Working with Meaning: Employee Mindfulness, Workplace Spirituality, and Innovative Work Behavior Among Employees

Authors

  • Nadia Nila Sari University of Atma Jaya Yogyakarta, Indonesia2
  • Ni Komang Ayu Diah Ambalika Udayana University, Indonesia
  • Hurul A’ini Sekar Azzahra Polytechnic of Hasnur, Indonesia
  • Muhammad Noer Oktavian Pontianak State Polytechnic, Indonesia
  • Mariyam Mariyam Polytechnic of Hasnur, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38142/ijesss.v7i1.1843

Keywords:

Employee Mindfulness, Workplace Spirituality, Innovative Work Behavior, Job Satisfaction

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the role of employee mindfulness in shaping workplace spirituality, job satisfaction, and innovative work behavior among employees in Indonesia. The Indonesian context, characterized by a high level of religiosity, provides a relevant foundation for examining the relationship between individual awareness, workplace spirituality, and innovative behavior within organizational settings. This study adopts a quantitative approach using a survey method involving 145 active employees from various industry sectors in Indonesia. Data were collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed using SEM-PLS with the support of SmarPLS 4 software. The results indicate that employee mindfulness has a positive and significant effect on workplace spirituality, which is found to have a positive and significant influence on innovative work behavior and job satisfaction. However, the findings reveal that employee mindfulness does not have a significant effect on job satisfaction, and job satisfaction does not significantly influence innovative behavior, which is driven more by self-awareness and a sense of meaning at work than by job satisfaction alone. Theoretically, this study extends the literature by highlighting the role of mindfulness and workplace spirituality as important psychological resources in fostering innovative work behavior, particularly in the context of developing countries. Practically, the findings imply that organizations should not focus solely on enhancing job satisfaction, but also on cultivating work environments that support awareness, meaningful work, and spirituality in order to promote sustained innovation and employee well-being.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bamber, M. D., & Schneider, J. K. (2022). College Students’ Perceptions of Mindfulness-based Interventions: A Narrative Review of the Qualitative Research. In Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 41 (2), 667–680. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00592-4

Brown, K., Ryan, R., & Creswell, J. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for Its Salutary Effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18, 211–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701598298

Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its Role in Psychological Well-being. In Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822

Cooper, D.R. and Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. (12th Edition). McGraw-Hill International Edition.

Dhir, S. (2025). Role of Workplace Spirituality on Work-related Attitudes and Outcomes: The Moderating Role of Organisational Politics. IIMB Management Review, 37(3), 100594. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2025.100594

Drucker, P. F. (1999). Knowledge-Worker Productivity: The Biggest Challenge. (Reprints S). The University of California.

Ertemsir, E., Bal, Y., Demirhan, A., & Kokalan, O. (2024). The Moderating Role of Workplace Spirituality on the Effect of Organizational Justice on Job Satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360913

Fu, L., Tang, J., Zhou, H., & Zeng, G. (2025). Inclusive Climate or Innovative Climate? The Mechanism of Green Transformational Leadership Motivating Green Mindfulness. Journal of Environmental Management, 378, 124750. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124750

Gilson, L. L., & Shalley, C. E. (2004). A Little Creativity Goes a Long Way: An Examination of Teams’ Engagement in Creative Processes. Journal of Management, 30, 453–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jm.2003.07.001

Guiyao, T., Chen, Y., Jiang, Y., Paillé, P., & Jia, J. (2017). Green Human Resource Management Practices: Scale Development and Validity. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12147

Hair, J., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).

Han, J., & Zhang, L. (2025). Mindfulness at Work and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Emotional Regulation and Psychological Resources. Current Psychology.

He, J., Morrison, A. M., & Zhang, H. (2020). Being Sustainable: The Three‐way Interactive Effects of CSR, Green Human Resource Management, and Responsible Leadership on Employee Green Behavior and Task Performance. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28, 1043–1054. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2104

Huang, C.-C., Tu, B., Zhang, H., & Huang, J. (2022). Mindfulness Practice and Job Performance in Social Workers: Mediation Effect of Work Engagement. In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10739. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710739

Hulin, C. L., & Judge, T. A. (2003). Job Attitudes. In Handbook of psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology, 12, 255–276. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/0471264385.wei1211

Hülsheger, U. R., Alberts, H. J. E. M., Feinholdt, A., & Lang, J. W. B. (2013). Benefits of Mindfulness at Work: The Role of Mindfulness in Emotion Regulation, Emotional Exhaustion, and Job Satisfaction. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(2), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031313

Kornfield, J. (2012). Teachings of the Buddha. Shambhala Publication.

