Incorporating Meditation as a Professional Skill within the Business Curriculum: Theory, Attitudes and Application

Abstract

The author suggests that a number of barriers currently exist to the wider inclusion of meditation in the business curriculum: (1) the lingering association that many people have with meditation as a strictly spiritual practice, rather than as a tool that anyone can learn and apply; (2) the concern that students will think meditation is inappropriate as part of professional training and unrelated to their future managerial role; and (3) the lack of knowledge among business professors about how to teach meditation and integrate its practice into the topics of their course. The paper addresses these concerns by reviewing the current research and popular use of meditation; presents the results our research into student attitudes towards seven statements about the value of meditation in the business curriculum; and discusses the practical issues such as when and how to introduce meditation, approaches to integrating mediation with other course topics, and effective responses to typical student concerns.