Mindfulness? : what is in it for me? : entrepreneurs’ motivations for meditative practices

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Mindfulness? What is in it for me? Entrepreneurs’ motivations for

meditative practices

Universiteit van Amsterdam

&

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Master Thesis

Entrepreneurship

Date: July 1, 2016

Supervisor: Dr. Y. Engel

Author: Luca de Boer

Student number: 11154470 and 25171083

Address: lucadeboer@hotmail.com

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Abstract

Why do entrepreneurs engage in meditative practices? What are the factors that motivate them to become more mindful? Whether and how do their motivations change once a routine meditation practice is adopted? This inductive-qualitative study seeks to provide answers to these questions by utilizing semi-structured interviews with a theoretical sample of 13 individuals who founded, inherited, or have taken over a new venture and next to running their business also engage in meditative practices as a routine activity. The results show that entrepreneurs began this practice primarily for self-oriented motives, like enhancing well-being, increasing attention, or dealing with negative life experiences. However, once a routine practice has been adopted their reasons to continue meditating shift towards other-oriented motivations like improvements in relationships with other people and a positive attitude towards others. We discuss these findings and offer contributions to research about meditative practices and mindfulness in the context of entrepreneurship.

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1. Introduction

Mindfulness – a state of present-centered attention and awareness associated with meditative practices (Brown & Ryan, 2003; Good et al., 2015) – attracts much interest from management scholars as well as organizational leaders (e.g., Dane, 2011; Glomb et al., 2011; Allen et al., 2015; Hülsheger et al., 2012; Good et al., 2015). This is not very surprising given the surge of evidence pointing to a host of positive mindfulness-related implications to almost every aspect of human functioning (Brown, Ryan, & Creswell, 2007). Indeed, with its well-documented effects on cognition, emotion regulation, inter-personal behavior and physiology (see Good et al 2015 for a recent review) mindfulness has also gained a unique status with entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are allegedly looking for ways to reduce the enormous stress involved in starting new venture (Cardon & Patel, 2015). But mindfulness is not just about stress reduction and entrepreneurs may also pursue it to cultivate a sense of focus, creativity, negotiation benefits and enhanced productivity (Sears et al., 2011; Klokner & Hicks, 2015; Nandram, 2016; Reb & Narayanan, 2014). Advocated by prominent public figures such as Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington and the late Steve Jobs, mindfulness is now hyped as the new entrepreneurial panacea when both the media and practitioners are busy advancing the argument that mindfulness fosters the development of crucial skills relevant for the entrepreneurial task (Bialylew, 2014; Caprino, 2014; Clarkson, 2015; James, 2015; Kets de Vries, 2015)

However, even as the body of research supporting the general utility of mindfulness in the workplace is growing rapidly (Good et al., 2015) and the popular media pays increasing attention to mindfulness in the context of entrepreneurship (e.g., Bialylew, 2014), little is known about the factors that actually motivate entrepreneurs to practice mindfulness. As a result, any answer to the question ‘why entrepreneurs practice mindfulness?’ is currently based on untested assumptions regarding the benefits of mindfulness more generally. Insights from research about motivation for mindfulness are also of limited value as they show that initial motivations are likely to change as individual’s progress in their practice (Pepping et al., 2016). For example, people who start practicing to alleviate a specific emotional distress (e.g., Shapiro et al., 1992) may continue their practice on the basis of a wider concern with sustained well-being

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(Pepping et al., 2016). In short, we do not know much about why entrepreneurs actually turn to mindfulness, what are their perceptions of mindfulness-related benefits, and whether these perceived benefits actually stack-up once entrepreneurs have adopted a routine mindfulness practice. Hence, we ask the following research questions:

(1) What are entrepreneurs’ motivations to practice mindfulness?

(2) Whether and how do their motivations change once a routine practice is adopted?

Because this is a new area of research, we apply an inductive-qualitative-methodology to begin an initial exploration of entrepreneurs’ perceived benefits of mindfulness practice. In particular, we conduct a series of semi-structured interviews with a sample of 13 Dutch entrepreneurs –defined an as someone who founded, inherited, or has taken over a company and is currently (co-)managing that company–who regularly practice mindfulness and/or engage in routine meditative practice. A meditative practice is a conscious effort in different activities activating the clear-minded attention to and awareness of what is perceived in the present (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Quaglia et al., 2015) and is frequently designed to cultivate a sense of mindfulness- a state of inner consciousness whereby someone is aware of its thinking and actions (Good et al., 2015; Petchsawang & Duchon, 2009). With these definitions in mind, we ask this sample about their engagement in meditative practices, its perceived benefits both personally and professionally (i.e., with regard to the entrepreneurial task) as well as how these motivations evolved over time.

We offer three main contributions to theory. First, we complement and add to recent efforts by Pepping et al. (2016) who looked at motivations to start a mindfulness practice more generally. This study found that negative emotions and stress reduction are major motivations to start mindfulness practice. Hence, we offer deeper investigations of the motivation to practice mindfulness for entrepreneurs more specifically. Second, this study contributes to the research on entrepreneurial motivation. Most studies suggest that entrepreneurs are generally motivated by self-oriented and extrinsic motivations yet neglect other motivational forces driving entrepreneurial decisions and actions (Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva 2007; Carsrud & Brännback, 2009). We take a broader

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motivational framework into account when exploring why entrepreneurs engage in meditative practice. Third, our study provides a better understanding of how such motivations may change over time. Good et al. (2015) suggested, based on extrapolations from other studies, that mindfulness could be useful in business and leadership environments. This indicates an important consequence of the meditative practice. Our research search for motivations to start this meditative practice and for which reasons the entrepreneur decides to continue.

In the remainder of this report we first introduce the concept of mindfulness and its potential relevance to entrepreneurship (e.g., Good et al., 2015; Sears, 2011). Furthermore, we introduce theories about human and entrepreneurial motivation (Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva 2007; Carsrud & Brännback, 2009). We then describe the methodology used to address our research questions and report the results of our study by examining how concepts emerging from the data reflect on, and may be interpreted in light of, existing theories. Finally, we discuss the implications for both theory and practice and make suggestions for future research.

2. Theoretical Background

We take a qualitative case study approach to explore the poorly understood phenomenon of entrepreneurial motivation to start meditative practice (Yin, 2013). The iterative process between data and pertinent literature develops the results of this study. In this section an overview of the consulted literature is given, which is informed for the emerging findings (Pratt, 2008; Suddaby, 2006).

