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June 2008: Hearts and Minds |
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In last month’s email, I quoted
Dr. Richard Davidson: “I am committed to putting compassion on the scientific
map”. (Dr Davidson, highly respected for his work which focuses on the
relationship between brain and emotion, is the Director of the Laboratory for
Affective Neuroscience and the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Functional Brain
Imaging and Behaviour at the The concept of compassion is increasingly discussed
in the workshops which I facilitate for corporate teams and executive
groups. The frequent topic of choice
for these workshops is managing in times of change, and thriving in times of
change. Participants regularly raise
the issues of the ‘human moment’ and ‘humanity at work’ and how these are
vital for good workplace functioning. Compassion, with its origins in eastern and western
philosophies, is outward directed, “transcends preoccupation with the
centrality of self” (note 1); we focus on others and not merely on ourselves.
“As the person comes to understand others, she/he comes close to self
understanding”. Organisational
compassion is contagious. Compassion
at Work Research on compassion at work was recently
documented in the Journal of Organizational Behavior
(Feb 2008): “Compassion allows people to heal and recover, generating little
if any interruption to the normal flow of action and leaving little visible
trace of its deep impact” (note 2) There is a growing body of evidence and research
supporting the importance of compassion and how it affects those to whom
compassion is bestowed: •
Reduces stressed and frustration •
Increases the sense of humanity at work •
Improves confidence •
Enables people to succeed in life •
Fosters group happiness •
Builds resilience •
Increases dopamine (enhances attention and
pleasure) and serotonin (decreases fear and anxiety) •
Improves performance at work •
Improves commitment at work and employee
engagement •
Improves responsiveness to customers •
Increases positive emotions and reduces negative
emotions •
Builds trust and cohesion “Workers’ immune systems were buffered from the
immunological effects of job strain when they viewed their social support as
adequate, but not if they viewed their social support as inadequate. Positive
connections strengthen the immune system during periods of acute and chronic
stress, such as job strain” (note 3) “Leading
with compassion can favourably impact the bottom line while enabling leaders
to sustain their effectiveness for longer periods of time.” (note 5) To improve one’s ability to demonstrate compassion: •
It helps to feel secure and stable, which
provides a foundation which makes it easier to show compassion “feeling cared
for frees us to care for others” (note 4) •
Be available, sensitive and responsive to
others’ needs and issues •
Make time •
Listen empathetically •
Be emotionally present •
Be in tune with others •
Engage mindfully with others •
Build a team environment which supports
compassionate behaviours •
Encourage compassion from all levels, not just
from the top •
Be curious and have respect “An
organization which has high quality connections between people will have much
more fertile ground for compassion to happen.” (note 6) “…companies
where the focus is on amplifying positive attributes such as loyalty,
resilience, trustworthiness, humility, and compassion – rather than combating
the negatives perform better, financially and otherwise.” (note 7) Notes (2) “The Contours and Consequences of Compassion at
Work”, by Lilius, Worline,
Maitlis, Kanov, Dutton
and Frost (Journal of Organizational Behavior, Feb
2008) (3) “Embodying Social Interaction: Integrating
Physiology into the Study of Connections and Relationships at Work” by Heaphy and Dutton (2005),
Centre for Positive Organizational Scholarship, (4) Social Intelligence (2006), by Daniel Goleman (5) Resonant Leadership (2005), by Boyatzis and McKee (6) Monica Worline,
Professor of Organization and Management, (7) Harvard Business Review, February 2004) Information in this email was also drawn from Toxic
Emotions at Work (2003), by Peter Frost
This email… …aims to provide you and your teams with information for your
professional and personal development. Topics are based on areas of
interest raised by clients and colleagues, with material drawn from journals,
books, articles and shared experiences. Add / Remove: Please send an email to: info@amandahorne.com.au For previous articles: www.amandahorne.com.au/html/resources.html
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