Abstract
South African companies must navigate rapidly disruptive, economically uncertain environments, facing the pressure of technological advancement and socio-politics. Despite growing interest in strategic agility and mindfulness respectively, a notable gap exists in documented literature examining how mindfulness specifically enhances strategic agility in the South African organisational context, a gap this study seeks to address. The purpose of the current research is to explore the role of mindfulness in enhancing strategic agility in organisations facing disruptive changes. Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, this research aimed to understand how mindfulness affects the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural capacities of the leaders, and how the individual-level effects of such leaders get translated into broader organisational agility. A qualitative research design was used in the study to interact with the managers of the two selected South African companies involved in logistics, transport, and manufacturing through semi-structured interviews and a documentary analysis of their policies, safety standards, HR procedures and operational reports. The data was analysed through a rigorous thematic analysis process supported by comprehensive coding, which helped identify patterns linking mindfulness to strategic leadership behaviour and organisational responsiveness.
The research findings show that mindfulness enhances cognitive flexibility along with emotional regulation, reflective thinking, and active listening, all of which allow leaders to better cope with the complexity and make good decisions even under high pressure. The participants viewed mindfulness as an essential tool for maintaining composure, managing stress, regulating emotions and creating a psychologically safe working environment, thereby fostering team collaboration and resilience. The cross-case analysis further demonstrated that mindfulness contributes to faster recovery during disruptions, more efficient coordination during operational difficulties, and greater alertness to emerging risks and opportunities. At the organisational level, mindfulness was identified as a practice that enhanced organisational responsiveness to economic changes, technological advancements, and alignment with socio-political expectations. However, challenges such as limited organisational awareness, cultural resistance,...