Growth vs. Fixed Mindset: What’s the Difference?
Philosopher and psychiatrist William James once wrote, “If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” This correlation between perspective and health and behavior may seem far-fetched, but a recent Johns Hopkins study found that the power of positive thinking can reduce stressors that can lead to heart disease.
If our mental attitude can have the power to positively or negatively influence our health and behavior, understanding different mindsets and how to implement them in organizational contexts can improve business practices. One example of this is employing a growth vs. fixed mindset. Understanding the differences between these mindsets and how organizational tactics like design thinking can affect them can help improve overall outcomes.
Defining Growth and Fixed Mindsets
Psychologist Carol Dweck identifies and discusses growth and fixed mindsets in her book Mindset: The Psychology of New Success. According to Dweck, a fixed mindset operates under the premise that things are set. Under this assumption, people have specific talents and abilities that are static and unchanging. This may mean that roles are more rigidly defined and less flexible in organizational contexts.
A growth mindset supports the idea that innate abilities and characteristics can be built upon and changed with deliberate effort. This puts more emphasis on potential opportunities and the learning process. An organization with a growth mindset will likely encourage career development, adaptability, and growth.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets: Key Differences
When deciding between fostering growth vs. fixed mindsets, understanding the key differences is crucial. People with fixed mindsets, for example, might assume that they’ll never be skilled at something that they’re not skilled at right now. They believe that their skills and intelligence are static and often attribute the success of others to innate ability.
People with fixed mindsets tend to take fewer risks, repeating the same processes they’ve always used despite knowing the results will be the same. When a new opportunity comes along, those with a fixed mindset may react with pessimism, focusing on the challenges and potential losses in taking on a new challenge rather than its potential to improve their talents.
People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that with time and effort, their skills can be honed and developed. This mindset invites questions and curiosity and is more ready to take risks and seek change. When those with a growth mindset greet a new opportunity, they will likely be eager to take it on.
Given that growth in our career correlates to our attitudes about our abilities, there are ways to develop a growth mindset in ourselves and in our teams to help improve personal and professional outcomes.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Examples
There are specific workplace examples of growth vs. fixed mindsets. Individuals on a team with a growth mindset exhibit specific workplace behaviors. You can recognize these individuals in the following ways:
- Welcoming training and shifting job duties
- Recognizing constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow
- Seeing competition as inspiration to think outside the box
- Understanding failures as inevitable stepping stones to success
- Believing effort leads to mastery
Individuals on a team with a fixed mindset will exhibit a different set of workplace behaviors. You can recognize these individuals in the following ways:
- Resisting training as a formality that doesn’t actually change behavior
- Interpreting criticism as a sign of failure
- Feeling threatened by competition
- Seeing potential failures as reasons to avoid new opportunities
- Believing that effort yields little to no results
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
To help your team develop a growth mindset, try incorporating the following practices into your work culture:
- Recognize the growth potential. Neuroscience informs us that our brains are designed to grow and learn, even in older age. Simply being open to the idea of self-improvement is a significant first step. Encourage team members to see growth this way.
- Respond to a team member’s inner critic by converting fixed thoughts into growth thoughts. When a team member becomes critical of their knowledge and skills, remind them that knowledge comes through learning and skills come through practice.
- Reward your efforts. After identifying growth in team members, openly acknowledge and reward them.
- Accept failure as part of growth. Setbacks can feel defeating, but use them to learn better ways of doing things and try again. Philosopher and psychiatrist William James once wrote, “If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” This correlation between perspective and health and behavior may seem far-fetched, but a recent Johns Hopkins study found that the power of positive thinking can reduce stressors that can lead to heart disease. If our mental attitude can have the power to positively or negatively influence our health and behavior, understanding different mindsets and how to implement them in organizational contexts can improve business practices. One example of this is employing a growth vs. fixed mindset. Understanding the differences between these mindsets and how organizational tactics like design thinking can affect them can help improve overall outcomes.
Defining Growth and Fixed Mindsets
Psychologist Carol Dweck identifies and discusses growth and fixed mindsets in her book Mindset: The Psychology of New Success. According to Dweck, a fixed mindset operates under the premise that things are set. Under this assumption, people have specific talents and abilities that are static and unchanging. This may mean that roles are more rigidly defined and less flexible in organizational contexts.
A growth mindset supports the idea that innate abilities and characteristics can be built upon and changed with deliberate effort. This puts more emphasis on potential opportunities and the learning process. An organization with a growth mindset will likely encourage career development, adaptability, and growth.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindsets: Key Differences
When deciding between fostering growth vs. fixed mindsets, understanding the key differences is crucial. People with fixed mindsets, for example, might assume that they’ll never be skilled at something that they’re not skilled at right now. They believe that their skills and intelligence are static and often attribute the success of others to innate ability.
