Mindfulness and sales job performance: The serial mediating roles of commitment to customers and commitment to profession
Suresh Babu Sangani, Naresh Babu Muddangala
International Journal of Business and Management April 26, 2026 DOI: 10.56879/ijbm.v5i1.28 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey using PLS-SEM Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 260 |
| Population | Sales professionals in banking and non-banking sectors in Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Intervention | Mindfulness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness directly improved sales job performance (β = 0.445) and had a strong indirect effect through commitment to customers and then commitment to profession (β = 0.378). Mindfulness did not directly influence commitment to profession; commitment to customers fully mediated that relationship. The authors argue this demonstrates a resource gain spiral from intrapersonal to interpersonal to identity-based resources. |
Abstract
In high-pressure sales environments, understanding the psychological mechanisms through which mindfulness translates into superior performance is critical for both theory and practice. Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, this study develops and tests a dual commitment mediation model, proposing that mindfulness enhances sales job performance through sequential improvements in commitment to customers and commitment to profession. Data were collected from 260 sales professionals across banking and non-banking sectors in Andhra Pradesh, India, using a structured questionnaire. The hypothesised model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings confirm that mindfulness significantly and directly improves sales job performance (β = 0.445, p < 0.001). Commitment to customers fully mediates the mindfulness–commitment to profession relationship, while serial mediation through both commitment types yields a strong indirect effect on performance (β = 0.378, p < 0.001). Notably, mindfulness does not directly influence commitment to profession, suggesting that professional identity resources are cultivated through relational experience rather than cognitive awareness alone. These results extend COR theory by empirically demonstrating a resource gain spiral, from intrapersonal to interpersonal to identity-based resources, in a sales context. The study offers actionable guidance for sales organisations to embed mindfulness as a strategic capability and design roles that foster purposeful customer engagement.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |