I stumbled upon an interview with Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset, on how your mindset might be affecting your companies ability to innovate. It’s interesting because when asked how a potential job candidate might identify if the company he wants to join has a growth-mindset culture, she said to look for 4 things.

Signs of a growth-mindset culture

1. Emphasis on development (mentorships, programs for encouraging growth across the company)
2. A concern for all employees’ progress
3. Respect for everyone’s contribution
4. Teamwork and collaboration

A growth or learning mindset leads to innovation because the attitude is to always be learning.  Although this seems simple, you should see what a culture of un-innovation looks like.

Signs of a fixed-mindset culture

1. Emphasis on sheer talent
2. Categorizing and labeling employees by ability
3. Constantly telling themselves (and you) that they are the elite
4. Emphasis on pedigree
5. Lack of respect for many employees
6. An atmosphere of competition vs. collaboration within the company

A a fixed mindset believes things are they way they are and that’s how they’ll always be. Sure sounds a lot like Microsoft!

Bottom line: A culture of learning is a culture of innovation.

Related articles

• Are you a born genius? Being a learner is smarter (psychologytoday.com)
• David Rock: Better a Learner Than a Genius (huffingtonpost.com)
• Rethink organizations with the brain mind: The big picture (psychologytoday.com)
• Understanding Your Mind Is Mission Critical (blogs.scientificamerican.com