Mindfulness in the Academy: Practices and Perspectives from Scholars

291 Pages·2018·4.26 MB·English

by  Narelle Lemon

Narelle Lemon · Sharon McDonough
Editors
Mindfulness
in the
Academy
Practices and Perspectives from Scholars
Mindfulness in the Academy
Narelle Lemon Sharon McDonough
(cid:129)
Editors
Mindfulness in the Academy
Practices and Perspectives from Scholars
123
Editors
Narelle Lemon SharonMcDonough
Swinburne University of Technology FederationUniversity Australia
Melbourne, VIC,Australia Ballarat, VIC,Australia
ISBN978-981-13-2142-9 ISBN978-981-13-2143-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2143-6
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Foreword
Since their origins in the tenth century, universities have championed knowledge
creation,teaching,researchandknowledgetransfer.Whilehonouringthisheritage,
todayuniversitiesalsoacceptthecentralroletheyplayingeneratingtheknowledge
neededtonavigateourfuture.Inthiscontext,bringingthescienceofthemindinto
university work is crucial.
When applied, the science of mind has been shown to improve our
decision-making, creativity, focused attention, perspective-taking, deep thinking
and collaborative engagement. This science has implications for those working in
organisations—including in universities.
While there is still much to learn about the processes of the human brain and
how the mind evaluates our behaviour and influences our actions, advances in the
science of the mind have already made it clear that improving our levels of
self-awareness and emotion regulation are important developmental skills.
Mindfulnessisnowthesubjectofnumerousresearchinvestigationsandscience
isshowingthatwhenwecanconsciouslymanageourbreathingpatterns,emotions,
thoughts and physiology, such as our heart rate variability, we are able to calm
ourselves and take more considered action.
However, as this volume notes, mindfulness has also been the subject of criti-
cism—sometimes tagged ‘McMindfulness’ as a condemnation of its mainstream
nature, its marketing asa commodity, and in some instancesbecause it has moved
awayfromitsethicalorigins.Theauthorsthemselvesrecognisethisshortcomingby
referencing the neuroscience of mind awareness and perspective-taking. This
research acknowledges the benefits of this new learning not only for individual
personal development but also for wider organisational and social development.
Therefore, this volume of essays is very timely—coming as it does from uni-
versity academics and administrators reflecting on how their mindful practices
informtheirwork.Thesethoughtfulessaysoutlinethemanywaysinwhichtheyare
engaginginmindfulpracticesincludingfortheirownprofessionaldevelopment,in
collaborations with their peers and employees, in knowledge transfer with gov-
ernment departments, professional associations, industry, other universities and
research institutions, and in teaching their students.
v
vi Foreword
Research indicates that the human mind has continued to evolve and we are
more intelligent now than ever before. For example, one measure of IQ, the Flynn
effect,tellsusapersonwhoseIQisconsideredaveragetoday,wouldhavetestedin
the top 2% of IQ only 80 years ago.
This does not mean we are wise, however, far from it. The reason for that,
psychologists tell us, is that we now have a mind capable of overthinking and
ruminating. Our ‘new brain’ sits over an ancient survival emotion regulation sys-
tem.Thiscombinationcancauseusunduestress,ifwedonothavethepracticesto
calm ourselves.
The concept of mind is complex, and the mindful practices described in this
volume derive from many disciplines including psychology, evolutionary biology,
neuro-education, leadership, management theory and neuroscience.
These essays contribute to this accumulating knowledge—by demonstrating
how the skills and motivations of mindful awareness are crucial in growing our
levels of self-awareness and emotional intelligence, and how the capacity of the
brain to develop informs the learning process.
I was invited to write this Foreword as someone who has long worked in
academic and knowledge transfer roles in universities; and as the Founder of the
Mindful Futures Network. This Network was established to inform, inspire and
connect those who are working to apply:
(cid:129) the science of mindfulness—which delivers improved mental clarity and emo-
tional health,
(cid:129) the competency of empathy—which delivers improved perspective-taking for
better connections with others and
(cid:129) the motivation of compassion—which delivers the capacity to see and respond
to the suffering of others and ourselves.
The Network has connected with leading universities across the world working
inthisresearchfield,includingtheOxfordMindfulnessCentre,OxfordUniversity;
Compassionate Mind Foundation, University of Derby, Centre for Positive
Organisations, University of Michigan; Greater Good Science Centre, UC
Berkeley; and Centre for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, and,
Stanford University.
Indeed,theUniversityofMassachusettsMedicalSchoolhasjustannouncedthe
creation of a new division dedicated to the academic study of mindfulness. The
DivisionofMindfulness,thefirstofitskind,encompassestheuniversity’sexisting
Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, started by Jon
Kabat-Zinn in the 1980s.
These universities are finding that mindful skills and motivations are exactly
thoseneededfortoday’sglobalworld.Mindfulnessandempathyareoftenreferred
to as ‘soft skills’—but in reality these skills are anything but ‘soft’—they take
emotional intelligence and courage. It is time to rename the skills of mind aware-
ness, empathic perspective-taking and compassion as other than ‘soft’. The noted
