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Note that all authors contributed equally and names are listed alphabetically.
Hyland, Lee, and Mills (2015) provide ample evidence regarding the value of mindfulness to individuals and the industrial-organizational community as a whole. However, as they noted, mindfulness programs and practices have not yet found widespread implementation among businesses and other organizations. Hyland et al. suggest two primary reasons for this. First, the move toward a nonjudgmental, presently aware, and accepting mind is a tall order for most individuals in our Western society who are heavily conditioned to be relatively self-interested, judgmental, and future oriented. Second, typical mindfulness programs (e.g., mindfulness based stress reduction; MBSR) may be too costly and time consuming for organizations.
These concerns suggest that many organizations are reluctant to adopt mindfulness practices, at least in their current presentation. This should not, however, discourage researchers and practitioners from attempting to assist employees to think, feel, and behave less defensively and more compassionately toward themselves and others. Rather, we should be looking for alternative concepts and constructs that may bring about some of the same benefits of mindful meditation practices but do not require extensive adaptation to be suitable for organizational environments. We believe that Bauer and Wayment's (2008) conceptualization of the quiet ego might be a construct that is more compatible with the workplace culture and that the less demanding quiet ego intervention may be a more appropriate match.
The Quiet Ego and Workplace Culture Fit
The quiet ego is an umbrella term used to describe a wide range of research on psychological characteristics that are associated with benefits from transcending excessive self-interest (Wayment & Bauer, 2008). Although quieting the ego includes transcending excessive self-focus, the goal is not to quash the self entirely. The quiet ego construct suggests that a healthier approach to life (and work) is to balance the concerns for self and other. A quiet ego doesn't necessarily lead to a nonjudgmental mindset but rather allows people to apply this balanced approach in the way that they interpret the information that affects their judgments. The quiet ego has been found to be associated with less negative and more holistic thinking, effective coping styles (e.g., more problem focused, less avoidant), health and well-being, and constructs related to balance and...