Creating and Sustaining Positive Organizations

By Robert E. Quinn

Recently I spoke to a room full of plant managers who work in a very tough industry.  I was saying things they were not used to hearing, and challenging assumptions that were previously unquestioned.  Because I put everything into their language and their world, I had credibility and it was hard to discount what I was saying.  Yet they said less than most groups say.  They were deeply thoughtful.  It was like they were being hit with new truth and were not sure how to process it.

I was expecting them to grow and I was expecting them to grow others.  They were very inexperienced in thinking about the dynamics of growth.  In their corporation there is talk of learning and growth but what is really valued is control and efficiency.  So they listened but said little.

I contrast that experience with an experience that occurred that same evening.  I have a friend who is a successful entrepreneur and also a deeply spiritual man.  He now serves on a number of boards and he was in the area for a meeting.  We met at the airport for dinner.

When he saw me coming he threw open his arms and gave me a huge, enthusiastic hug.  I felt so welcomed.  We immediately began to converse about what puts energy into our lives.  Within minutes we were sharing intimate experiences and meaningful insights.  I shared some of the insights I presented to the plant managers.  He matched each one with a story and another insight.  The conversation was profoundly uplifting.  It seemed like only minutes had passed when we noted it was time to catch our respective planes.

My time with the plant managers was wonderful.  I delighted in teaching them.  Yet, they had little to share with me, which was understandable.  My conversation with my friend was different.  I was energized for hours after that conversation.  I am still energized by that conversation.  There is a concept that explains the difference: it is called the growth mindset.

The Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck, one of the world’s leading researchers in field of motivation, published a book called Mindset (2006) (http://mindsetonline.com/).  She finds that some people believe intelligence and capacity are fixed.  Others believe that intelligence and capacity expand as result of full engagement.  These beliefs are important because they predict many other things.

Those who take the fixed view have a desire to look smart.  They prefer repeated activities, avoid challenge, become defensive in the face of adversity, often see effort as fruitless, ignore feedback, and tend to plateau.  Those who take the dynamic view have a desire to learn, have a preference for novel activities, tend to embrace challenge, persist in the face of adversity, embrace criticism, and they tend to keep growing.  When she examined managers she found the growth mindset to be very important.  In the following table is a summary:

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