for you and score your agreement for each statement below, from 1=“not at all” to 5=“very much so”:

1. It is not difficult for the team to stay focused on what is happening in the present.

2. The team rarely rushes through activities without really being attentive to them.

3. Within the team, we don’t typically listen to each other with one ear while doing something else at the same time.

4. The team is rarely preoccupied with the future or the past.

5. The team generally pays full attention to the things at hand.

6. The team rarely criticizes members for having irrational or inappropriate thoughts or emotions.

7. None of the team’s thoughts or emotions are inappropriate.

8. The team is aware of thoughts and feelings without over-identifying with them.

9. This team is friendly to members when things go wrong.

10. The team experiences moments of peace and ease, even when things get hectic and stressful.

Then sum up all responses to create a TOTAL score

Then divide by 10 – this is your (tentative) Team Mindfulness score.

(Adapted from Yu and Zellmer-Bruhn, 2018)

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Bringing mindfulness into your organisation

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One Possibility…

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Our AgendaMindfulness makes space – at 3 levels:

1. Mindful individualsa) Notice the need to come to their (5) sensesb) Shift between Doing and Being

2. Mindful teams a) Become socially sensitive and aware of automatic stress responses

3. Mindful organisationsa) Uncover how context and culture shapes behaviour (especially during difficulty)

And…

4. So what?© Jutta Tobias Mortlock

Your personal Take-Aways

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Mindfulness = Fully present in any situation

What is worth remembering for you?

What can you do / do more of now?

Data Decisions

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What will you (really) remember about today?

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Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

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@juttko

Thank you!

jutta.tobias-mortlock@city.ac.uk

© Jutta Tobias Mortlock