Mindset Matters: Harness a growth mindset to stabilize and improve individual and team performance

I’m Greta Bradman, psychologist and Reejig’s VP of Impact and Behavioral Science. Here, I’m sharing evidence-based insights about the power and importance of assuming a growth mindset at work. I’ve asked Dr. Jo Mitchell, coaching psychologist and Co-Founder of The Mind Room, for her insights too.

The research on mindsets at work

Decades of mindset research have revealed the power of approaching tasks and learning with a growth mindset, collaborating with a growth mindset, and giving feedback with a growth mindset.

This isn't about ‘thinking positively’ — this is about intentionally being super curious and open to what we and others are capable of, and making space for effortful discovery, learning, and growth. Assuming a growth mindset can enable us, cumulatively, to learn more, achieve more, and unlock more potential — more than we might have dreamt possible.

“Assuming a growth mindset can enable us, cumulatively, to learn more, achieve more, and unlock more potential — more than we might have dreamt possible.”

Greta Bradman, VP of Impact and Behavioral Science, Reejig 

“Assuming a growth mindset can enable us, cumulatively, to learn more, achieve more, and unlock more potential — more than we might have dreamt possible.”

Our mindset impacts where we focus our attention, the assumptions we make about ourselves (what we’re capable of and what we’re not capable of), how we feel we need to show up in front of others, and ultimately how we perform and evolve at work.

 “A growth mindset is belief you can develop abilities.”

 

Carol Dweck

Assuming a fixed mindset leads to a cycle of diminishing returns

Assuming a fixed mindset can lead you to feel like you need to show up with all the skills and all the answers. Underlying a fixed mindset is an assumption that aptitude is something we’re born with, or at least is a function of past experience. From this perspective, we believe:

• There’s not much we can do to transformation ally change our potential in a given domain;
• Needing to put in effort demonstrates a lack of potential

What follows is that a fixed mindset can lead us to believe:

• When something feels hard,we have a low aptitude in that area, and/or are incapable of transformational learning or growth in that area
• We best hide our struggle, or the level of effort we need to put in, because it indicates low ability.

It is important to point out that the research, including looking at math performance and other technical performance over time, demonstrates that these assumptions are false, untrue, and negatively impact our future performance.

Mindset creates virtuous or vicious cycles of value creation or value erosion at work. A growth mindset supports virtuous cycles of increasing return; a fixed mindset supports vicious cycles of diminishing return.

“A growth mindset supports virtuous cycles of increasing return; a fixed mindset supports vicious cycles of diminishing return.”

Greta Bradman, VP of Impact and Behavioral Science, Reejig

Recognizing the role we play in our own cycle and that of others is important. A fixed mindset in the workplace reduces our rate of growth, increases our likelihood of feeling under threat (with serious implications for engagement and culture), and when we apply a fixed mindset to those around us it reduces the extent or scope of what we think they’re capable of, too. In turn, some people can internalize these expectations coming from others, and expect less of themselves too.

All up, having a growth mindset at work improves people’s potential to be productive, to perform well, to have great employee engagement, and to yield great financial and cultural returns for the business.

It's important to acknowledge that a fixed mindset is taught to us by others — including in the workplace. In a subsequent article, we’ll get into how to unlock a growth mindset in the workplace.

For now, keep reading about what a growth mindset looks like and how to get it here.