Mindfulness
• A quality of mind that notices, in the present moment, without judging, or trying to fix or change anything.
• An awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally and with acceptance, where “acceptance” means a willingness to see things as they are.
• Is enhanced by developing skills of intention, attention, and an accepting, allowing attitude towards present moment experience; usually by “meditation” or “reflective practice.”
High reliability Organizations
A complex working environment that operates safely and reliably in the face of hazards that can harm hundreds or thousands of people.
– Roberts, K. Organizational Science, 1990
Factors Contributing to Poor Reliability and Mind-less-ness
•Seeing the same situations/problems day after day
•Being distracted or easily distractible
•Feeling hurried•Feeling overloaded
•Feeling unable to do anything about what one sees
Results in: “going on autopilot”; mislabeling new contexts; following “recipes” instead of creating new solutions
Weick and Sutcliffe, “Managing the Unexpected”
the mindfulness project 