Kuang, T. Y., Hu, Y., & Lu, Y. (2022). The Effect of Employee Mindfulness in The New Media Industry on Innovative Behavior: The Chain Mediating Role of Positive Emotion and Work Engagement. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.976504

Kumprang, K., & Suriyankietkaew, S. (2024). Mechanisms of Organizational Mindfulness on Employee Well-Being and Engagement: A Multi-Level Analysis. In Administrative Sciences, 14 (6), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14060121

Lin, Y., Jiang, C., Pan, Y., & Xu, Z. (2024). The Impact of Mindfulness on Nurses’ Perceived Professional Benefits: The Mediating Roles of Workplace Spirituality and Work-Life Balance. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1346326

Liu, C., Chiou, W.-K., Chen, H., & Hsu, S. (2022). Effects of Animation-Guided Mindfulness Meditation on Flight Attendants’ Flow Ergonomics. Cross-Cultural Design. Applications in Business, Communication, Health, Well-Being, and Inclusiveness: 14th International Conference, CCD 2022, Held as Part of the 24th HCI International Conference, HCII 2022, Virtual Event, June 26 – July 1, 2022, Procee, 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06050-2_5

Locke, E. A. (1976). The Nature and Causes of Job Satisfaction. (Handbook of). IL: Rand McNally.

Malinowski, P., & Lim, H. J. (2015). Mindfulness at Work: Positive Affect, Hope, and Optimism Mediate the Relationship Between Dispositional Mindfulness, Work Engagement, and Well-being. In Mindfulness, 6 (6), 1250–1262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0388-5

Marques, J. F., & Dhiman, S. K. (2011). Buddhist Psychology in the Workplace: A Relational Perspective. Prismaprints.

Matzler, K., Abfalter, D., Mooradian, T., & Bailom, F. (2013). Corporate Culture as an Antecedent of Successful Exploration and Explanation. International Journal of Innovation Management, 17, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1363919613500254

Meilawati, L., Pratiwi, R., & Sari, D. P. (2024). Job Satisfaction and Innovative Work Behavior Among Educators: The Mediating Role of Work Engagement. International Journal of Educational Management, 38(3), 412–427. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2023-0284

Montani, F., Dagenais-Desmarais, V., Giorgi, G., & Grégoire, S. (2018). A Conservation of Resources Perspective on Negative Affect and Innovative Work Behaviour: The Role of Affect Activation and Mindfulness. In Journal of Business and Psychology, 33 (1), 123–139. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-016-9480-7

Mulligan, R., Ramos, J., Martín, P., & Zornoza, A. (2021). Inspiriting Innovation: The Effects of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) on Innovative Behavior as Mediated by Mindfulness and Work Engagement. In Sustainability, 13 (10), 5409. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13105409

Nikensari, G., & Arie Yudhistira, P. (2024). Spirituality in the Workplace: Enhanced Job Satisfaction Through Employee Well-being and Work-life Balance. Jurnal Manajemen Teori Dan Terapan | Journal of Theory and Applied Management, 17, 316–332. https://doi.org/10.20473/jmtt.v17i2.57090

Nishanthi, B., Hariharan, C., Babu, M., Srinivasan, S., & Anandhabalaji, V. (2025). Exploring Workplace Spirituality and Its Impact on Organizational Effectiveness: A Bibliometric Review and Prospective Research Directions. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 12, 101685. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101685

Oeij, P., Hulsegge, G., & Preenen, P. (2022). Organisational Mindfulness as a Sustainable Driver of Employee Innovation Adoption: Individual and Organisational Factors. Safety Science, 154, 105841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105841

Pandey, A., Gupta, V., & Gupta, R. (2017). Spirituality and Innovative Behavior in Teams: Examining the Mediating Role of Team Learning. IIMB Management Review, Forthcoming. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iimb.2019.03.013

