People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1 - 20

Research
Corner

practice sessions and arrange work routines
that are brain friendly.
Hosting mindfulness seminars and even organizing shared moments of mindfulness at the
start or end of each day or week can bring the
benefits of time-in into an organization.
Connecting Time: The Power of
Relationships

hension that can result in a new interpretation
of a situation and that can point to the solution
to a problem" (Sternberg & Davidson, 1995).
This "suddenness" is actually the result of
unconscious integration. During downtime,
when we take a break from the effortful, attentive activity of problem-solving, we find
solutions often emerge on their own.
Companies interested in optimizing employees' mental capacities should provide breaks
for downtime during the working day, and
proper holidays should be mandated.
Time-In: Reflective Awareness
Time-in is time devoted to attending to only
the events of the here and now (Massion,
Teas, Hebert, Wertheimer, & Kabat-Zinn,
1995). Time-in develops the capacity to be
present with experience, which as a regular
practice is associated with greater development in areas of the brain related to attention
and emotion regulation (Lazar et al., 2005;
Luders, Narr, Thompson, & Toga, 2009).
During time-in, we focus on process as
opposed to content (Perez-De-Albeniz &
Holmes, 2000). Time-in practiced on a regular basis benefits us cognitively (e.g. attention,
flexible perspective), emotionally (e.g. selfcontrol, stress management), and socially
(e.g. compassion, empathy) while yielding
physiological balance.
Google regularly runs Search Inside Yourself
training and has a mindfulness guru. Executive Bill Duane credits mindfulness training
with improving his personal and professional
life, helping him to better deal with stress,
handle his emotions, and cope with the death
of his father-as well as being more effective
at work. "My typical coping strategies-the
bourbon and cheeseburger method-weren't
working." He now focuses full-time on bringing meditation to a wider audience at Google.
Twitter and Facebook also run mindfulness

PEOPLE & STRATEGY

Social support affects stressors and strains at
work in three ways: It reduces the intensity
of experienced strains, adjusts how stressors
are perceived, and moderates the relationship
between the two (Viswesvaran, Sanchez, &
Fisher, 1999). The comfort of knowing that
others are available to offer us help and emotional support also buffers the negative effects
of stress on health.
Over the past two decades, my colleagues and
I have created a new kind of science: social
cognitive neuroscience. Using tools like fMRI
(functional magnetic resonance imaging), we
have made startling discoveries about how
the brain responds to the social world. Our
brains are wired to connect with other people.
Given the fact that our brains treat social and
physical pain similarly, should we as a society

treat social pain differently than we do? We
don't expect someone with a broken leg to
"just get over it," and yet when it comes to
the pain of social loss, this is a common
response (Lieberman, 2013).
Increasingly, people are working in more
fragmented ways: people work from home
and "hot desks;" global teams require more
teleconferences. While these are efficient
practices, it is important to compensate for
the lack of social interaction. An atmosphere
of social connection within the workplace
can not only boost health and morale among
individuals, but it can also unite those individuals with a sense of belonging, togetherness,
and motivation. HR can organize events during and after work hours that encourage
connection and play.
Physical Time: The Benefits of Exercise on
the Brain
The complexity of abstract problems and an
interconnected world require staff at every
level to be flexible, innovative, and focused.
We need fit brains as well as fit bodies; it is as
important to cross-train one as it is for the
other. In addition to enhancing learning and
memory (Rogers, Meyer, & Mortel, 1990;

The Top 12 HR Deliverables
The HR role in creating
a more brain healthy
organization may be
summarized into three
areas of focus:
Strategic thinking:
* Prepare the business
case.
* Ask for top level
sponsorship.
* Join strategic HR
networks for ideas.
* Review HR policies to
make them more brain
friendly and less subject
to bias, i.e., performance
management,
unconscious bias, and
recruitment.
* Training

* Provide brain training.
* Provide mindfulness
training and regular
practice sessions (read
what others are doing
to help convince the
cynical).
* Organize events and
allocate budget to brain
healthy activities.
* Make training programs
and meetings brain
friendly-maximum 90
minute sessions with
break out time and
time for reflection and
integration of new ideas.
* Environment
* Encourage focus
time-review office
layout, provide quiet

areas for focused work
where people can't be
distracted.
* Provide a gym or gym
memberships at reduced
prices.
* Provide pods for "power
naps."
* Provide play areas
suited to the culture-
table tennis, games,
refreshment, and activity
areas.
To get these changes
to really take hold, it is
important that people in
the organization know
that these resources are
available and the use of
them is encouraged.

People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of People & Strategy Winter 2015 Vol. 38 Issue 1