What is it and why do we need one?
To understand how a company benefits from a growth mindset, it helps to look at individuals’ growth mindsets. We differentiate between people with a growth mindset and people with a fixed mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that skills are dependent on talent, while people with a growth mindset are convinced that you can learn almost anything.
People with a growth mindset like to try out new things and practice with dedication as they’re sure that they can get better if they put enough effort in. They know that they don’t know everything, and they want to learn.
A company that believes it knows everything it needs to know will struggle to hold its own in an agile future. With a growth mindset, however, a company acknowledges that it will always have to learn to develop. With this acknowledgement, a company is aware that it doesn’t know everything and that it can learn from its staff. It therefore creates the opportunity to benefit even more from employees, or indeed people and communities outside the company, and sees knowledge as a collective good.
In individuals as well as businesses, the will to strengthen a growth mindset is already a strong sign that it’s possible. You already believe that you can learn something new. While management may include a growth mindset in its general business strategy, managers and HR departments can help employees to release their full potential.
Growth mindset as part of a business strategy
Simple behaviours and processes can help to put into practice and reinforce the growth mindset in a company:
Coaching staff
Agile processes mean that changes can be faster and more frequent, which could be overwhelming for staff members with a fixed mindset. Managers are tasked with taking on a coaching role and helping employees unfurl their full potential:
Encouraging a growth mindset in companies and in individuals seems to come with an abundance of positives. But it’s important that we don’t overburden staff. Employees that like to work within their comfort zones are not worse employees. But all employees should be given the opportunity to develop and release their full potential.
Published: 3. December 2020