Growth Mindset – from great idea
to effective implementation
Growth Mindset is a popular focus for HR and
learning professionals. Why?
It’s an appealing theory, it’s beguilingly simple and it
has the potential to align well with other human
resource and learning and development initiatives.
More recently, business leaders increasingly see a link
between people’s mindset and execution.
Ultimately, a Growth Mindset climate offers the
potential to foster increased creativity, greater
innovation and improved agility. It is a modern
discipline for sustained competitive advantage, and
these beliefs have created energy and motivation to
‘implement’ Growth Mindset cultures within
organisations.
Implementing a Growth Mindset project can offer
many challenges and obstacles. It requires
substantial effort and it is likely the project
team/leader will be criticised at various stages of the
implementation. (How did you react when you read
that sentence, did you shudder? More about this
later).
This paper offers advice and practical insights
specifically for the start of a Growth Mindset
implementation, which should consider the following:
• Be clear on what Growth Mindset is and guard the
definition vigorously over the life of the project
• Recognise and communicate that Growth Mindset
is a belief and people’s beliefs don’t change easily
or just by offering facts and proof points.
• Start small, work with that part of the talent
management cycle with the biggest and most
visible payoff. Align with other visible/supported
new initiatives.
• Establish the Growth Mindset status at the start of
the project
• Check your own Growth Mindset status
Stay clear on Growth Mindset
Describing Growth Mindset is simple.
Here is a description of Growth Mindset from a June
2012 interview with Carol Dweck who produced the
original research around Growth Mindsets:
“In a fixed mindset, students believe their basic
abilities, their intelligence, their talents, are just
fixed traits. They have a certain amount and
that's that, and then their goal becomes to look
smart all the time and never look dumb.
In a growth mindset, students understand that their
talents and abilities can be developed through
effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't
necessarily think everyone's the same or anyone can
be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get
smarter if they work at it.”
Remember this definition as it can be easily
‘hijacked’
As the idea is communicated and discussed in the
commercial setting, we see it often gets hijacked,
which can make it harder to create a Growth
Mindset culture.
By hijacking, it means people link ideas to the theory
that have nothing to do with Carol Dweck’s research
findings.
A good example of hijacking is where individuals
attribute values, attitudes and skills to Growth
Mindset. These are real examples from organisations
we have worked with.
“People with a Growth Mindset are humble.”
“Growth Mindset folk are obsessed with customer
satisfaction.”
“If you have a Growth Mindset you can find ways
to make a small change that yields big results”
These statements have nothing to do with Growth
Mindset.
Hijacking is destructive as you will not be able to Start small and work smart
assess the extent to which Growth Mindset has taken
Launching a pure Growth Mindset initiative will
hold in your organisation, or the value it delivers.
probably fail.

It may be important to be customer-obsessed, or

It’s important to work in conjunction with other
humble, and these attitudes and behaviours may be
initiatives. For example, the idea is applicable to the
by-products of a successful Growth Mindset project,
whole talent management cycle; workforce
but they do not form part of the research which led
planning, recruitment, onboarding, assessment,
to Growth Mindset Theory.
performance management, leadership and
professional development, recognition/ rewards and
If the description becomes fuzzy, you won’t be
succession.
implementing Growth Mindset. You should also look
out for communities who say they are ‘already
Helping to change beliefs is hard, but as it takes hold,
Growth Mindset’. Check if they really are or have
other initiatives will emerge with embedded Growth
they hijacked the definition to suit their current
Mindset thinking behind them. This then begins the
behaviour.
process of seeping into the shadow culture of the
organisation and in turn then becomes “that’s how
Remember that Growth Mindset is about beliefs
we do things around here”.
Changing beliefs is difficult. Cascading a slide deck
or an infographic and offering shrink-wrapped Establish the Growth Mindset baseline
Growth Mindset training will inform and educate your
When you start a Growth Mindset implementation it is
audience about Growth Mindset. There is even a
important to establish the current Growth Mindset
good chance with well-designed materials, they will
status.
think having a Growth Mindset is a good idea.
However, will people’s beliefs change? Probably not. Developing a Growth Mindset is about developing
It is not enough. beliefs regarding intelligence and capability and this
inevitably takes time. For peace of mind and proof
We are not suggesting that the whole culture, system
that your project is making progress, this activity is
and processes of the organisation need to be
essential.
shaken up. But there are easy steps you can take to
increase the chances of success:
Ideally each employee could be observed and
assessed for Growth Mindset. This would be costly
• Introduce Growth Mindset to your audience in in a
and unrealistic at the start of an implementation. The
low-key narrative-based manner
most cost-effective and quickest way is to use
• Design your intervention to allow people to questionnaires.
discover for themselves the implications of their
behaviour Inevitably some people will try to give the desirable
or “gamed” answers, but with a large enough
• Encourage support and challenge groups
population you should get a reasonable picture of
• Engage in action learning the starting state, particularly if this activity is
undertaken before any major education about
• Promote other activities that will encourage
Growth Mindset is made available.
people to think about their mindset in relation to
their role, tasks, activities and colleagues.
At Meta-LUCID we have developed just such a
• Research and develop interesting and engaging questionnaire, a sixteen question instrument that will
Growth Mindset stories to explain Growth Mindset diagnose an individual’s belief on a Growth Mindset
in action (then gauge reactions to these stories spectrum. A second organisational questionnaire is
and ask people to think about their own used to help individuals and leaders assess the
environment) Growth Mindset state of the organisation.

• Ask people to think about what it would be like if

everyone held a Growth Mindset?
Narrative and speculation are more persuasive than
facts alone.
The individual questionnaire identifies where the user
is on a spectrum from F5 to G5. It is called the
Mindset Assessment Profile or MAP.
The following figure describes the conditions on which the questionnaire is based.
 About Meta-LUCID
Check your own Growth Mindset status
Mindset Works Inc, co-founded by Professor Carol
If you want to lead or participate in a Growth
Dweck, have engaged with Meta-LUCID as their
Mindset project implementation, it is probably a
exclusive, global partner for all Growth Mindset
good idea to have a Growth Mindset or be working
offering in the commercial sector.
on developing your Growth Mindset beliefs.

Should you wish to find out more on how we can

It is inevitable that the community you are working
help you with the implementation of Growth Mindset
with will look to see you are displaying a Growth
theory, content and tools please contact us at either
Mindset!
info@meta-lucid.com or call + 44 (0) 1727 884713.
In the introduction we suggested that your Growth
Meta-LUCID are a global based firm of practitioners
Mindset project is likely to receive criticism at various
specialising in the design and implementation of
stages of implementation, that you will meet
performance improvement initiatives based on
obstacles and you will expend a lot of effort. How did
leadership development using action and discovery
you react to this statement? Can you now see how
learning techniques. Acknowledging that all our
your reaction might be an indication of your own
clients needs are unique, our work is custom
Growth Mindset?
designed to specifically meet real and meaningful
If you wish to get a better sense of your Mindset, click outcomes.
on the link below, you will be taken to the MAP
questionnaire and you will have the opportunity to
© All rights reserved, Meta-LUCID 2016.
answer the questions.

Please do complete it: it will only take a few minutes

and you will be given an option to get back your
score. All results adhere to the UK Data Protection
laws. Your response will not be used for any further
purpose.

Online survey is via http://map.meta-

lucid.com?c_id=4QMu99rm8zi7