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    Mindfulness experiences of university staff in New Zealand : an integrated workplace mindfulness framework : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand. EMBARGOED until 1 February 2026.
    (Massey University, 2021) Shahbaz, Wahab
    Research on and the practice of mindfulness is increasing in the organisational context. It is generally understood that mindfulness is a human ability or practice which guides the cognitive and psychological processes of employees and informs their decisions and actions in everyday life. Many organisations thus offer mindfulness training programmes to their employees in order to obtain workplace benefits such as improving well-being, inter-relationships, and performance. Much existing work on mindfulness in the organisational context has focused on the consequences of mindfulness interventions and the benefits that the mindful individual can bring to their work. Despite the positive relationship that research has shown between mindfulness and workplace functions, we still know little about how employees actually experience mindfulness. Such an understanding is important to advance organisational strategies and training inventions to promote health, well-being, and the productivity of employees. University staff experience considerable stress at work, and in response many universities around the world have made mindfulness sessions available as part of their staff support practices. Thus, they were an appropriate group to research regarding mindfulness experiences. The purpose of this research was thus to explore the mindfulness experiences of university staff in order to understand their experiences in more depth. In particular, using positive organisational behaviour (POB) as a theoretical lens and conservation of resource (COR) as an additional tool, this thesis focuses on aspects of mindfulness experience that can give insight into how employees enact mindfulness, for example: their everyday practices of mindfulness; their perspectives about workplace outcomes of mindfulness; and what employees perceive to be the facilitating and hindering factors of mindfulness. The research addressed three key research questions: i) how do staff experience mindfulness in the university?; ii) how and why might mindfulness impact on the workplace functions of university staff?; and iii) what individual and workplace factors facilitate or hinder the mindfulness experiences of university staff? To meet the research objectives of this study, a qualitative approach was based on phenomenological enquiry. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 faculty and administrative staff from different universities in New Zealand who had attended mindfulness-based training programmes and/or who practised mindfulness. Based on a qualitative thematic analysis of interview material, an integrated workplace mindfulness framework was developed that helps us to understand how employees perceive their mindfulness experiences and practices. First, the framework presents five different kinds of mindfulness-related experiences including formal practices, informal moments, mindful interactions, a state of awareness, and the state of being present. These mindfulness experiences help us to comprehend how staff operationalise mindfulness in the university environment. Second, the framework provides a range of well-being, relationship, and performance-related consequences of mindfulness to address the question relating to the workplace outcomes of mindfulness. Third, the framework elaborates on different mechanisms and functions that explain the relationship between mindfulness and workplace outcomes such as attentional stability, psychological detachment, self-regulation, attentional control, and cognitive flexibility. The mechanisms help us to understand why mindfulness affects workplace functions. Finally, to address the question relating to individual and workplace factors that facilitate or hinder mindfulness, the framework highlights various factors including individual efforts, communal support, and sectoral culture that can influence the application of workplace mindfulness in the university setting. This study contributes to knowledge by providing a comprehensive framework which will assist in the refinement and development of many branches of mindfulness research. In particular, the study discusses relevant aspects of POB and COR to draw out implications for operationalisation, outcomes, mechanisms, and factors affecting workplace mindfulness in the university setting. Practice contributions are also provided. The thesis has implications for the refinement of training practices and organisational efforts in the university sector as well as in other professions to optimise mindfulness programmes for employees’ well-being and productivity.
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    Mobile mindfulness : a comparative study of mindfulness and relaxation apps, and the impact on employee wellbeing in the workplace : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2019) Buckman, Antonia
    Organisations are looking for effective interventions to improve employee wellbeing in order to counteract high work demands. Mindfulness has recently gained in popularity as a readily available tool that can be utilised for a variety of self-improvement and wellbeing effects. Technological advances in the mobile health space have placed mindfulness interventions onto smartphone devices allowing anyone, anywhere, to access such tools. However, there remains a number of limitations on current research. This investigation explored the effectiveness of a mindfulness app within the workplace and its impact on employee wellbeing using both an active and waitlist control. A randomised semi-blind control trial was conducted with a diverse self-selecting sample, randomly assigned to one of three groups: mindfulness intervention, relaxation app active control, or passive waitlist control. Apps were used for three to five days per week over a four week period. Participants completed a baseline questionnaire (n = 95) measuring personality, mindfulness, and a range of wellbeing measures. Questionnaire was repeated at the end of the four week intervention (n = 67), and again four weeks post intervention (n = 52). The study explored impact of mindfulness on employee wellbeing, sustained benefits four weeks post intervention, effect of expectancy on intervention, impact on longer usage of intervention app, and impact of personality type in continuing the study and effect of the intervention. Results of repeated measure ANOVAs showed no significant effect of mindfulness on employee wellbeing, therefore no analysis was conducted of sustained results. Expectancy of the effectiveness of the trial positively correlated with self-rated perceived positive impact of the mindfulness intervention, but not for either control group. Length of time the app was used was not significant. There was a positive correlation between the intervention and the Positive subscale of Positive and Negative Affects Scale and negative correlations with the Autonomy and Self-Actualisation subscales of Ryff's Wellbeing Scales for the mindfulness intervention group, this differed to the active control group. There were no statistically significant changes in the waitlist passive control condition. Findings do not support the viability of smartphone-based mindfulness interventions to significantly improve employee wellbeing.
