Exploring the Impact of Guided Meditation on Workplace Creativity: A Pilot Study Among Managers in A-Grade Hotels of North Goa

Abstract

Background:

The workplace creativity in Indian corporate sector is underexplored and inadequately documented, but creativity is increasingly recognized as a vital component for innovation and productivity, particularly in fast-paced sectors such as hospitality and IT. Factors like organizational culture, leadership styles, and stress management techniques, including mindfulness and meditation, have demonstrated an influence on creativity within the workplace. Integrating interventions like Cyclic Meditation (CM), a structured guided meditation approach has the potential to boost employees' creative performance

Aim:

This study explored the impact of a 6-week CM program on workplace creativity in ‘A’ grade hotels of North Goa, India

Methods:

This study worked with a single-arm pre-post design and involved 60 frontline and topline ‘A’ grade hotel managers, with an average age of 34.2 ± 4.7 years. Participants engaged in CM program which is a guided meditation practice that included asana, pranayama, and relaxation techniques for 35 minutes each day, five days a week.

Results:

The Creativity Style Questionnaire – Revised (CSQ-R) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was evaluated at baseline and again after a period of 6 week. The analysis of data was conducted utilizing SPSS software. The Cohen’s *d* values of 0.69 (p < 0.001) for CSQ-R and 1.10 (p < 0.001) for PSS suggest moderate to large effect sizes, highlighting significant enhancements in creativity because of effective reduction in the stress levels.

Conclusion:

CM significantly boosts creativity in the workplace by alleviating stress, which encourages better cognitive flexibility and innovative thought processes. Additional research involving a larger sample size and a strong research design utilizing objective variables is necessary to enhance the study's findings.