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We are pleased to feature Dr. Mike Conway, a Global DBA graduate from the Swiss School of Business and Management (SSBM) Geneva. His doctoral research was focused on the testing of a unique integrated mindset learning program, later turned into “Mindzen xv program” developed to enhance productivity and resilience within organisations.
The doctoral research project was focused on the testing of a unique integrated mindset learning program set in a virtual world and available online, involving two major organisations, Nestlé and ASM Global. It was based on my work in elite sport, e.g.. The Australian National Football Team at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, basketball in the National League in Australia, cricket in the UK, and various Olympic athletes. It was also based on the experience working with high-profile organisations, including EY, Cognizant, HP, Gymshark, and Lendlease.
The research demonstrated through a unique set of measures that, on average, people freed up 4 additional hours per week by developing an integrated mindset.
Since the Doctorate has been completed, an AI coach based on the research and an app to help maintenance of a participant’s progress has been added to the now called “Mindzen xv program”. The program is now being rolled out into other areas in Nestle, ASM Global, and several other organisations globally. Distribution has also been signed for the UK market, and discussions are taking place for Singapore and Malaysia.
One particular landmark that I’m proud of. The Australian Medical Association has endorsed the Mindzen program for Doctors’ professional development. Hoping this will lead to others around the World doing the same.
I worked with a number of teams over the last decade in sport, all focused on building a cohesive team culture and on individual and collective emotional agility. I specifically worked with several groups of athletes leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, helping them with this. This included Waterpolo, Rugby Sevens, Kayaking, Hockey, and Sprint cycling. I worked as the Emotional Agility and Mind coach for the Australian National Football Team for 4 years. This required me to work one-on-one with both coaches and players on matters including individual resilience and mental strength in preparation for games, overcoming injury and disappointment, and fine-tuning to build more effective high-performance habits.
The doctoral research project focused on assessing how Integrating Elite Sports Mindset Principles can be developed into an online learning program for a business setting and, when applied, lead to improvements in performance. Twenty executives from Nestlé and ASM Global (now Legends) undertook a self-paced learning program and were assessed before, during, and after the program using quantitative and qualitative measures. The measures included a range of survey instruments, behavioural interviewing, 180-degree reviews with their leaders, AI-based sentiment analysis on communication changes, plus the development of a new Integrated Mindset Index, which was reviewed and validated by six world-class sports coaches and the participants’ business leaders. What was expected was a direct correlation between focus and attention on improving mindset and performance. What wasn’t expected was the significant impact this would have. On average, a 10% performance improvement, which equates to approximately 4 hours a week, and in parallel, a genuine uplift in well-being. Both the leaders confirmed they wanted their employees to retain these 4 hours as they were working hard enough! Of course, this has enormous implications for organisations currently dealing with conversations around working from home, a 4-day work week, AI rollout, and the need for enhanced productivity. Through the research, organisations now have a new, impactful solution to consider that could help them achieve their goals, from both a human but also economic viewpoint.
The learning program is now being rolled out into other parts of the two organisations and has been taken into other parts of the world, including the UK, New Zealand, and the USA. An integrated app and a 24/7 AI coach supporting the maintenance of effective habits based on the integrated mindset index have also been added to the program since the completion of the research.
The main topics presented at the International Positive Psychology Association Conference were as follows:
The participants undertook a four-month-long online learning program within a unique virtual environment. This learning environment was engineered to help the participants develop their skills to achieve a “high-performance” mindset. The outcome was that the participants and leaders reported that the integrated mindset training increased performance and improved things significantly at work and home. What happened in this study sets a good precedent for using an integrated mindset learning in organisational development strategies, particularly in achieving greater engagement and well-being of current and future staff, as well as offering solutions in considering four-day working weeks and return to office.
The doctoral research has been instrumental in enabling me to measure how an integrated mindset improves an individual’s performance and well-being, leading to significant productivity improvements. Such an important aspect for any organisation. Thanks to SSBM Geneva for supporting me in building the research.