Mindset Theory and Project Management

Your Project Needs Best Mindsets, Not Just Best Practices!

Successful projects are shaped not only by best practices and processes but also by the organizational mindsets that guide them.

Aside from projects access to resources and well developed plans, successful projects are the ones driven by leaders and teams that foster and share a robust and adaptable culture. Mindset theory allows us to better describe these phenomena.

In this article we review the following topics,

1. Mindset Theory

2. Cultures of Growth

3. Mindset Triggers

4. Case for Diversity

5. Measuring Organizational Mindsets

6. Mindset Theory In Project Management

7. Criticisms of Mindset Theory

In doing so we resort to several books,

1. Mary Murphy’s “Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations” (1).

2. Carol Dweck’s “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” (2).

3. Matthew Syed’s “Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking” (3).

Eventually, we take a brief look at two articles by Peter Gollwitzer (4,5) to contrast the ideas on deliberative and implemental mindsets, as related to project management. We also review major criticisms of mindset theory (6).

Mindset theory was developed in the 1990s by psychologists such as Carol Dweck from Stanford University, and, Peter Gollwitzer from the New York University. It was popularized by Dweck’s book in 2007. Earlier this year, Mary Murphy, a Professor of Psychology at Indiana University and former PhD student of Dweck, published an interesting book on the implications of mindset theory in organizations. It is to this occasion that we are spending this month’s EPM Research Article to walk through mindset theory.

As it is proposed by mindset theory, mindsets shape our interpretation of information and guide our learning from experiences. A “fixed” mindset can restrict achievement as it creates a need to constantly prove oneself, turning every situation into a confirmation of inherent intelligence or talent. Meanwhile, a “growth” mindset cultivates a passion for learning and an openness to experiences that stretch one's abilities. And, that organizational cultures have great implication on individuals operating mindsets.

Mindset Theory

Mindset theory, largely popularized by Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford University, delves into how our beliefs about our own abilities affect our behavior and success. According to Dweck, individuals either subscribe to a "fixed" mindset, believing their qualities such as intelligence are static, or a "growth" mindset, believing that their abilities can be developed through effort and learning. This distinction influences not only personal achievements but also impacts organizational practices and educational approaches. Growth mindset proponents argue that fostering a growth-oriented culture can enhance learning, resilience, and overall productivity​.

The early building blocks of what Dweck calls mindsets, was outlined in her 1999 essay where she elaborated on “Self-Theories” as the underlying beliefs individuals hold about the nature of their attributes, such as intelligence and personality (7). Self-theories encompass the broader framework of how these beliefs influence various aspects of a person's life, including motivation, response to challenges, and personal development. However, "mindset" specifically relates to a subset of self-theories, focusing on the beliefs about whether abilities are fixed or malleable.

Mindset, as Dweck articulates in her book, explains how we perceive our capabilities and intelligence, and it forms the underlying beliefs that individuals hold about their abilities and potential. These beliefs are not just idle thoughts; they actively shape actions, responses to challenges, and the overall trajectory of one's life.

Individuals with a fixed mindset perceive their qualities, such as intelligence and talent, as static traits. Consequently, they are primarily focused on validating these inherent abilities rather than developing them. This perspective can lead to a reluctance to embrace challenges, a tendency to avoid failure, and a resistance to feedback, as these situations are seen as direct assessments of their unchangeable traits. On the other hand, those with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This view fosters learning, and resilience in the face of obstacles, and a capacity to view criticism as a valuable tool for growth. This mindset empowers individuals to thrive during challenging circumstances and persistently improve.

Cultures of Growth

In 2006, Mary Murphy, then a graduate student, proposed an interesting concept to Carol as a graduate research. Mary was inspired from her experience of her classmates’ PhD defense sessions that the organizational settings have implications on individuals operating mindsets and started her research on how organizations can shape individual mindsets. Her recent book, Cultures of Growth (1), is a review of her research journey.

Murphy’s research went on to establish that regardless of an individual’s personal mindset—be it fixed or growth—their surrounding environment, through its prevailing beliefs and practices, could sway their behavior and approach towards challenges and learning. Therefore, the environments themselves could possess what she termed a "Cultures of Genius" or a "Cultures of Growth," impacting individuals.

Murphy’s research delineated the stark contrasts between these cultures. "Cultures of Genius" are marked by a belief in innate abilities, where success is attributed to inherent intelligence and talent. Such environments often discourage risk-taking and learning from failures because they prioritize individual intrinsic brilliance over developed skills. In contrast, "Cultures of Growth" emphasize the potential for development through effort and learning, fostering an inclusive atmosphere where challenges are seen as opportunities to grow and where setbacks are valuable learning moments.

The empirical studies led by Murphy are fascinating to read and hard to summarize. They underscore the tangible benefits of fostering a growth mindset within organizations and educational settings. Murphy has conducted empirical studies in various settings that show cultivating a growth mindset enhances motivation and commitment, cultivate a more collaborative community, increases innovation, promotes resilience and risk taking, elevates integrity and ethical behavior, and fosters diversity, all while increasing team’s performance and achievements.

Her research also highlights the critical role of leadership in cultivating these mindsets within organizations. Leaders are tasked not just with endorsing a growth mindset but with integrating this perspective into the policies, practices, and ethos of their organizations to view intelligence and ability not as static qualities, but as qualities that can be developed.

Mindset Triggers

An important idea out of Murphy’s book is the role of organizations in promoting fixed or growth mindset. Acknowledging this agency and that everyone can and do operate in either of these mindsets, changes the question from “Are you a person with more of a fixed or growth mindset?” to the question of “When are you in your fixed mindset and when are you in your growth mindset?”.

For an organization and project team leaders the question then becomes “What triggers our team to adopt more fixed- or growth-mindset views and behaviors?  And how can we shape the environment to encourage more of a growth mindset more of the time?”

Murphy strives to answer that in the second part of her book by comparing the totality if her research studies. She recounts that “when chances to succeed are scarce, people tend to be triggered toward their fixed mindset”, however, she generalizes four settings that can trigger teams to change in between mindsets where organizations need to focus their polices to achieve better cultures of growth.

Evaluative Situations

Evaluative situations, such as preparing for a presentation or awaiting feedback on performance, naturally induce anticipation of judgment. In these scenarios, individuals might either enter a "prove-and-perform" mode focusing primarily on others' perceptions or adopt a "learning mode" that emphasizes growth and development.

High-Effort Situations

High-effort situations, like adapting to new team dynamics or learning a new workflow, demand substantial energy and focus. These situations can trigger a fixed mindset, where the fear of failure leads to avoidance of challenging opportunities, or stimulate a growth mindset, inspiring the individual to embrace the challenge as a chance to advance and enhance skills.

Critical Feedback

Receiving critical feedback can be a critical trigger for mindset orientation. Through a fixed mindset perspective, such feedback may feel like an attack on one's character and abilities, leading to avoidance and stunted growth. Conversely, viewing such feedback from a growth mindset encourages learning and development, with individuals seeking out feedback to improve continually.

Success of Others

Observing the success of peers, such as promotions or awards, can either demotivate individuals (if in a fixed mindset) by breeding feelings of inadequacy or inspire them (if in a growth mindset) to learn and adopt successful strategies.

Case for Diversity

Murphy research has shown that “an organization’s mindset culture has significant consequences for diversity, equity, and inclusion”.

The juxtaposition of "Cultures of Genius" and "Cultures of Growth" within organizations reveals important implications for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Cultures of Genius, with their rigid prototypes, often marginalize those who do not conform to a narrowly defined image of talent. Conversely, Cultures of Growth champion diversity as a catalyst for broadened perspectives and enhanced creativity, viewing varied backgrounds as integral to organizational success and innovation.

This is interestingly put in Matthew Syed's book titled "Rebel Ideas" (3). Matthew underlines the impact of cognitive diversity on handling complex tasks, especially in modern problem-solving contexts. Cognitive diversity refers to the varying ways individuals perceive, process, and respond to information, which when pooled together, can lead to breakthrough innovations and solutions to multifaceted problems.

Syed uses compelling examples from history and contemporary scenarios to show how diverse teams combine unique perspectives to overcome cognitive blind spots that homogenous groups might miss. This collective intelligence not only enriches problem-solving capabilities but also enhances decision-making processes, driving success in dynamic and challenging environments.

Cognitive diversity extends beyond mere demographic differences, diving deep into the diverse cognitive styles and frameworks that individuals bring to a group. This diversity is critical in today's interconnected and rapidly changing world, where the challenges we face require a range of thought processes and innovative approaches.

Matthew advocates for a deliberate strategy in fostering environments where cognitive diversity can thrive. This includes creating inclusive cultures and structures that encourage different ways of thinking and actively mitigating conformity, which can stifle the creative problem-solving necessary for tackling complex issues.

