Mindful Innovation: The positive impact of MBSR techniques on Business Meeting Collaboration

Abstract

The pressure on employees in Research and Development (R&D) departments is increasing because of higher complexity, faster time-to-market demands, and rapid advancements in technology. As companies aim to stay innovative, it's important to look at the efficiency of Meetings. The stress of everyday working life often means that meetings cannot be held in a targeted manner and clear decisions cannot be made. This study wants to see if using techniques from MBSR – Mindfulness-Based Stressed Reduction- can help to foster the meeting collaboration especially in R&D area. And if it’s possible to cultivate a more innovative meeting atmosphere. In today’s fast-paced business environment, the efficiency of meetings plays a crucial role in organizational success. This thesis explores an innovative approach to enhancing meeting collaboration through the practice of MBSR. In Cooperation with the company Fronius a Mindful Meeting Guide for business Meetings was developed. Basis for this guide was detailed research about the current situation of existing mindfulness practices in the company and the results of 8 expert interviews. Experts agreed that the comprehensive 8-week MBSR program does not fit well into the business context. However, shorter, adapted interventions in meetings are considered very useful. Based on these insights, a meeting guide was developed that can be used in business meetings to improve collaboration during the meeting.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Christiane Rau (Supervisor)