Pang, D., & Ruch, W. (2019). Fusing Character Strengths and Mindfulness Interventions: Benefits for Job Satisfaction and Performance. In Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24 (1), 150–162. Educational Publishing Foundation. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000144

Petchsawang, P., & McLean, G. (2017). Workplace Spirituality, Mindfulness Meditation, and Work Engagement. Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 14, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/14766086.2017.1291360

Raj, V., Jasrotia, S., & Rai, S. (2023). Role of Privacy Concerns and Trust in Consumers’ Intention to Use Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL): An Extended TPB Model. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 40. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2023.2269005

Ranasinghe, V., & Samarasinghe, S. (2019). The Effect of Workplace Spirituality on Innovative Work Behavior. International Business Research, 12, 29. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v12n12p29

Randall, C., Pratt, D., & Bucci, S. (2015). Mindfulness and Self-esteem: A Systematic Review. Mindfulness and Self-Esteem: A Systematic Review, 6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0407-6

Rashidin, M. S., Javed, S., & Liu, B. (2019). Empirical Study on Spirituality, Employee Engagement and Job Satisfaction: Evidence from China. International Journal of Public Administration, 43, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2019.1665066

Robbins, S. P., & Sanghi, S. (2006). Organizational Behaviour. Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt.

Roh, S., & Suh, Y. (2014). The Five-Factor Model of Workplace Spirituality: A Conceptualization and Scale Development. Korean Journal of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 27, 419–447. https://doi.org/10.24230/ksiop.27.2.201405.419

Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental Research Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Shankland, R., Tessier, D., Strub, L., Gauchet, A., & Baeyens, C. (2021). Improving Mental Health and Well-Being through Informal Mindfulness Practices: An Intervention Study. Applied Psychology. Health and Well-Being, 13(1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12216

Sode, R., Chenji, K., & Vijayaraghavan, R. (2024). Exploring Workplace Spirituality, Mindfulness, Digital Technology, and Psychological Well-being: A Complex Interplay in Organizational Contexts. Acta Psychologica, 251, 104601. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104601

Song, L., & Chenji, K. (2024). Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention, and Innovative Work Behavior: Evidence from Emerging Economies. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 11(5), 245–262.

Song, Z., Foo, M., & Uy, M. (2008). Mood Spillover and Crossover Among Dual-Earner Couples: A Cell Phone Event Sampling Study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 443–452. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.93.2.443

Suheni, S. (2025). Job Satisfaction and Innovative Work Behavior: Evidence from Indonesian Employees. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Kewirausahaan, 27(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.9744/jmk.27.1.45-58

Wang, D., Mao, W., Lu, Z., Sun, C., & Hu, Y. (2025). Mindfulness Empowers Employees’ Green Performance: The Relationship and Cross-level Mechanisms Between Green Mindfulness Leadership and Employees’ Green Behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 103, 102585. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102585

Wang, J., Yang, J., & Xue, Y. (2017). Subjective Well-being, Knowledge Sharing and Individual Innovation Behavior: The Moderating Role of Absorptive Capacity. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 38. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-10-2015-0235

Weiss, H., & Cropanzano, R. (1996). Affective Events Theory: A Theoretical Discussion of The Structure, Cause and Consequences of Affective Experiences at Work. Research in Organizational Behavior. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228079335_Affective_Events_Theory_A_Theoretical_Discussion_of_The_Structure_Cause_and_Consequences_of_Affective_Experiences_at_Work

Widodo, P. W. (2025). 10 Negara Paling Religius di Dunia, Indonesia Termasuk. Kontan.Co.Id. https://internasional.kontan.co.id/news/10-negara-paling-religius-di-dunia-indonesia-termasuk

Widyantari, N. L. P. (2021). Pengaruh Kepuasan Kerja Terhadap Perilaku Kerja Inovatif Karyawan. Jurnal Manajemen dan Bisnis Indonesia, 8(2), 123–134. https://doi.org/10.31843/jmbi.v8i2.356

Yu, H., & Guo, Y. (2023). Generative Artificial Intelligence Empowers Educational Reform: Current Status, Issues, and Prospects. Frontiers in Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1183162

Downloads

Published

2026-01-31