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    The interplay of job stress and post-traumatic stress disorder in the context of terrorism, and its effects on employee outcomes : the roles of individual and organisational resources : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Junaid, Fatima Ali
    Terrorism is a scourge which has now spread across the globe. The events of the last few years in London, Paris, and other cities around the world highlight the fact that acts of terrorism cause deep trauma to those exposed to them. However, for some countries such as Pakistan, terrorism is an everyday reality. Living under on-going terrorism can be extremely stressful for employees, in that they have to deal with continuous risk in addition to the common stressors of professional and personal life. To date, however, there has been scant research into this phenomenon. This study was thus undertaken with two main objectives: 1) to understand the interplay between work stress and that caused by terrorism and its implications for employee outcomes; and 2) to determine whether personal and organisational resources such as psychological capital and perceived organisational support could help explain the influences of these stressors. Pakistan was the setting for this research, as it has suffered from on-going terrorism for more than a decade, with nearly 50,000 civilians killed between 2003-2014 .I have personally experienced on-going terrorism and its associated loss of life. The drive to understand the effects of this context was thus deeply felt and meaningful on a personal level. This research was challenging in many aspects, and I faced obstacles different to those presented by general management research, including conducting a study in a country where danger to life from terrorism was a real possibility. Aside from being emotionally taxing, the investigation involved ethical issues around the additional stress and trauma that could arise from the inquiry. Notwithstanding this, gaps in the literature and the practical need for the study could not be ignored. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, a theoretical framework was developed. This suggested that if employees are stressed, they are likely to feel resource depletion. The source of stress could be caused by their job and/or terrorism. The constant nature of terrorism, however, would likely further hinder employees from gaining psychological strength. For job stress, a challenge and hindrance stressors framework was used, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was used as a lens through which to understand terrorism stress. Next, using positive psychology and organisational support theory, it was argued that viewing/ approaching/ utilising psychological capital as a psychological resource, and perceived organisational support as an organisation-based support resource may help to reduce the toll of the stressors on employees. This thesis comprises three studies and three data sets. First, it explored through a qualitative study the stressors of a job and terrorism, and their influence on employee outcomes, and determined the roles of personal and organisational resources. Next, a quantitative study was conducted to test some of these relationships. The first study had highlighted that there was a need to develop a contextual measure which required testing before conducting the final study. Study One was based on the limited existing literature, and involved semi- structured interviews with 15 human resources (HR)/line managers. It aimed to gain knowledge about the influence of job and terrorism stress on employee outcomes, and the role of resources in helping reduce/explain the detrimental consequences. Thematic analyses highlighted several themes which were highly embedded in the context of on-going terrorism. The main themes concerned job stress, terrorism stress, organisational support in the context of terrorism, and employee outcomes of stressors of job and terrorism. Study One pointed out that the population at large was exposed to terrorist incidents, had suffered losses, and was likely to be traumatized. It also indicated that the organisational support needed by employees in the context of on-going terrorism was distinctly different than that which is conventionally observed in the literature as perceived organisational support (POS). For example, employees in the terrorism context wanted organisations to provide physical security such as armed guards with bullet proof jackets. There was no existing instrument that could be used to specifically measure this. The second study was informed by the first and focused on developing a measure for the contextual POS; I called it Security-POS. This study had a sample of 146 Pakistani employees and used factor analysis. It confirmed that Security-POS is distinct from POS. Mediation analysis confirmed that Security-POS enhances POS, which in turn positively influences employee outcomes and well-being. Drawing on the findings of the two studies, the third and final study was developed. The survey for this study was based on 416 Pakistani employees. The studies conjointly found that job stressors and PTSD collectively had more dire effects on employee behaviours than did each stressor separately. PTSD itself was higher than any other comparable samples such as those from post 9/11 or Israeli populations. In contrast to the majority of extant research findings, challenge stressors were often not recognised as a challenge, and consequently became another burden for employees. More importantly, hindrance stressors were identified as being the most detrimental of all the stressors. Both POS and Security-related contextual POS helped in moderating the adverse effects of the stressor. Psychological capital also mediated and reduced the harmful effects of the stressors and PTSD. This is constructed in the form of a ‘By Publication’ thesis wherein the most significant part of the thesis is presented in the form of stand-alone, but linked journal articles. Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the study and review the literature respectively, while Chapter 3 outlines the overall methodology of the research. Chapters 4 to 8 contain the five research articles (manuscripts). These chapters present one article or manuscript each as a complete, stand-alone piece, but collectively, are linked and based on the overall study. A brief outline of these five journal articles or manuscripts can be found below. Chapter 9 then provides an overall discussion of the study, its limitations, contributions and implications, and finally, a concluding section. This study contributes in general to the literature of management science, and in particular to the areas of job stress and trauma, and even more specifically, to the development of conservation of resources theory, positive psychology, and organisational support theory. It was conducted in areas that were far flung and hard hit by terrorism. It presented voices which are otherwise not heard, and has implications for the well-being of the individual employees working in, and for organisations located in, the terrorism- afflicted area. However, beyond Pakistan and other terrorism-afflicted countries, this study has wider implications for international organisations and communities. According to the United Nations (2016), the number of international migrants has grown faster than the world’s population, reaching 244 million in 2015, a 41% increase since 2000. A large number of people continue to flee unsafe environments, not only as refugees, but also as expatriates, students and skilled migrants. These individuals may not always be aware of the burdens of the stress and trauma that accompanies them, and nor may their new employment organisations and host countries. For the well-being of the workforce in various settings, it is thus critical that the effects of terrorism on employees and their organisations become better understood.