Abstract

This study examined multiple factors that underlie a key component of leadership resilience, situation awareness (SA), and its role in executive judgment and decision making under stress. SA, researched for over 30 years in military and critical incident professions by researchers from the field of Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM), has increasing relevance to leaders in organizations, particularly those who are challenged by high uncertainty and accelerating change, traditionally addressed by the field of organization development (OD). The study specifically examines the Transcendental MeditationTM technique within the context of a 10-week intervention for developing SA capacity in emerging leaders (N = 35), for which pre- and post-data were collected and analyzed. The research approach involved an intervention group (n = 18) trained in the twice-daily practice of the Transcendental MeditationTM technique and a control group (n = 17) with no intervention. Participants in both groups completed three instruments, Trail Making B, Wisconsin Card Sort Test, and Constructive Thinking Inventory, as a means to measure the three elements of SA (perception, comprehension, projection). Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) showed that TM practice produced significant effects (p levels ranged from .033 to .047) on two of the three measures, specifically, perception and projection. The results of the study support a positive relationship between the Transcendental Meditation technique on the improvement of SA capacity in emerging leaders, and advances the body of research on the use of meditation as an intervention in leadership resilience development programs to prepare leaders for high-demand settings.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Dissertations (EdD) -- Organization change; Situational awareness; Transcendental Meditation

Date of Award

2012

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Murrell, Kenneth L.;

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