General Motors Corporation

Managers and employees in a large Midwestern manufacturing plant of a division of General Motors Corporation learned the Transcendental Meditation technique to reduce stress and improve employee health.

General Motors employees who learned the TM technique were compared with a control group of non-meditating employees who worked at similar job sites, held similar job positions, had similar demographics ( age, education, etc.), and similar personality characteristics be- fore the study began. The same three-month study was also conducted at a second site, a smaller distribution-sales company in the auto industry.

The study was published in the international scientific journal Anxiety, Stress, and Coping . Researchers reported that, compared to controls, the man- agers and employees at the two sites who learned the TM technique had significantly.

• Less anxiety, job tension, insomnia, and fatigue
  
• Reduced cigarette and hard liquor use
  
• Improved health and fewer health complaints
  
• Enhanced effectiveness, job satisfaction,
  and work/personal relationships.

As found in previous studies, the effectiveness of the TM programme in reducing anxiety, smoking and drinking, and in promoting personal development was substantially greater than other forms of meditation or relaxation.

Related Research

A study of managers and employees from several different companies found that those who practiced the TM programme for an average of 11 months* showed significant improvements in job performance and job satisfaction as compared to members of a control group of co- workers and supervisors. The study was published in a leading U .S. management journal, the Academy of Management Journal.

*The TM programme has both immediate and cumulative benefits.