2.1 Mindfulness and meditative practice

Mindfulness plays a central role in Buddhist mental training for centuries. Classical Buddhist practice of mindfulness presents clear-minded attention to and awareness of what is perceived in the present. Mindfulness practice was introduced to western science in the 1970’s whereby it was first found to support recovery from chronic illness (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Quaglia et al., 2015). The classical Buddhist defines mindfulness as a clear-minded attention to and awareness of what is perceived in the present. In this way mindfulness can be defined as a “receptive attention to and awareness of present events and experience’’ (Quaglia et al., 2015). For this reason, mindfulness requires experiential

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processing (Brown et al, 2007); whereby the individual focus their attention to the internal (thoughts, emotions) or the external stimulus itself without deriving a direct meaning from the stimulus. With this ability to witness events, thoughts, and emotions as they show up comes the capacity to attend to events in the present as concrete phenomena rather than experiencing them in a biased way influenced by personal memories or future expectations. Mindfulness can be perceived as an attentiveness state of mind on how evaluations and judgments are made.

Davidson (2010) uses two ways of assessing mindfulness; self-report and mindfulness practice. Self-report consists of trait measures (e.g., the Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire; Baer et al, 2006) and state measures (e.g., Lau et al., 2006). On the other hand, mindfulness practices consist of practices focusing on the attention to for example the breath and practices that allows open monitoring of the different sensory stimuli, which could be done in mindful movement (Lutz et al., 2008). These two practice approaches could be bundled together in training programs, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn, 2003). Zinn (2015) explains that mindfulness could function as a tool to cope with daily life. Zinn expects that once an individual start mindfulness practice they will not quit. Mindfulness is synonymous to present moment awareness with an open, unbiased and accepting attitude to everything that might come up. Since mindfulness is perceived as a skill it could be developed through practice (Dayton, 2014). The more conscious effort one puts into the practice the better the skill will become (Baron & Henry, 2010). Mindfulness practice can be done by listening to music, breathing exercises, walking meditation and many more options. Informal practice can be done anytime in any situation (Dayton, 2014). However, for the purpose of this study, we adopt a more conservative definition of meditative practices involving the cultivation of mindfulness. We thus follow Kabat-Zinn, (2003) and Quaglia et al. (2015) to define meditative practices as a conscious effort in different activities activating the clear-minded attention to and awareness of what is perceived in the present. Accordingly, if a practice does not include conscious practice (Quaglia et al., 2015) and attention to the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) as its main component it is not considered as a meditative practice in the current research.

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2.1.1 Mindfulness in business and management

Mindfulness practice as studied in this research could have effects in professional activities. Since these outcomes could be possible motives for entrepreneurs to start the mindfulness practice, we would briefly address some of these implications. Indeed, several studies have researched the effect of mindfulness practice in the business environment. Shonin et al. (2014) found that managers can have an increased job performance after mindfulness training. Mindfulness training also leads to more ethical, more social behavior and lower deviance in the work environment (Reb et al., 2015). Joyner and Ladner (2008) show that business people who are practicing mindfulness are very capable of reaching concrete goals and increase their productivity and boost their sales. Furthermore, companies that are guided by mindful people take better strategic decisions (Joyner & Ladner, 2008). Reb et al. (2014) found leaders’ trait mindfulness was positively related with employees’ work-life balance, job satisfaction, citizenship behaviors and job performance. In addition, this was negatively related to employee exhaustion and deviance; psychological need satisfaction mediated these associations. Another research (Liang et al., in press) found that dispositional mindfulness among leaders decreased the likelihood that hostility toward subordinates would be expressed as abuse; the researchers attribute this finding to supervisors’ increased attention to and awareness of their hostility and the superior self-regulatory capacity brought by mindfulness. Naraynan and Moynihan (2006) found that mindful business people develop a good reflective capability and a high awareness of their environment.

In short, mindfulness practice has proven to have some positive impacts for individuals and in professional settings (Reb et al., 2014; Naraynan & Moynihan, 2006). These outcomes could be a motivation for the individual and in particular case a leader or entrepreneur to start this practice.

2.2 Motivation

Over a century academic literature addresses why people do what they do (Forbes, 2011). Researchers alternately use motives (White, 1959), needs (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Maslow, 1943; McClelland, 1985), drives (Maslow, 1943), desires (Reiss, 2004), instincts (McDougall, 1918), and goals (Kasser and Ryan, 1993; Sheldon et al., 2004). For the present research, these terms are used interchangeably. Studies of entrepreneurial

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motivation tend to consider intentions (Carsrud & Breannback, 2011) and personal characteristics that influence motivation, such as risk taking, locus of control and tolerance for ambiguity, alongside motives (Shane, et al., 2003). This research focuses on motives to start the mindfulness practice. Motivation is formed by a number of factors, including emotions (Batson & Shaw, 1991), intentions (Krueger, Reilly & Carsrud, 2000), and prior experience (Delmar & Wiklund, 2008).

Research suggests emotions precede entrepreneurial behavior and motivation with different emotions having distinct behavioral responses (Cardon et al., 2009; Hahn et al., 2012). Positive emotions, like joy, tend to influence judgments of entrepreneurial opportunities and increase the likelihood of pursuit (Welpe et al., 2012). Negative emotions, such as anger, seem to incline entrepreneurs toward action (Welpe et al., 2012). Emotions can be either personal or social in nature. Personal emotions do not depend on the emoting individual’s perception of others. Other emotions are social emotions, these emotions occur when taking another individual’s situation into consideration (Batson & Shaw, 1991). The emotions of sympathy and empathy are social emotions associated with other-oriented motivations (Bar-Tal, 1986; Batson et al., 1988). Both self-oriented and other-oriented emotions could be triggered by mindfulness practice (Good et al., 2015).

Thus, evidence suggests that personal and social emotions exist as distinct types of emotions (Welpe et al., 2012; Batson & Shaw, 1991). The link between mindfulness and motivation has not been extended to self-oriented or other-oriented motivation for entrepreneurs. Evidence exist that mindfulness practice does influence both self-oriented and other oriented emotions (Good et al., 2015).

