Page 103 - Demo

101This three-month study evaluated the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on stress reduction, health, and employee development in two settings in the automotive industry: a large manufacturing plant of a Fortune 100 corporation, and a small distribution sales company, using the Center for Management Research Questionnaire (CMRQ). Employees who learned TM were compared to controls similar in worksite, job position, demographic, and pre-test characteristics. Those who practiced TM regularly improved signifi cantly more than controls (with irregular TMers scoring in between) on multiple measures of stress and employee development, including: %u2022 reduced physiological arousal (measured by skin conductance levels) during and outside TM practice%u2022 decreased trait anxiety, job tension, insomnia and fatigue%u2022 decreased cigarette and hard liquor use%u2022 improved general health (and fewer health complaints)%u2022 enhanced employee effectiveness, job satisfaction, and work/personal relationshipsThree factors underlying this wide range of improvements through TM were: %u201coccupational coherence,%u201d %u201cphysiological settledness,%u201d and %u201cjob and life satisfaction.%u201d The effectiveness of TM on these factors was substantially larger than for other forms of meditation and relaxation reported in four previous statistical meta-analyses.0.350.300.250.200.150.100.050.00-0.05Change Score onCMRQQuestionnaireControls TMp = .01Increased Employee Efiectivenesstm-011IMPROVED JOB PERFORMANCEReference: Alexander, C. N., Swanson, G. C., Rainforth, M. V., Carlisle, T. W., Todd, C. C., & Oates, R. M. (1993). Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on stress reduction, health, and employee development: A prospective study in two occupational settings. Anxiety, Stress & Coping: An International Journal, 6(3), 245%u2013262.