Measuring Organizational Mindsets

A central theme of both Dweck’s and Murphy’s research is devising measures and surveys to measure both personal and organizational mindsets. There are various tools available online that contain a repository of potential questions and measures to gauge individual mindsets (8), some of which only commercially available (9). Let us answer one of the questions Dweck’s proposed in for mindset surveys, although the original form had 6 point Likert scale.

Murphy’s research built around various forms of experiment design and data and surveys to hypothesize and test how mindsets affect different organizational characteristics. For instance, they took companies mission statements and analyze them to establish their leadership mindset and analyze the anonymous ratings of employees through websites such as the Glassdoor (10), or design particular experiments to observe the behavior of students (11).

However, within the references Murphy cited in her book, there is an interesting private report regarding the mindset in entrepreneurship that would be great to be shared with public:

Mary C. Murphy, “Mindsets in Entrepreneurship: Measurement and Validation Results,” report to the G2 Advisory Group and the Kauffman Foundation (April 2020). Note: The work with the Kauffman Foundation was conducted in collaboration with Wendy Torrance and Kathleen Boyle Dalen.

Mindset Theory In Project Management

The literature of applying mindset theory in project management is indeed scarce. The use of mindset theory in project management traces back to the work of Peter Gollwitzer (4,5) in early 1990s.

Peter Gollwitzer's view into mindset is through the lens of what precedes actions. Gollwitzer delineates the journey from setting goals to achieving them through a series of action phases, each characterized by specific cognitive orientations or "mindsets." These mindsets facilitate different stages of goal pursuit: deliberative, implemental, actional, and evaluative.

Note that Dweck’s view and use of the term "mindset" as a subset of self-theories about whether abilities are fixed or malleable is different to Gollwitzer view as phases of action.

Gollwitzer, highlights a critical transition from deciding to act (pre-actional phase) to taking action (actional phase), which is emblematic of the shift from planning to execution in project management. This model underscores the psychological commitment required once a decision to proceed is made—akin to crossing the proverbial Rubicon (hence termed the Rubicon model).

The concepts distinguishes between two pivotal stages of cognitive engagement in project management: planning (deliberative) and execution (implemental). For project managers, this means that once a project plan is set and decided upon, the focus shifts dramatically towards meeting those commitments with precise and goal-directed actions. The cognitive shift from a deliberative to an implemental mindset is crucial in this phase, as it facilitates the concentration on specific actions and tasks, reducing the cognitive load associated with multitasking and re-evaluation of initial plans, thus driving efficiency and effectiveness in project execution.

The deliberative mindset is characterized by openness to information and a comprehensive evaluation of options, which is crucial during the project planning phase. This mindset allows managers and teams to explore various strategies and anticipate potential challenges without the immediate pressure of execution.

Transitioning to an implemental mindset involves a shift in cognitive strategy, from thinking broadly to focusing on specific tasks. This mindset is essential during the execution phase of a project, where the primary concern shifts to the pragmatic aspects of implementing the planned actions. The implemental mindset supports project managers and teams in maintaining focus on set goals, organizing resources efficiently, and adhering to timelines, thereby enhancing productivity and goal attainment.

The effect of implemental versus deliberative mindsets on time predictions was further investigated. A study of 151 participants published in 2015, created a hypothetical mindset situations and showed those with implemental mindset made shorter time predictions with respect to completing personal goals than participants in a deliberative mindset (12). The effect however does not explain the ever present project schedule overruns, and if anything points that more deliberative mindset is needed when planning projects.

Value Mindset

Thomas Lechler's research on the project value mindset (PVM) of project managers is another instance of delving into the idea of mindset within the project management literature.

The research proposes a perspective shift from the traditional triple constraint (TC) paradigm to a more value-oriented approach in project management. The study argues that project managers with a strong project value mindset are more likely to identify and capitalize on opportunities that enhance project value, despite inherent uncertainties. Using structural equation modeling to analyze data from 594 responses related to 114 projects, Lechler found that a higher PVM score correlates with increased project value. The author’s new framework suggests that project managers should not only manage within predefined constraints but also proactively seek and utilize opportunities to drive superior project outcomes.