2.2.1 Self-Oriented Motivation

Many of the psychological theories of motivation assume people act in their own interest and underline the self-oriented nature of human drives (Batson, 1990). Personal needs lead people to strive for safety, freedom, love, and success. For example, Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs framework suggest that people meet their most basic physiological needs first, such as food and shelter, before moving up the hierarchy to satisfy higher order needs, such as belongingness and self-actualization. In parallel with the psychology literature, the entrepreneurial motivation literature focuses on self-oriented motivation (Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva, 2007). Entrepreneurship

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research recognizes both financial and nonfinancial motivations for entrepreneurship, but inclines to focus on venture performance and personal benefits associated with entrepreneurship (Renko, 2013). Need for achievement, the drive to complete challenging tasks to a high standard (McClelland, 1953), is correlated both with the choice to become an entrepreneur (Frese & Gielnik, 2014; Stewart & Roth, 2007) and the likelihood to perform successfully as an entrepreneur (Frese & Gielnik, 2014; Collins, Hanges, & Locke, 2004). The need for autonomy, having control over one’s own behavior (Deci & Ryan, 2002), and independence, acting on one’s own volition (Ryan & Deci, 2001), also motivate the entrepreneur to persevere with their entrepreneurial activities (Carter 2011; Kuratko, Hornsby, & Naffziger, 1997). A common thread of these motives is the focus on benefits to the individual.

Intrinsic motivation describes a personal interest in the entrepreneurial task as seen in studies on multidimensional achievement in entrepreneurs (Carsrud, Olm, & Thomas, 1989; Carsrud & Brännback, 2009; Carsrud & Brännback, 2011). The high rate of achievement is for entrepreneurs a motivation to continue their tasks. The motivational concept of “mastery” has a great deal in common with the concept of self-efficacy, which is a key antecedent of entrepreneurial intentions (Bandura & Locke, 2003; Krueger, Reilly, & Carsrud, 2000; Wong, Lee, & Leung, 2006; Zhao, Seibert, & Hills, 2005). Entrepreneurs can be both intrinsic and extrinsically motivated to start their entrepreneurial activities (Elfving, 2008).

Extrinsic motivation is: “a cognitive state reflecting the extent to which an individual factors the force of his or her task behaviors to some extrinsic outcome” (Brief & Aldag, 1977, p. 497) and is often conceptualized in entrepreneurship as financial rewards, personal wealth acquisition, and personal income (Kuratko et al., 1997; Schumpeter, 1934; Carsrud & Brännback, 2009). The potential for financial reward has been recognized as an important motivation for entrepreneurial behavior (Campbell, 1992; Kuratko et al., 1997; Shepherd & DeTienne, 2005). However, there has been no research that has explored how intrinsic or extrinsic motivation might impact the decision to start meditative practice for an entrepreneur.

2.2.2 Other-Oriented Motivation

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group of people and personal rewards for the behavior are secondary (Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva, 2007). Grant (2007) suggests that both job design and creativity are in interplay with pro-social motivation. In a review of the motivation literature, Forbes (2011) identifies just four explanations of pro-social motivation: the anticipation of personal benefits, the emotional response to people in need, the drive to help a target community, and the motivation to uphold a principle such as social welfare. Egoistic pro-social motivation suggests that people help others to gain personal satisfaction (Batson et al., 1988) or to relieve their own problems from watching others suffer (Cialdini et al., 1987). Alternatively, collectivist motivation (Dawes, Van De Kragt, & Orbell, 1988; Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva, 2007) and other oriented motivation based on principles (Forbes, 2011) appear more genuinely focused on the needs of others. Although entrepreneurship research focuses more on self-oriented motivation, other-oriented motivation appears to play a role. Entrepreneurs, like any other person, appear to experience a mix of self- and other-oriented motives (Ruskin et al., 2016)

Table 1, as adapted from Ruskin et al (2016), presents some of the major motivation theories categorized according to the identification of self-oriented and other-oriented motivations.

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Table 1 - Overview theories

Authors and theories Self-oriented motives Other-oriented motives

Maslow (1943) Hierarchy of needs

Physiological, safety, love, esteem, self- actualization

Murray (1938) Theory of psychogenic needs

Dominance, deference, autonomy, aggression, abasement, sex, sentience, exhibition, play, affiliation, rejection,

defendance, counteraction, achievement, acquisition, blame

avoidance, cognizance, construction, exposition, harm avoidance, order, recognition, retention, understanding

Succorance, nurturance

McClelland (1953), McAdams (1980), Winter (1992) Human social motive theory

Achievement, affiliation, power

Cialdini et al. (1987), Batson & Shaw (1991) Egoistic prosocial motivation Egoism Altruism Max-Neef (1991) human scale development

Subsistence, affection, understanding, participation, idleness, creation, identity, freedom

Protection

Kasser & Ryan (1993) goals and well-being

Self-acceptance, affiliation, financial success

Community feeling

Reiss (2004) Theory of six- teen basic desires

Power, curiosity, independence, status, social contact, vengeance, honor, physical exercise, romance, order, eating, acceptance, tranquility, saving

Family, idealism

Forbes (2011) framework of human

motivation

Security, identity, mastery, empowerment, engagement, achievement, belonging

Nurturance esteem

Kuratko et al., (1997); Schumpeter, (1934); Carsrud & Brännback, (2009). Extrinsic motivations

entrepreneurs

Income, financial rewards, personal wealth, acquisition

Carsrud et al. (2009) Intrinsic motivation entrepreneurs

Multidimensional achievement, self-efficacy, mastery

2.3. Why do entrepreneurs start mindfulness practice?

From its original Buddhist perspective, the purpose of mindfulness practice is personal growth and self-regulation (Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth & Burney, 1985). Research showed that there are three possible reasons to practice mindfulness: regulation, self-liberation and self-exploration (Shapiro, 1994). Self-regulation is associated with the motivation to reduce the individual’s stress and pain level; this increases the person’s

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understanding (Shaprio, 1994). Last, self-liberation defines the motivation for personal growth and spirituality (Shapiro, 1992; Shapiro 1994). These motivations refer all to intrinsic and self-oriented motivations. Indeed, findings in recent research suggest that people start the practice because of alleviating emotional distress and enhance emotional regulation (Pepping et al., 2016), which could be linked with self-oriented motivations. The motivation to continue the practice for entrepreneurs could also be related with self-oriented motivations, like enhancing ones’ well-being (Pepping et al., 2016). Entrepreneurs, however, are also regularly documented to be motivated by extrinsic values, like financial rewards and status (Carsrud & Brännback, 2009); these external rewards are not yet linked with meditative practice. In addition, Good et al. (2015) suggest that mindfulness practice increases other-orientation, facilitating the experience and expression of pro social behavior. Entrepreneurship research also points to the increasingly important role of other-oriented motivations in the entrepreneurial process (Miller et al., 2012; Shepherd, 2015; Ruskin et al., 2016).

