Mindfulness, an enhanced state of present moment attention and awareness, has drawn burgeoning interest from organizational scholars and practitioners. Research demonstrating the workplace benefits of mindfulness has catalyzed growth of the mindfulness training industry. However, this growth has yielded increasing inconsistency in this body of scholarship and practice, limiting the potential of mindfulness and mindfulness practices to promote individual and organizational thriving. In this article, we propose a novel unifying framework to bring coherence to this growing area of organizational development. In our view, contemplative management is the overarching discipline of mindfulness at work, which contains two major branches: contemplative management theory and contemplative management practice. We first define and interrelate these terms, then offer an updated framework for how the quality and practice of mindfulness benefits individual workplace outcomes. Following this, we suggest a research agenda to clarify why and how mindfulness and mindfulness practices can foster beneficial workplace outcomes, illuminating the potential benefits and costs of mindfulness at work. This systematic integration of theory and practice, clarifying both the distinctions and complementarities between these two aspects, aims to advance an increasingly important discourse of managerial practice used worldwide.