Criticisms of Mindset Theory

While the mindset theory has gained widespread applications and has inspired numerous educational interventions, a 2018 published meta-analysis on mindset interventions shows mixed results (6). The analysis demonstrates while considering 273 studies including more than 35k subjects, the correlation between growth mindset and academic achievement is generally weak. However, the effect remained strong when controlling for certain variables and under specific conditions, such as among students who are economically disadvantaged or academically at-risk.

These findings imply that while the broad applications of mindset interventions might need more robust evidence for general effectiveness, they hold potential for targeted interventions, particularly where the stakes and challenges are higher for the learners involved.

Dweck, herself, reflected on the oversimplification of her theory in practice and emphasizes the need for more nuanced approaches that consider the specificities of context when applying mindset principles (13).​ To address this criticism Dweck and her team conducted a study to find when growth mindset intervention does or does not work and found that examiner mindset affects the success of the intervention (14).

Question then Becomes

Managing large engineering projects to a successful implementation is a hard and complex undertaking at scales beyond that any single idea or process can alleviate all complexity and challenges. Nonetheless, the traditional construction and project management industry seem to be lacking some of new paradigms developed within the new behavioral sciences.

Is the cultivation of robust mindsets at project organizations the missing complement to the best practices to ensure better projects?

Mindset theory is about fostering an environment where the focus shifts from proving one's abilities to relentlessly pursuing improvement and excellence. This shift not only alleviates the pressures of validation but also cultivates a culture where challenges are viewed as fertile ground for growth and innovation. Such a dynamic culture enhances individual performance and collectively elevates team effectiveness, encouraging members to embrace risks, innovate, and mutually support each other’s development. This appears crucial for sustained success in the competitive and ever-evolving fields of today.

References

1. Murphy MC. Cultures of Growth: How the New Science of Mindset Can Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations. New York: Simon & Schuster; 2024. 352 p.

2. Dweck CS. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Illustrated edition. New York, NY: Ballantine Books; 2007. 320 p.

3. Syed M. Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking. Flatiron Books; 2021. 173 p.

4. Gollwitzer PM. Action phases and mind-sets. Handb Motiv Cogn Found Soc Behav. 1990;2(53–92):2.

5. Gollwitzer PM, Bayer UC. Deliberative versus implemental mindsets in the control of action. 1999 [cited 2024 Aug 3]; Available from: http://kops.uni-konstanz.de/handle/123456789/10257

6. Sisk VF, Burgoyne AP, Sun J, Butler JL, Macnamara BN. To What Extent and Under Which Circumstances Are Growth Mind-Sets Important to Academic Achievement? Two Meta-Analyses. Psychol Sci. 2018 Apr 1;29(4):549–71.

7. Dweck CS. Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. New York: Psychology Press; 2014. 212 p.

8. Growth Mindset Scale | SPARQtools [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 10]. Available from: https://sparqtools.org/mobility-measure/growth-mindset-scale/

9. MindsetWorks | Growth Mindset | Growth Mindset Programs [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 10]. Available from: https://www.mindsetworks.com/

10. Canning EA, Murphy MC, Emerson KTU, Chatman JA, Dweck CS, Kray LJ. Cultures of Genius at Work: Organizational Mindsets Predict Cultural Norms, Trust, and Commitment. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2020 Apr;46(4):626–42.

11. Murphy MC, Dweck CS. A Culture of Genius: How an Organization’s Lay Theory Shapes People’s Cognition, Affect, and Behavior. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2010 Mar;36(3):283–96.

12. Brandstätter V, Giesinger L, Job V, Frank E. The Role of Deliberative Versus Implemental Mindsets in Time Prediction and Task Accomplishment. Soc Psychol [Internet]. 2015 Jan 1 [cited 2024 Aug 3]; Available from: https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1864-9335/a000231

13. Growth Mindset: where did it go wrong? | Tes Magazine [Internet]. [cited 2024 Sep 9]. Available from: https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/growth-mindset-where-did-it-go-wrong

14. Yeager DS, Carroll JM, Buontempo J, Cimpian A, Woody S, Crosnoe R, et al. Teacher Mindsets Help Explain Where a Growth-Mindset Intervention Does and Doesn’t Work. Psychol Sci. 2022 Jan 1;33(1):18–32.

Notes

If you wish to refer to this article, please use the following citation format:

Zangeneh, P. (2024), “Mindset Theory and Project Management: Your Project Needs Best Mindsets, Not Just Best Practices!”, EPM Research Letters. https://epmresearch.substack.com/p/mindset-theory-and-project-management