In summary, recent research showed that individuals start mindfulness practice with certain intentions. Most of these motivations to start and continue the practice were found in self-oriented motivations, like enhancement to well-being (Pepping et al., 2016). Researching self-oriented motivation is common in entrepreneurship literature (Carsrud & Brännback., 2011). However, there has not yet been a clear explanation about the motivation to start mindfulness practice as an entrepreneur, while recent studies are showing positive impacts of the practice also in professional settings (Sears, 2011; Good et al., 2015). Besides, no evidence has been found to explain the motivation from an other-oriented perspective, intrinsic motivations or extrinsic motivations. With this clear gap in the extant literature, we collect data from entrepreneurs to discover which type or combinations of motivations drive the pursuit of mindfulness practice for entrepreneurs.

3. Methodology

This chapter explains all the elements of the methodology used to conduct the research as well as the philosophy behind the selected research strategy. The methods used for the research include a qualitative case study approach with the use of a theoretical sampling. Furthermore, this chapter addresses the measures taken by the researcher to enhance the validity of the research and our conclusions.

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3.1 Rationale

In this research the initial motivations of entrepreneurs to practice mindfulness are investigated next to reasons that appear later as entrepreneurs adopt routine practice. Since little is known about the entrepreneurial motivation to start mindfulness practice, this study uses a multiple case study method (Eisenhardt, 1989). At the outset, the objective was to identify mindfulness motivations that entrepreneurs might report. Research ﬁndings were compared with existing literature (mindfulness practice, entrepreneurial practices and entrepreneurial motivations) with the aim to ‘enhance the internal validity, generalizability, and theoretical level of theory building from case study research’ (Eisenhardt, 1989: 545).

The researcher collected data from entrepreneurs at one point in time. At this point the entrepreneurs already practiced mindfulness and had their own company. Based on the primary data, different groups of motivations emerged, which we named: (1) self-oriented motivations; (2) other-self-oriented motivations. Furthermore, this study shows variation among the 13 cases.

3.2 Sample

The qualitative methodology called for a purposive (theoretical) sample (Eisenhardt & Greabner, 2007; Silverman, 2006). Speciﬁcally, this study uses maximum variation sampling (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007). This type of purposive sampling involves cases covering a spectrum of positions in relation to the phenomenon in this research (Miles & Huberman, 1994). This research employed variation sampling because it matched the research aims, which were to document and explain why entrepreneurs start and continue mindfulness practice. Sampling a variety of entrepreneurs could either reveal practice differences across entrepreneurs or, if common patterns were exposed, eliminate alternative explanations (Yin, 1994).

Based on discussions with industry experts and the reach of the network of the researcher this study selected entrepreneurs that varied in several relevant parameters: industry of the entrepreneurial company, years of experience with mindfulness and entrepreneurship. Besides the variation all the cases selected were selected among the criteria of being an entrepreneur (someone who founded, inherited, or has taken over a company and is currently (co-)managing that company) and practicing mindfulness

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consciously at least 3 times a week. Dayton (2014) indicates that there are numerous of ways to practice mindfulness, however this research uses the following definition for meditative practice as a conscious effort in different activities activating the clear-minded attention to and awareness of what is perceived in the present (Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Quaglia et al., 2015). For these reasons entrepreneurs who does not practice mindfulness consciously (Quaglia et al., 2015) or with attention to the present moment (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) were not taken into consideration as meditative practice. Some of the entrepreneurs practice mindfulness by doing trainings, while others are practicing themselves or going to a retreat. We selected 13 cases (a manageable set for comparative case analysis), with a good spread across those criteria. Table 2 presents the proﬁles of the sampled entrepreneurs. The sample includes male and female entrepreneurs varying in age groups from 25-30 till 50-55. Besides these selected entrepreneurs operate in various industries, such as food and hospitality, health care, retail, ICT, fast mover consumer goods and education. The years of experience with mindfulness ranged from 2 years to 20 years, the same holds for entrepreneurial experiences, which ranged from 2 years to 20 years across our sample. The sample represent a good response rate given the time and willingness restrictions of the targeted participants and the time frame of the researcher. After each interview, audio recordings were transcribed verbatim.

3.3 Sources of data

In this research multiple sources of evidence are used, with interviews being the primary source, supplemented with written communication and company information available on the Internet, such as websites, ted talks and social media. In order to have a better preparation before every interview the researcher searched for information about the entrepreneur and the company via these data sources. This preparation creates a more comfortable setting and a better idea for the researcher what the entrepreneur is doing. Interviews

During the data collection, it became clear that entrepreneurs’ time was considered a scarce resource. Every case answered the entire interview protocol, presented in Appendix B. In total 13 cases were selected and interviewed. The interviews took on average 45 minutes each. The respondents were happy with the process, since they were allowed to interrupt or to ask questions throughout. This was allowed because of the

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sometimes emotional or personal motivations of the entrepreneurs.

The interviews were semi-structured and their focus matched the evolving phases of the research. This structure enables the researcher to ask follow up question when necessary. The questioning was broad, covering the entire range of entrepreneurial and mindfulness activities (Maxwell, 2005).

Data management

This study used the 24-hour rule (Eisenhardt, 1989; Huberman & Miles, 1994), writing up full case notes and document summary sheets within 24 hours of each interview. All individual case files were formed with the notes, interview transcripts and other information (Yin, 1994). The trustworthiness of this study is measured among the following four criteria: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Several measures were taken to increase the trust between the researcher and interviewee, for example closed rooms and informal chats upfront (Brymann, 2008). Besides, during the interviews the interviewee was involved in the interpreting context and could interrupt the researcher when there was a misunderstanding.

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Table 2 - Overview respondents

Respondent Industry company Function Gender Age Mindfulness

experience

Entrepreneurial experience

Practice type Time practicing

R1 Health sector,

development health programs

Founder, director

Male 45-50 4 years 18 years Meditation, heart coherence Daily basic

exercises

R2 Start-ups, Flex offices Founder,

director

Male 25-30 4,5 years 6 years Vipassana, meditation, yoga Minimum 3 times

a week

R3 Social entrepreneur Founder,

director

Male 25-30 4 years 4 years Meditation, Vipassana Daily morning

1-hour meditation

R4 Retail products Director Male 25-30 5 years 2 years Meditation Daily basis small

exercises

R5 Health sector, trainings Founder,

director

Female 30-35 4 years 2 years Mindfulness courses,

mindfulness, meditation

Minimum 3 times a week

R6 Fast mover consumer

goods

Director Female 45-50 1 year 7 years Mindfulness course,

meditation

R7 IT Founder,

director

Male 35-40 2 years 10 years Mindfulness course Minimum 3 times

a week

R8 Communication industry

Co-founder, director

Female 25-30 4,5 years 4,5 years Yoga, meditation,

mindfulness course

R9 Private education and

consultancy

Founder, director

Male 40-45 3 years 20 years Meditation Daily morning

meditation

R10 Multimedia industry

Male 25-30 2,5 years 3 years Mindfulness app Daily practice

with app ‘Headspace’

