Mindfulness, defined as “a receptive attention to and awareness of present events and experience,” has become popular worldwide as a way to make people feel calmer, more focused, and more creative. Mindfulness advocates say it keeps them from being distracted by fears and conflicts. Some companies see team mindfulness as a way to improve group interactions. Of course, team mindfulness is a bit different; it involves a collective awareness of the present by the team at any given moment. Studies have shown that a high level of team mindfulness leads to lower levels of relationship conflict and less tendency for conflict to undermine the team’s work. To increase team mindfulness, encourage present-focused attention, non-judgmental processing, respectful communication, and an openness to collecting and understanding information before processing and acting on it. Read the full article.