Harnessing Growth-Mindedness to Enhance Organizational Effectiveness

Abstract

We consider the organizational and individual benefits of implementing activities focused on increasing employee growth mindedness within a global Fortune 500 organization, with the objective of enhancing organizational effectiveness and employee retention. Growth Mindset Theory, pioneered by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, focuses on promoting an environment of continuous learning and openness to growth and change. Mindset theory, more broadly, posits that there are two essential mindsets, or frameworks, from which we operate: a “fixed mindset” where one believes that ability is predominantly innate and a “growth mindset where one believes that ability is in large part learned. We examine the dynamic of instilling a growth mindset within an organization, and the activation effect of injecting growth mindset-focused activities within a larger employee engagement.