R11 Hotel and catering

industry

Male 40-45 20 years 20 years Yoga, mindfulness, zen

meditation, Vipassana Daily informal practice, regular formal practice R12 Consultancy Founder, director

Male 40-45 25 years 22 years Yoga, meditation,

mindfulness

R13 IT Founder,

director

Male 40-45 10 years 3 years Meditation Minimum 3 times

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3.4 Data Analysis

The analysis of the transcribed interviews is a systematic way of examining and interpreting material in order to identify patterns, themes, and biases (Berg, 2009). In this study, the transcribed interviews were first analyzed using open coding. This process involved examining the transcript line by line and identifying unified codes or themes. A code is a record of pattern in the data, and a theme is formed once three or more of the same code has been identified in the data. An inductive grounded theory method was utilized to find codes and themes and was used to code similarities and differences (Berg, 2009). This coding process was split up in two stages. In the first order analysis tried to distill categories. During the first step, we applied open coding to understand how entrepreneurs saw their motivations to start and continue meditative practice. Common statements formed first-order concepts. For example, we found several data segments about ‘stress-reduction,’ ‘focus,’ and ‘loss,’ In the second order analysis this study focused on explaining the phenomena observed in the data from the first order codes, by consolidating the categories. For example, we consolidated curiosity, well-being, attention, negative life experiences and social motivations, as ‘starting motivations’. As well as well-being, work performance, personal attitude, relationships, and personal attitude towards others into the second-order theme of ‘motivations to continue the meditative practice.’ From these phenomena the researcher tries to let themes emerge and concepts clarified and elaborated upon (Goia et al., 2012). This data structure is illustrated in Table 3 and Table 4. In order to increase the internal validity of the research the findings were compared with existing literature and interpretations of raw data often involved an iterative process going between theory and findings (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007).

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First order codes Second order codes

Quotes about interest in brain, enlarge brain capacity, imagination, spirituality

Curiosity

Self-oriented motivations Quotes about interest, search

who you are, search for why Quotes about sceptical attitude, inspired by someone, theoretical perceptions, evidence Quotes about stress

reduction, calm, relax, rest, mental fit, sharp mind,

balance Well-being

Quotes about emotions, emotional stability, balance Quotes about negative

emotions, stress, burnout Negative life events Quotes about negative life

events, reorganisation, loss Quotes about own power, resilience, personal growth, manage thoughts

Attention

Quotes about control thoughts, control conversations, focus Quotes about worries, approachable for others,

contact with others Social motivations

Other-oriented motivations Quotes about soft side

entrepreneurship, manage team, grow team

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First-order codes Second-order codes

Quotes about balance, lifestyle, stress reduction,

stress, rest, manage energy Well-being

Self-oriented motivations Quotes about sleep quality,

in moment, work private balance, resilience, manage thoughts

Quotes about emotions, awareness, internal focus,

good things come back Personal attitude

Quotes about synchronicity, leadership quality, attitude, trust in self, open minded Quotes about focus, attention, finishing tasks, control information, prepare

for work Work-performance

Quotes about holistic view, overview organization, making choices,

Quotes about creativity, getting ideas

Quotes about better listening, attitude, people like me more, people trust me more

Personal attitude towards others

Other-oriented motivations Quotes about less control,

empower others, approachable, reactions Quotes about long-term relationships, purpose

driven, quality Relationships

Quotes about contact with environment, understand others, manage team

4. Results

We start by deriving several entrepreneurial motivations to start and continue mindfulness practice from the primary data. Recent studies demonstrated that entrepreneurs have self- and other-oriented motivations to engage in entrepreneurial activities (Van de Ven, Sapienza, & Villanueva 2007). In this section the motivations

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for meditative practice are presented and explained. Subsequently, observed variations across the motivations of entrepreneurs are explained. Following suggestions for presenting qualitative results (Pratt, 2008), the findings with ‘power quotes’ in text together with ‘proof quotes’ in comparative tables.

4.1 Motivations to start meditative practice

In the first part the motivations to start the practice are explained derived from the primary data.

4.1.1 Well-being

Previous research showed that individuals tend to start mindfulness practice because of the willingness to reduce stress level and become calmer (Pepping et al., 2016). Entrepreneurs tend to have a busy life and deal with lots of stress. Almost every case indicated that their motivation to start the practice was somehow related to their mental or physical well-being. Our data analysis indicated that a primary motivation was to reduce stress levels. A participant explained (R6):

“I was thinking that I really should do [something] to calm myself, because this way was not the right direction.”

Furthermore, participants explained their wish to become more in balance with themselves and expected that the practice could give them this balance. A participant explained (R2):

“I have to admit that this was a period in my life that I really felt the need for a certain balance. I worked a lot and most, maybe I should tell you that I organized parties at that time.”

We observed different motivations related to the overall mental and physical well-being of the entrepreneur. Some cases relied on the reduction of stress, while others were searching for calmness or a sense of balanced life. For some cases, well-being

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was not the main motivation. We interpreted these cases as exhibiting a ‘moderate emphasis’ on well-being. In contrast, for other cases, well-being was crucial to start the practice. Hence, these cases exhibited a ‘strong emphasis’ on well-being (we present comparative quotes in Table 5).

Table 4 - Findings quotes 'Well-Being' Participant Quote

R9 Strong emphasis. “Heart, Head and Hands are the ideal triangle for me, which is very

important. To be with your feeling. However, it is also important to know something before taking action, to have a look if it works this way yes or no… And when the triangle is parallel you have reached a certain balance.”

R11 Strong emphasis. “Well to get control over my mood swings. Because that sometimes also

ends up in depression… The gloomy. The melancholy…. everything is not right. With that feeling you can come in a downwards spiral, so the need to control this was a trigger for me to start the practice.

Well to create some rest that was the idea of the search… the rest inside the head.”

R8 Strong emphasis. “And the reason to start was also to feel mental fit. And I know from several

entrepreneurs that they are busy with these things because you need to be fit and have a sharp mind, and that’s why you meditate or practice mindfulness. And well also to feel mental fit. I did not want my old habits, that stressful attitude and the willingness to control everything.”

R12 Strong emphasis. “That you come in the end in such a status of dis balance; you have no idea

where to search.”

