PUBLIC ENTERPRISE, 2023, ISSUE 27., VOL.1, ARTICLE 1

In Eastern Europe, the competencies needed by public enterprise executives are evolving as the formerly monopolistic public sector is being exposed to domestic and global competition. Through the lens of mindfulness, this study investigates whether the ancient practice of yoga can support enhancement of helping behaviour and cultural intelligence of business executives in a transitional economy. The study found that yogic practices significantly increase participants’ helping behaviour as also their cultural intelligence. The results support the partial mediation model with approximately two thirds of the effect on helping behaviour coming from higher mindfulness and the remaining one third coming directly from the practice of yoga. In case of cultural intelligence, 88 per cent of the increase in comes through mindfulness while the remaining 12 per cent can be accounted for directly from yogic practices. Public enterprises in emerging markets could view yoga not as a woke activity or a trivial pursuit but as a support for bringing about useful attitudinal changes among their executives.