People with fixed mindsets tend to take fewer risks, repeating the same processes they’ve always used despite knowing the results will be the same. When a new opportunity comes along, those with a fixed mindset may react with pessimism, focusing on the challenges and potential losses in taking on a new challenge rather than its potential to improve their talents.
People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that with time and effort, their skills can be honed and developed. This mindset invites questions and curiosity and is more ready to take risks and seek change. When those with a growth mindset greet a new opportunity, they will likely be eager to take it on.
Given that growth in our career correlates to our attitudes about our abilities, there are ways to develop a growth mindset in ourselves and in our teams to help improve personal and professional outcomes.
Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Examples
There are specific workplace examples of growth vs. fixed mindsets. Individuals on a team with a growth mindset exhibit specific workplace behaviors. You can recognize these individuals in the following ways:
- Welcoming training and shifting job duties
- Recognizing constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow
- Seeing competition as inspiration to think outside the box
- Understanding failures as inevitable stepping stones to success
- Believing effort leads to mastery
Individuals on a team with a fixed mindset will exhibit a different set of workplace behaviors. You can recognize these individuals in the following ways:
- Resisting training as a formality that doesn’t actually change behavior
- Interpreting criticism as a sign of failure
- Feeling threatened by competition
- Seeing potential failures as reasons to avoid new opportunities
- Believing that effort yields little to no results
How to Develop a Growth Mindset
To help your team develop a growth mindset, try incorporating the following practices into your work culture:
- Recognize the growth potential. Neuroscience informs us that our brains are designed to grow and learn, even in older age. Simply being open to the idea of self-improvement is a significant first step. Encourage team members to see growth this way.
- Respond to a team member’s inner critic by converting fixed thoughts into growth thoughts. When a team member becomes critical of their knowledge and skills, remind them that knowledge comes through learning and skills come through practice.
- Reward your efforts. After identifying growth in team members, openly acknowledge and reward them.
- Accept failure as part of growth. Setbacks can feel defeating, but use them to learn better ways of doing things and try again.
Growth Mindsets and Design Thinking
Design thinking helps cultivate a growth mindset in organizations because it encourages innovation, adaptability, creativity, and growth. Applying the five steps of design thinking promotes the same principles as a growth mindset:
- Empathy: This step can help professionals increase their understanding of others and learn from other points of view.
- Define: This step can help identify challenges and pain points that need new approaches.
- Ideate: This step encourages individuals and teams to use creativity to devise innovative solutions.
- Prototype: This step includes actionable steps to test and problem solve potential ideas.
- Test: This step allows for trials and reflection, which can lead to improvement.
These steps can help organizations prioritize potential opportunities and avenues for growth, and help them effectively adapt to changes—both central aspects of a growth mindset.
Reinvent Yourself and Your Workplace
Our mindsets influence our behaviors, and our behaviors influence our environments—including our workplaces. When it comes down to employing a growth vs. fixed mindset, success depends on having the tools to meet challenges, such as market volatility or workplace change. Knowing how to leverage creative problem-solving to cultivate a growth mindset can make you an incredible asset to your organization.
The Center for Continuing & Professional Education at Suffolk University offers a Design Thinking certificate for professionals who want to apply design thinking methodologies to foster innovative business solutions. Discovering how to use design thinking can help build a growth mindset and increase potential growth opportunities.
Setbacks can feel defeating, but use them to learn better ways of doing things and try again.
Accept failure as part of growth. Setbacks can feel defeating, but use them to learn better ways of doing things and try again.
Recommended Readings:
Education As an Investment.
The Impact of Lifelong Learning on Your Health.
What Do All Great Leaders Have in Common?
Sources:
Farnam Street Media, “Carol Dweck: A Summary of Growth and Fixed Mindsets”
Goodreads, William James
Institute for Career Studies, Key Differences Between a Growth Mindset Versus a Fixed Mindset
James Anderson, “How to Create a Growth Mindset Culture in Your Organisation”
Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Power of Positive Thinking
Leaderonomics, “Cultivating a Growth Mindset in Organisations through Design Thinking”
Lifehack, “Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: 9 Distinct Differences”
Mindset Health, “Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset: How What You Think Affects What You Achieve”
Trends in Neuroscience and Education, “Effects of Teaching the Concept of Neuroplasticity to Induce a Growth Mindset on Motivation, Achievement, and Brain Activity: A Meta-Analysis”