Most management classes are taught by modified traditional techniques in which the acquisition of facts and rote skills is primary. However, traditional pedagogies fall short when the desired result is not inculcating knowledge about a subject, but rather constructively altering worldviews and behaviors. Leadership, ethics, strategic management, and communications are some of the subjects for which worldview change is imperative and traditional, knowledge-inculcating pedagogies are inadequate. The type of cognitive restructuring required for deep understanding of these subjects is termed transformational learning. This article presents an instructional innovation in which transformational learning is facilitated by incorporating mindfulness practice into an MBA course. Specifically, we suggest that mindfulness increases learners’ awareness of their own and others’ perspectives and decreases resistance to novel ways of seeing and doing things. This increases the likelihood that transformational learning will occur. We evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness practice in inducing transformational learning in the course.
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