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‘decision surprises’ in the banking sector [11], and the dialectics of collective minding
in a building project of a renowned architecture firm [12].
A different type of research on collective mindfulness aims to more formally assess
and measure the association between antecedents (e.g. organisational structures) and
mindful organising, and between mindful organising and organisational outcomes
(reliability, safety) (Table 2). Vogus and Sutcliffe designed and tested a scale to measure
levels of mindful organising across healthcare organisations (nursing units). This scale
was then used to examine associations between levels of mindful organising with
organisational outcomes (medication errors) [13]. More recently, the scale was used in a
similar, more complex, mixed-method study where mindful organising was taken as one
of four reliability-enhancing work practices (REWP) (in addition to: respectful
interaction; affective commitment; and organisational citizenship behaviour). A survey
of 10 items capturing information about each of these REWP was administered to nurses
in 95 units across 10 hospitals. They were then correlated to outcomes of patient care
(medication errors and patient falls). In assessing the constructs, the authors found
mindful organising correlated with respectful interaction. However, mindful organising
had significant correlation with medication errors and patient falls, while respectful
interaction did not [14][p.14]. The study found that scores on ‘mindful organising’ were
significantly negatively associated with medication errors and falls, i.e. units with higher
mindful organising scores had significantly lower rates of medication errors and falls.
[14][p16]. Thus, measurements of this kind add predictive value to the theory, i.e.
making it usable to predict the likelihood of positive or negative outcomes in the presence
of different levels of mindful organising practices. Their drawback is loss of insight into
the dynamics of collective mindfulness processes that may be specific to different
organisational contexts.
Overall, it is important to remember that studying, or measuring, collective
mindfulness is not the same as studying, or measuring, individual mindfulness. The latter
is increasingly of interest among researchers of users’ behaviour with technology, and
can be achieved, for example, by use of the generic Langer’s mindfulness scales, or
scales designed more specifically to capture individual’s mindfulness with IT. But
studying individual mindfulness does not reveal collective capabilities, organisational
processes or outcomes (and there is no evidence yet that individual mindfulness directly
produces collective mindfulness [2]).
Table 2. Examples of methods used to empirically study collective mindfulness
Aims Examples of methods
Exploring how collective mindfulness unfolds and why; understanding
the dynamic processes (and possible mechanisms) that lead to positive
or negative outcomes (reliability/failures) Qualitative research; in depth
case studies.
Measuring collective mindfulness (presence/absence or levels) Design of scales distributed
and tested through surveys
Assessing/Testing association between organisational characteristics
(antecedents) and mindful organising, or between mindful organising*
and organisational outcomes (e.g. reliability/failures) Scales and surveys; mixed
methods.
* Mindful organising here is equivalent to ‘an intervention’ (e.g. to improve reliability or safety). However, to
our knowledge there have been no studies that introduce organisational mindfulness as an intervention and then
test its effects on outcomes.
V.LichtnerandJ.I.Westbrook
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book Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics - Knowledge Base for Practitioners"
Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Title
- Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics
- Subtitle
- Knowledge Base for Practitioners
- Authors
- Philip Scott
- Nicolette de Keizer
- Andrew Georgiou
- Publisher
- IOS Press BV
- Location
- Amsterdam
- Date
- 2019
- Language
- English
- License
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-1-61499-991-1
- Size
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Pages
- 242
- Category
- Informatik