R1 Strong emphasis: “I was, and I still am, you cannot change that a busy man. I like a lot of

things and became quick enthusiastic. This could lead that I do not finish everything and do just a small thing… So the targeted attention was not my skill, which I could compensate with some enthusiasm, that’s why it did not became a big problem in the first place. However, at the end of the day I was exhausted and that cost me a lot of energy.”

R4 Strong emphasis: “Rest but also I can start the day better and give myself the possibility to give myself something for that specific day. At the end of the day I can also reflect on it.”

R8 Moderate emphasis: “To get more control on all the busy things in life and to get a bit of rest.”

R5 Strong emphasis: “After all I was so stressed. When I was on sabbatical I realized that the

stress was gone and everything felt so relax. However, when we came back the stress came back as well.”

R12 Strong emphasis: “I am a really busy little man. I talk a lot and go on and on and on. That’s why I need some rest sometimes to let it all go and be calmer.

R13 Moderate emphasis: I like to continue and go on and yeah as an entrepreneur in a start-up

environment you have some stress. But I like it as well. And I go on and boom boom getting results. But I sometimes realize I have to create some rest.”

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conversations or other during daily tasks. A participant explained (R7):

“But from what I saw I thought this could help me with all my confusing thoughts. Look, we have hundreds of customers and more and more employees, coming together with more and more problems within the team. Emails all day long, applications and new techniques popping up. In the past we only had office supports but with all the new software developments and online marketing tools, and now as well mobile platforms. And the funny thing is I do like it all, but I have to stay focused. And well, at that moment I was not able to handle it. After 3 months I sometimes thought oh yeah I forgot that one. Or I do not complete the task or the information, so you cannot talk about it. And actually I want it.” Another participants explains this issue relating to his industry (R10):

“I realized myself that especially after working days I could not turn of my head very well… After such a production day my head was spinning, I would not call it stress, but my head was working for 200%, and when you arrive home it is still spinning. Sometimes I experienced this as hard.”

A third entrepreneur explains his motivation to structure his thoughts with the help of meditation (R4):

“Well I write all the tasks and activities that I need to do for that day and I measure if I have done it. This way of thinking ahead and reflecting on myself helps in not forgetting the important tasks. Meditation gave me the tool to structure my daily activities and write it down in a certain way. Before I could be very angry when I forget things, because it could also cost me money. That’s such a waste.”

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attention. Pepping et al. (2016) confirms that attention focus is a major motivation for individuals to start mindfulness practice. Other participants explain this as well with other quotes in Table 6.

Table 5 - Findings Quotes 'Attention' Participant Quote

R6 Strong emphasis: “I am dealing with many tasks on daily basis and see that I was not

able to finish everything, or put aside some small tasks which I in the end forgot.”

R8 Strong emphasis: “There are so many things coming up in one day. Sometimes I just

do not know where I was handling. Especially in that phase when we were starting the business and working to cover our costs it was very hectic. I was not sure if I was doing it right or had done it. “

R9 Moderate emphasis: “When we opened the school the first years there was so many

things going on, and not every year was as successful. I brought a lot of energy but I also was sometimes distracted from the tasks I should have done.”

R5 Moderate emphasis: “Some members of the team came in and they wanted to speak

with me, but I was actually dealing with an appointment. At the same time, I was doing two things and both badly, so that does not work. “

4.1.3 Negative life events

During the interviews it became clear that some of the cases experienced negative life events, which were followed by a need to cope with these feelings. Pepping et al. (2016) indicated that dealing with negative emotions is a motivator of individuals to start a mindfulness practice. This study recognizes the effect of a negative life event on the decision to start the mindfulness practice as an entrepreneur. A participant explained (R5):

“Yes, in 2012 my mother suddenly died. And my father passed away when I was a little kid. At that point my sister and I had to take care of everything, this caused a lot of stress and emotions, which I needed to get rid of “

Not all cases presented motivations due to negative life experiences, however in all cases where these life events occur a strong influence for the motivation to start the

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practice exist. Table 7 lists other quotes.

Table 6 - Findings Quote 'Negative life events' Participant Quote

R6 Strong emphasis: “More than 1 year ago we had to reorganize our company because

we lost a huge piece of turnover. We had to cut our cost with 400.000 euros, and uh well we had to get rid of some personnel. […] this process caused me so much energy and stress that other people were signaling it.”

R2 Strong emphasis: “Two suicides in my direct environment, a girl with an overdose

GHB and my best friend got an apoplexy. These events triggered me to find a sort of balance.”

R5 Strong emphasis: “I believe the biggest pitfall for people with a burnout is that they

do not listen to their body and that you are only busy with what’s going on inside your head. While you are ignoring all the signals your body is giving you. The longer you ignore these signals the longer you stay in a burnout. I experienced this myself. Meditative practice was for me a solution to listen to yourself”

R9 Strong emphasis; “Three years ago I had a burnout [..] I had 26 sessions with a coach

and she encouraged me to start meditation. [..] In the beginning I thought well I also have to do some work. Contrarily I had that burnout because I was sleeping 4 hours a night for almost 2 years.”

R3 Moderate emphasis: “Before I was very insecure, and thought that people did not like

to hang out with me. This insecurity holds me back from trying new things, which I actually wanted [..] once I was introduced to meditative practice I hoped that I could get rid of this feeling”

R1 Moderate emphasis: “When in 2012 my father suddenly died I realized that working

and going on and on was enough. I started to search for a piece of rest and calmness”

R12 Moderate emphasis:” And I continued and continued and I think that that attitude was

the cause of my break-up. [..] This made me realize that I had to search for a way to break this ‘going on’ attitude down.”

4.1.4 Curiosity

This study found that entrepreneurs tend to have a high level of curiosity regarding the meditative practice. This level of curiosity triggered them internally to start the practice. Almost every case signaled a sense of curiosity inside the entrepreneur who wants to explore the possibilities of meditative practice. They are triggered by the idea that the brain could be trained. A participant explained (R2):

“That was the first moment that I thought aaah you can hack your brain! […] I believe that there is a way to enlarge your brain capacity, there is

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This level of curiosity was present through almost every case and played a major role in deciding to start the mindfulness practice. Curiosity was not the only motivator to start the practice for these cases. These motivations are presented in Table 8.

Table 7 - Findings Quotes 'Curiosity'

Participant Quote

R1 Strong emphasis: “It was such a strange thought; I was like wow this is

fascinating. That such a small piece can make us human beings do everything. From that moment I was not afraid anymore but I became fascinated by the power of the brain.”

