Organisational Mindfulness & Environmental Sustainability Outcomes: A Critical Case Study of Multinational Suppliers to Oil & Gas in Saudi Arabia

Environmental vulnerability can be minimised through mindfulness-based strategies, and redesigning organising processes, so that richer thinking is activated and orchestrated more quickly among a greater number of people.
This study evaluates the effects of organisational mindfulness and mindful organising on resource usage and environmental sustainability outcomes in the critical case of multinational firms as suppliers to Saudi Arabia's oil and gas sector.
Data was collected from individual suppliers and analysed using smartPLS software. The measurement and structural models were evaluated. The models show that four (of five) dimensions of organisational mindfulness (defined as organisational goals, desires and strategies) and mindful organising (defined as organisational tactics and practices) are significantly related at the 5 percent significance level. Mindful organising is significantly associated with more environmentally sustainable outcomes.
But contrary to expectations sensitivity to the local environment (defined as individual values and emotions about the subject of the natural environment) did not have a significant moderating effect on the relationship between mindful organising and environmental sustainability initiatives and outcomes of these overseas firms.
Study validity of the relationship between mindful organisations and environmental sustainability can be improved in future studies by seeking to combine study internal constructs and measures with more objective measures that can be compared across firms, sectors and countries.