Introduction
Due to globalization, organizations expect their employees to generate quality results in order to respond in the most optimal way to customer needs. However, in the organizations themselves it is not always taken into account that employees need not only labor resources, but also psychological and social resources to generate these results more easily and effectively.
Of all the resources, one of great value is empathy. Putting ourselves in the shoes of other people is sometimes difficult, because we do not always think the same as the other members of our work team. This is why it is important to foster empathy and let your results speak for themselves. Holling (1994) refers to empathy as the ability to see the world, including our own behavior, from the point of view of other people. But how does this ability contribute to the organizational level? And above all, how do you contribute to the work teams?
Studies by Eisenberger et al. (1986) point out that empathy generates less absenteeism, more commitment and more satisfied employees in organizations. In addition, in work teams, empathy encourages people to help others, produces better communication with others, and is a key element for effective conflict resolution.
Combining empathy with tools and techniques that provide psychological and emotional well-being, such as mindfulness, is reflected in the quality results produced by a work team. In addition, supporting the empowerment of employees to make decisions for the benefit of the client, facilitates the well-being of employees, the delivery of optimal results and a quality service (Schneider, White & Paul, 1998; He, Li, & Lai, 2012). Along the same lines, the HERO (HEROHEALTHY & Resilient Organizations) model (Salanova, 2008; Salanova et al., 2012) proposes that providing employees with psychological and social resources will lead to the feeling of well-being and this to excellent and quality results. For its part,Martín and Llop (2008) recall that the tools to manage change cannot be confused with the key instrument to lead the transformation processes required for the survival of organizations: people.
El éxito de la innovación, como creación de un futuro emergente y mejor de las organizaciones, solo puede partir de la evolución individual, fomentada en un trabajo en equipo de individuos comprometidos que, con las herramientas adecuadas, alcancen resultados extraordinarios en un período asombrosamente corto (Martín y Llop, 2008). Como contribución a esto, consideramos que el primer paso a dar podría ser cultivar la habilidad de prestar atención a los sentimientos de los demás con plena conciencia, participando afectivamente con la realidad que afecta a las personas, sin establecer juicios; es decir, incorporar mindfulness para promover la empatía de las personas en la organización.
Lascu (2013) mentions that active listening is necessary to generate empathy, which can generate trust among team members because the person perceives that they are being listened to, and that someone cares about their situation or problem. For their part, Martín and Llop (2008) argue that according to neuroscience, art is not only about listening, but also about listening with empathy, since this fosters memory, trust and collaboration. Although we are only beginning to understand how the brain works, there is evidence to suggest that training empathy in listening alters activity in the brain, leading to more ethical and altruistic behavior towards others.
The biggest complaints from workers are about a lack of opportunities, low wages and overwork. However, it is striking to see how 64% consider that they listen less, and 36% complain about the constant distractions that prevent them from doing their job well (Martín and Llop, 2008). For their part, Huang et al (2015) affirm that many companies talk about how important their people are, but it does not seem that they act accordingly when most people do not feel heard and feel dissatisfied in their work. As a consequence, workers may be physically present at work, but mentally absent. How can a group work as a team if there is no listening? How do employees feel when they are not heard or valued?
With mindfulness practice we learn to pay attention to what is happening in our mind, body and environment in the present, with an attitude of curiosity and kindness (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). In recent years there has been a huge increase in academic research on this topic, with hundreds of articles published in scientific journals a year. Organizations have also included this important practice in their tools for change.
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