R3 Strong emphasis: “However, I got interested while they were doing Yoga…

This interested me so much that I can do the something. I included meditation, and I just started without a clear method but pure out of interest.”

R11 Strong emphasis: “The search I have always within me, curious about what is

moving us humans. That was for me a very important motivation.”

R10 Moderate emphasis: “I watched the documentary of the BBC about

mindfulness and I really saw the theoretical prove that it does work, and that convinced me.”

R12 Strong emphasis: “The question I have within me why people do things, and

why I am doing things myself and how does it come that I handle and act this way. That triggered me to search for answers.”

R4 Moderate emphasis: “The father of a friend of mine was telling me this. And I

had and still have a lot of respect for this man, he has a great company. He told me that it could benefit me in many ways. So I became curious to know more about meditation and how it could help me personally and eventually I hoped also my business. “

R9 Strong emphasis: “Yeah as well the search and the willingness to achieve

more. I saw it as an opportunity to do more with myself and to explore new opportunities. My coach had given me the advice to start the practice. “ Many of these cases were influenced or inspired by someone in their social environment. A participant explained (R7):

“I got the idea for meditative practice from a customer.”

In the beginning most of them were skeptical towards meditative practice. As a participant (R2) explained:

“I was very skeptical. I really thought that it was something for unemployed hippies.”

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“I think a half year later I met a man who gave a presentation at knowmads. and that guy had such a warm and friendly attitude, and I thought wow I want to drink a cup of coffee or thee with this man. Because I wanted to learn from that attitude. He was a bit older, by that time – 48, and I walked to him and asked if he would like to have a cup of coffee with me later that week. He was fine with it. And well we made an appointment a few days later in Amsterdam. What fascinated me was that he was very spiritual and passionate about mediation. He was very conscious and at the same time a successful entrepreneur. And this was something what was triggering me, because before I thought or you are an entrepreneur and have success or you are spiritual.”

Another participant (R6) explained this with a similar explanation.

“Yes, that was also via other friends and entrepreneurs, with a drink. And well I run into someone from the ICT branches who was starting something completely different. He used mindfulness as well and was very enthusiastic about it…. When another entrepreneur advice you to start this practice you are willing to listen.”

4.1.5 Social motivation

Besides self-oriented motivations entrepreneurs could also be motivated by the needs of others (Ruskin et al., 2016; Forbes, 2011). A participant explained (R12):

“How can I help someone else with this practice… and I wanted to develop my team and I thought that this can be done by relying less on rational tools. And so more with other skills how to motivate people and how to read the people…”

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“During the first nature quest I started to be willing to inform people, so I wrote a letter to a local newspaper… While I was organizing those parties and many young people under 18 used a lot of drugs. I was worried about these developments, and I thought you should teach children how to use drugs at high school. I felt the need to give things to other people. “

A third entrepreneur got an eye-opener from his environment about his attitude. This eye-opener was for him a call to start looking at himself and exploring opportunities to improve himself. This quote (R9)

‘’When I started 3 or 4 years ago we had e group of 30 students… We had a small party here and a three girls came to me [….] and they wanted to tell me that they were a little bit afraid of me. And that was a moment when I start to realize holy fuck […] I have to do something about this, let’s find a solution to this attitude […] and I searched a coach who advised me to start meditative practice.’’

In short, most entrepreneurs start their initial practice based on motivations to increase their well-being, linked with stress reduction and their willingness to increase their attention. Others also include their necessity to cope with negative life experiences. Interestingly entrepreneurs have a curiosity in learning more about themselves and are seeing opportunities within meditative practice.

4.2 Motivations to continue the meditative practice

After the decision to start the meditative practice none of the entrepreneurs reported that they quitted the practice. A participant explained this (R8):

“Yes I realized that it is nice to do the practice. And that because of the practice I felt things better for me it is a way of life.”

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4.2.1. Well-being

Besides the motivation to start the mindfulness practice because of physical and mental well-being, this also influences the decision to continue the practice. A participant explains (R6):

“Because I saw the effects of the practice. I became more relax and less fearful. Because if you are in a lot of stress you do not see it yourself, it is most of the time the people you do not see that often who notice it.”

Other quotes are listed in Table 9

Table 9 - Findings Quotes 'Well-being'

R5 Strong emphasis: “when I feel very stressed I know I have to practice more.

Because I just want to relax.”

R1 Moderate emphasis: “When I am driving home I try to use that time to give the day

a sense of treatment. When I arrive home I want to have treated the day and pay attention to other things. My kids and my wife a hobby or whatever. I try to make a shift during the busy day to have a place where I can rest, home…. And it is not a problem to have more balance in things. Mindfulness has really given me this balance and heart exercises as well. “

R11 Strong emphasis: “Thoughts come by as clouds in the sky, they come and go…

When I had the familiarity with meditation the effect was a better sleep quality.”

R12 Moderate emphasis: “Well, it helped me to become calmer and that is the reason why I keep on continuing with it.”

R3 Moderate emphasis: “I start the day with one-hour meditation and yeah this feels

like I can start the day more relax and calm.”

R4 Moderate emphasis “I have always been thinking about everything. Even when I am

in front of the television and I see something happening on the TV I will start thinking. There will always be something in my head going on. But by practicing I get these thought more under control. “

Pepping et al. (2016) indicates that enhance well-being is a motivator for individuals to continue the practice. This study found more evidence, which confirms this finding for entrepreneurs.

4.2.2 Personal attitude

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perceived were attitudinal as, for example, their open minded behavior, awareness of their environment, emotional stability and a higher trust in themselves. A participant explained (R1):

“Presenting my business goes better when I am aware of my emotions and my attitude”.

Another participant explains their feeling of an open-minded attitude towards the world when practicing meditation often (R9):

“In one-way or another it helps me to start the day open minded. Uhm, and when you start the day more open minded you are more open for the things happening around you, instead of waking up at 7AM bringing the kids to school and bam go working. It gives me another type of energy. You are more open to new things, which could be opportunities.”

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Table 10 - Findings Quote 'Personal Attitude'

R6 Moderate emphasis: “And I feel that mindfulness gave me a tool to have a more

relax attitude, towards the suppliers and as well the people working here. Definitely in such a busy week with mothers’ day we have to give everything together.”

