This class exists in these courses :
• IÉSEG > IESEG Degree - Programme Grande École > Semester 1 > 2,00 ECTS
• IÉSEG > IESEG Degree - Programme Grande École > Semester 2 > 2,00 ECTS

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student should be able to :
1. Understand from both a conceptual and practice perspective what mindfulness is and how it can be relevant and useful for managers.

2. Develop leadership competences, decision-making skills, capacity to focus, stress reduction techniques through practical mindfulness exercises/techniques such as body scan, sitting meditation, walking meditation, hatha yoga exercises.

3. Discover the simple joy of being attentive to the present moment.

Course description

“Mindfulness & Management” is an introductory seminar to the practice of mindfulness in the context of a management setting. Mindfulness enables us to focus wholeheartedly and be present with whatever we are doing or experiencing moment by moment. It is the key to quality relationships, quality communications, intuition, creativity, and wisdom (Levy 1995 cited in Khisty, 2009).

This seminar is short but an intense four day immersion journey into mindfulness practice for business school students and future managers and is also probably unlike any that you may have encountered in your curriculum in business school in that it focuses not so much on ‘doing’ or on achievement and performance but instead on simply ‘being’. This may appear simple but it is actually difficult and particularly so for people who are used to being achievement, and performance oriented, always focusing on the next goal to achieve.
This seminar does not have the objective to turn you into a Zen master overnight. Instead it seeks to give you a glimpse of what mindfulness practice might be. This seminar is designed to feel like a journey-like retreat so that you may experience the sensation of having traveled far away from your everyday busy and (maybe) stressful life. We will do this through a series of mindfulness exercises and practices that will allow us to open up to fully experience and enjoy the present moment of our being.

Class type

Class structure

Teaching methods

• Coaching
• Research

Assessment

50% CLASS PARTICIPATION: The key requirement for the overall success of this course is your active participation in class discussions and teamwork activities. This means that class attendance is mandatory. Good participation includes the nature and quality of your contributions to each class.

50% INDIVIDUAL ESSAY: Each student will have to write a 5 page essay of 2,500 words (+/- 10%, excluding references) researching a topic of interest about mindfulness. This essay must address a research question on this topic and demonstrate a rigorous articulation of the relevant academic scientific literature. Students must use a minimum of 5 academic articles to write their essay. Other sources (journalistic, books, web) may also be used. The essay should also incorporate your personal experience with this introductory class. More detailed guidelines will be handed out.

Recommended reading

• Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness, Dell Publishing. -

• Brach, T. (2003). Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha, Bantam Books. -

• Siegel, Daniel, J. (2010). Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation, Bantam Books. -

• Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1975). The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation, Beacon Press. -

• Nhat Hanh, Thich. (1987). Being Peace, Parallax Press. -

• Goldstein, J. (1993). Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, Shambala Publications. -

• Dalai Lama and Cutler, H.C. (1998). The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, Riverhead Books. -