Abstract:

This conceptual paper examines how mindfulness can be fostered to support project team well‑being in complex, high‑pressure environments marked by volatility, uncertainty, power asymmetries, and stakeholder demands. Addressing a gap in project‑management scholarship, we synthesise mindfulness research and reflective‑practice theory to ask: How can we foster mindfulness to facilitate team well‑being? Using a qualitative meta‑synthesis of qualitative and mixed‑methods studies published in recent years, we apply inductive–deductive analysis to integrate evidence on attentional control, emotional regulation, and interpersonal functioning in project contexts. The analysis shows mindfulness is most impactful at moments of acute strain when decision quality, alignment, and psychological safety are at risk and introduces the 4R Model as a rapid, in‑situ cycle for practice: Refresh (stabilise attention and interrupt reactivity), Reorient (broaden awareness and surface assumptions and power dynamics), Reimagine (generate options beyond habitual responses), and Refocus (translate insight into values‑aligned action with monitoring). The model is calibrated to common triggers, including VUCA conditions, schedule–scope–budget compression, stakeholder divergence, and team‑level stressors and is designed to embed within routine project rituals (stand‑ups, retrospectives, risk reviews, governance checkpoints, conflict de‑escalation) without lengthy training. Contributions are threefold: operationalising mindfulness for crisis response; situating it within project‑specific triggers rather than abstract well‑being discourse; and integrating a reflective‑practitioner perspective to frame mindfulness as professional judgement. We outline a research agenda for empirical, longitudinal, and comparative testing across sectors and for exploring digital or AI‑supported prompts to sustain habitual use. Overall, the 4R Model provides a practice‑ready mechanism to protect well‑being, improve decision quality, and enhance adaptive capacity.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Project Experiences

Keywords: Project performance;Project Behaviour;Approaches/Methodologies;Organisational Context;Responsible Project Management

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Dr. Tejal Fatania