R9 Strong emphasis: “Well you first write the answer to an email and you will not

send it. The next day after mediation I look at the email again and I will change most of it and then I will send the email back. I am telling exactly the same only with less emotions”

R3 Strong emphasis: “There are many moments which are just passing by and were

are not conscious or sensitive enough to feel and take these moments and opportunities. And it is a bit guessing, but things happen in these moments. The synchronicity increases because of meditation and for example the story of this house… I cannot tell you exactly what it is but I feel that I embraced a kind of feeling and therefore I get lucky. “

R12 Strong emphasis “That I got more conscious about the process of myself. It is not

only the problem or the idea it is just how do I come there and which processes make me continue and which ones are bothering me. “

R13 Strong emphasis:” Most is the conscious from the cognitive power where many

things are inside this, I can look at things completely different than before. and see more what is happening around me.”

R8 Moderate emphasis: “Well because I feel that I am more comfortable with

myself.”

R11 Strong emphasis: “The most beautiful effect for me is that it gives you more

confidence. You just do it.”

4.2.3 Work performance

Entrepreneurs discovered that due to the meditative practice they became better able to focus themselves and increase their work performance. Entrepreneurs experienced finishing small tasks better and having improved decision-making. A participant explains (R5):

“It is indeed the focus, which you put on certain things, and well you just finish these tasks and then go on to the next one.”

Another entrepreneur, who creates commercials for companies, explains how the meditative practice gives him the opportunity to get creative ideas (R10):

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Because here at the office a lot of emails are coming in and a lot is happening around me, for me it is hard to get a blank page and start thinking. When I do have that feeling I can start thinking about feelings and the small movie. For example, when I feel that the movie should be a bit melancholic or the opposite very fresh, I start meditation and try to understand the feeling of the movie.”

Other work performance motivations are explained in Table 11.

Table 81 - Findings Quote 'Work Performance'

R6 Strong emphasis: “Well I believe that it could help everybody, there are always

those small things during the day. This just have to be handled, how stupid and silly it is. When you move it on the side of the table your desk will be full with all those stupid things. What is in the end a big thing. It helps me with just start this and finish the task. I get less distracted during these tasks, before I started two tasks at the same time, l which of course does not work. I experience myself that I finish the tasks earlier. “

R1 Strong emphasis: “I can focus my attention better to the tasks.”

R3 Moderate emphasis: “I think it is just because I made decisions and that often one

or multiple factors you add a certain weight to those factors and that weight is the decision you made in the end. This a bit rational thinking. Eventually I feel that I got the decision quicker, I know the choice it is very clear to just look at how you are going to add value to the product or company or environment instead of blind focus on growth and surviving.”

R2 Strong emphasis: “I can think clearer, more out of the box and look further than

just the end of the month. I have a kind of helicopter view of the company and am able to zoo out. And when necessary can change certain things within the

company. “

R7 Strong emphasis: “Mostly a better overview, and you give things a better place

within yourself.”

R5 Strong emphasis: “And now when you turn back and think about what you are

actually doing and not thinking about scenario’s you see the reality. Just the way it is. And now you can better make a distinction between these are thoughts and this is reality. “

R11 Moderate emphasis: “Yeah well, you have the empire who watches the game you

play yourself.”

R4 Strong emphasis: “It’s just a waste of time. And also with bigger strategic ideas,

you have to follow up directly and handle the things.”

R10 Strong emphasis:” These are really small things when I have an important meeting

and I know that I will walk into a room with 8 men in suits I start some simple breath exercises. Just to calm down and reduce the heartbeat, that is what is making me more relax. “

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4.2.4 Personal attitude towards others

Entrepreneurs mentioned during the interviews that one of the benefits they perceived was their personal development towards other people, related in better listening, contact with others, understand others and trust in other people. This resulted in benefits for their environment. A participant explained (R13):

“I am asking really really a lot from my team, and I can only do this if you have an extremely good connection with them. I do have the feeling that we can mirror each other and feel more comfortable that we are going in the right direction.”

Another participant explains how this relates to the external communication with clients (R8):

“I am also more neutral and have fewer fights with, for example, customers or people I work with. [..] Others are less able to hurt me personally.”

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Table 9 - Findings Quotes 'Personal attitude towards others'

4.2.5 Relationships

Entrepreneurs discovered that due to the meditative practice they had better

relationships with their social environment and the community. This resulted as well in the capability to be better able to understand their social environment and their role within an entire community. Entrepreneurs experienced better team management,

R5 Strong emphasis: “I realize that small things, like listening better has been

increased. Before I was sometimes busy with my next appointment while

listening. I said that’s fine just come in and tell me what is going on, but I actually had not time for that. So you are two things at the same time which does not work.”

R8 Strong emphasis: “I want less that extreme feeling of control about everything.

People get more space, I used to be a bit dominant.”

R3 Strong emphasis: “So if you look at ethos, pathos and logos, then ethos is the most

powerful and not the easiest one to define, it is how do you say the most important feeling inside interaction. And I think the power of that feelings are determined by your presence. And the degree of how your internal drive is there instead of external incentives, and that makes it for yourself a clear direction, which I have experienced the past few years. I am more and more driven by something within myself. And that motivations lead to less resistance from others.”

R6 Strong emphasis: “Yeah your reaction to other people is different, you are not

directly affected and react quick. If you do this other people also reacts like this to you. I am now abler to solve things. Before I reacted immediately and now I choose to sometimes just wait and that is better than reacting straight away.”

R10 Moderate emphasis: “And after meditation there is a voice inside my head that

when I am having a confrontation with someone, this little voice tells me calm down calm down.”

R4 Moderate emphasis: “Well I cannot forget, so that is a profit. It could also be

something else than money oriented… It could be very beneficial for the team, because with my attitude now I can decrease their level of stress.”

R7 Moderate emphasis: “Being better able to talk with them and discuss new

technologies and ideas.”

R11 Moderate emphasis: “It helped me as well when I am in a big group and have to

be nice to everybody… I am now better able to handle those situations.”

R12 Strong emphasis: “Yeah as well a piece of understanding the other person in front

of you better. When you are in a conversation you just want to get the other towards a certain point and that is easier when you understand their thoughts better. I feel very strongly that I have learned that with the meditation classes.”

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getting projects and long-term relationships with clients. A participant explains how she finds herself fighting less with suppliers from different cultures (R6):

“I realize that I understand the people around me better; this could be employees, customers or suppliers. […] Before I could really be upset about the way other cultures are doing business [..] when this happened all these things gave me a lot of stress and in the end you do not work in a way you want with each other. Now I am better able to replace myself in their culture […] And well I do not have the stress, and the supplier is not getting stressed by my calls and the products arrive at the same time.” Other relationship related motivations are explained in Table 13.

Mindfulness? : what is in it for me? : entrepreneurs’ motivations for meditative practices