Keeping Employees Engaged With a "Growth Mindset"

Today’s business' encounter a plethora of issues related to employee relations. Employee retention is one common concern faced by employers in the current workplace. As a means to maintain positive employee morale and consistency, many organizations are promoting the importance of a “growth mindset”.

The growth mindset adopts the belief that an individual’s ability has the potential to develop more fully through trust and flexibility that occurs during the process of learning and adapting to change. This philosophy recognizes a willingness to attain success through a variety of methods which focus on one’s ability for continued self-evaluation and personal advancement.

Organizations and hiring managers have come to realize employee performance is directly attributed to the application of a fixed or growth mindset within the workplace. Companies that value a growth mindset offer a more beneficial environment for individual workers and collaborative team members, thus improving company culture. The growth mindset philosophy fosters ongoing growth and reflection with an opportunity to improve and gain insight from meaningful feedback. Employees working within this framework have a more positive attitude and a greater willingness to adapt their skillset to become more successful in their role. Constructive feedback improves behaviors and attitudes, and ultimately employees become more inspired by their own as well as others’ achievements. This stimulates an atmosphere that enables employees to support one another and help others to become successful.

Studies have shown that employees' overall performance coincides with the manner in which feedback is provided by supervisors. For example, meaningful and positive feedback is not only helpful for improving employee performance but also allows for reflection and adjustment. This mindset also supports the notion that modifications may need to be made among all levels of employees, including upper management.

The growth mindset concept is proving so successful, many organizations have embraced the idea of rewarding failure. For example, NixonMcInnes holds a monthly “Church of Fail” where employees admit their mistakes at work by applauding each other. Afterward, they then discuss how they would handle the situation differently, allowing for an opportunity to learn from and grow. This contrasts greatly to workplace environment which solely focuses on critique without providing opportunities for reflection and ongoing self-improvement.

The “growth mindset” model used among a corporate structure emphasizes individual employee’s strengths while cultivating a positive and inspiring work culture. Implementing practices such as this model is a means to accomplish higher employee retention as well as recruit the best candidates for the company, influencing hard work, loyalty, and skill improvement.