Foreword vii
UK psychologist Prof. Paul Gilbert is on the record as saying that ‘compassion is
the courage to descend into the reality of the human experience’.
WhatIlikeaboutthereflectionsintheseessaysistheirrecognitionthatbybetter
shaping our social interactions and improving the complex decision-making pro-
cessesnowrequired,itispossibletocreateuniversitiesthatofferthepsychological
safety necessary to nurture the deep thinking and creativity of their staff and
students.
Looking inside ourselves is difficult and many people find stillness very chal-
lenging.Inreflectingontheirownexperiences,theauthorsinthisbookgiveustheir
personalstoriesofresolutiontobecomemoreself-aware,notasanendinitself,but
as the editors’ note, ‘to enable us all to be more humane and compassionate in
developing more mindful systems and organisations’.
I congratulate the editors Narelle Lemon and Sharon McDonough for the fore-
sight they have shown in conceiving and producing this book. It is a timely and
important contribution to the application of mind awareness within a vital sector.
Universitiesarekeytoshapingandcreatingourfutureleadersandthinkers,andin
determiningthewaysinwhichtheworldevolves.Inthisageofsocialmediawhere
years of research inquiry can be equated to someone’s opinion, it is crucial that
those working in universities are developing and applying these skills and
motivations.
Mind awareness is important not only for the individual well-being of those
working within institutions of higher education but also in guiding the personal
reflection and practices that will enable and empower positive organisational
change within the academy, so that it can make its rightful contribution to the
knowledge creation and knowledge transfer needed in the world today.
Ballarat, Australia Dr. Lynne Reeder
March 2018
Acknowledgements
Creatinganeditedvolumecanbebothachallengingandarewardingprocess,and
as we outline in this volume, we were fortunate that this book contained more
rewards than challenges. This is due to the wonderful academic community of
writers and reviewers who have been part of bringing this volume to life. Without
their honest and compelling writing, their attention to deadlines and their willing-
ness to share their knowledge, this volume would not have come to fruition.
Thanks also must go to Nick Melchior at Springer for his enthusiasm for the
volume and for his prompt advice and support.
Bringinganeditedbooktolifecannothappenwithoutthesupportoffamily,and
bothofuswouldliketothankourpartners,RohanandMat,fortheirongoinglove,
support and encouragement.
ix
Contents
1 Mindfulness in the Academy: An Examination of Mindfulness
Perspectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sharon McDonough and Narelle Lemon
Part I Integrity, Compassion, and Care
2 Doormats and Boulders: Uncovering Mindfulness Traits
and Wise Discernment During Stressful Experiences
in the Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Rosemary Chang
3 Emerging into Authentic Academic Life: Anxiety, Masks
of Selves, Mindful Observation and Perfectionist Performance. . . . 41
Anat Wilson
Part II Becoming, Identity, and Professional Transitions
4 Mindful Networks? Navigating and Negotiating Life
and Work in Academia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Katy Vigurs
5 Mindful Practice as Professional Identity Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chad M. Morrison
6 Exploring Mindfulness in Teaching–Learning Scholarship
Through a Reflective Conversation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Marni J. Binder, Jennifer Martin and Jasna K. Schwind
Part III Collegiality, Collaboration and Relationships
7 Tending to Ourselves, Tending to Each Other: Nurturing
Feminist Friendships to Manage Academic Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Monica Taylor and Emily J. Klein
xi
xii Contents
8 It is About Fun Stuff! Thinking About the Writing Process
in Different Ways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Megan McPherson and Narelle Lemon
9 I am not Playing the Academic Hunger Games:
Self-awareness and Mindful Practices in Approaching
Research Collaborations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Narelle Lemon
Part IV Leadership, Professional Vulnerability and Change
10 Ko Wai Au (Who Am I)? Authentic Leadership
and Mindfulness in Higher Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Kim Tairi
11 The Role of Mindfulness in Managing HRM Challenges
for Senior Higher Education Learning and Teaching Leaders . . . . 173
Nina Fotinatos
Part V Conscious Decisions, Being Present, and Voice
12 Mindful Care and Compassion in Higher Education: Cultivating
Communities of Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Helen M. Correia and Karin Strehlow
13 Yoga and Pedagogical Mindfulness in Higher Education . . . . . . . . 203
Jane Bone
14 Casualisation, Mindfulness and the Working Lives
of Academics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Sarah Pinto and Kirstie Close
Part VI Resistance, Social Justice and Being the Change
15 The Right Kind of Ambition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Tseen Khoo
16 A Glitch in the Machine or a Glimmer of What Could Be?
Mindfulness as Resistance in Higher Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Sharon McDonough
17 Mindfully Living and Working in the Academy: Continuing
the Conversation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Narelle Lemon and Sharon McDonough
Postface .. .... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 285
Glossary of Terms.. .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 289
Index .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 291