Be mindful of the mindfulness interventions! Does mindfulness increase leader moral action through unveiling organizational politics?

Distressing trends and the destructive effects of leadership are widespread, yet the revival of morality in leaders' behaviors remains poorly understood. This study, drawing on behavioral integrity and dynamic (managerial) capabilities theory, investigates how leaders' moral actions are activated through personal resources while tapping into contextual factors. More specifically, employing a quasi-experimental research design with a waitlist control group (n = 30 in total), the current study examines the effects of an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological well-being, proactive coping, awareness of organizational politics, and the subsequent enactment of moral actions among middle-level leaders from various multinational corporations in the service sector. The findings uncover a paradox: while mindfulness enhances psychological well-being, its translation into political awareness and moral action is complex. Increased personal resources do not directly result in improved political awareness or moral behavior among leaders, indicating a complex interplay between mindfulness and moral leader behavior. This study adds to the growing body of literature on mindfulness and leadership, advocating for further research into how mindfulness unveils morality in leadership while navigating the challenging dynamics of organizational politics.