The second chakra within our program is known as the Mindsets Chakra. This chakra is based on the Sacral chakra which corresponds to feelings of self-worth, expression and creativity. Within our program, this chakra focuses on Creativity and Innovation within the organization.
We do this through a variety of processes, which are as follows:
Innovating Organizational Processes (i.e. the way meetings are run and how performance reviews are conducted)
A surefire way to spice up the cadence of an organization is to innovate its processes. As we have entered the 21st century and especially following the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have realized something. The “traditional” processes and rhythm of how business is done is not necessarily correct and there is room for innovation on that front. Particularly organizational processes such as how meetings are run and how performance reviews are handled.
Google for instance in the past decade has made significant changes and innovations to how it runs its meetings. In 2011 when Larry Page became CEO of Google, he sent out a companywide memo which communicated his intention to change the way Google runs its meetings. One of his main shifts was to assign a “Decision-Maker” to every meeting who would be responsible for “reaching a conclusion in the meeting and deciding the path forward”. This is a move that placed a heavy amount of accountability on the chosen individual.
Design Thinking
In business, the work that we do should be informed and backed up by data and insights. However Design Thinking is a philosophy rooted in human-centric data. Design Thinking is a five-stage design process that involves many revision and testing phases. The five steps include Empathy, Definition, Ideation, Prototyping, and Testing. There are others who think of Design Thinking as comprising three key stages: The first being to “Invent a Future” where you form theories based on what the consumer may want but do not have. Number two being “Immerse yourself in the customer’s lives and observe and ask questions about their behaviours”. The next is the Test phase which includes iterative prototyping, experiments, adjusting product, price and positioning. Design Thinking is traditionally used to innovate and design customer experiences and products but the same can be applied to your internal people experience and corporate culture, your people are your greatest assets and your customers so empathizing with the experience and co-creating with them is an essential part of success just as it would be for a new product launch.
One company that is an excellent example of making Design Thinking a huge part of their business is Google. Google defines its Design Thinking philosophy as “Ideas can come from anywhere, and everyone is creative.That belief is at the heart of design thinking, a practice that combines creativity and structure to solve complex problems”. The company centers its approach to Design Thinking around a three pillar system it calls the “Three E’s”.
They are as follows:
Empathy
Expansive Thinking
Experimentation
Pablo Malabuyo of Google Ads says this of Design Thinking “if I were to really boil it down to one thing, it’s about making intentional decisions. It’s about understanding who you are designing for, coming up with ideas to solve their problems, and prototyping and iterating on those solutions and testing them”.
It is clear that Design Thinking is a practice and philosophy that Google truly believes in and that its employees see its effectiveness in the day-to-day operations.
When it comes to developing people processes and designing an employee experience, design thinking is a very useful tool to leverage.
Develop a Growth Mindset
A Growth Mindset is a pivotal way of thinking for employees to learn and better themselves, as well as a pivotal element of the Mindsets Chakra. The Growth Mindset was developed by psychologist and professor at Stanford University Carol Dweck. Dweck defines a Growth Mindset as “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” This is a process that does not perceive challenges necessarily as a negative, but rather looks at them as potential opportunities. In an article from INC, writer Jayson Demers asserts that the entrepreneurs with the most positive attitudes ascribe to this mindset “Rather than seeing problems as burdensome forces of opposition, they see problems as opportunities--opportunities to learn, grow, improve, or adjust in a way that leaves them better off than before the problem existed” Demers writes. This perspective has the potential to be transformative for businesses as it presents an awareness that employees are in a constant state of growth – a very accepting and modern mindset for leaders to base their organization around.
4 Tips to Harness Your Organization's Growth Mindset and Creativity
A balanced Mindsets Chakra will help create a creative and innovative company culture that is ready to evolve with a changing business landscape. Follow these tips to be set on this path.
1️⃣ Innovate Organizational Processes
Shifting how your organization handles processes such as meetings will do wonders for your business. This will allow you to be ahead of the curve and establish a defined culture. These processes should be aligned with the culture that you wish to cultivate and your foundational values. The processes that make sense for your organization may not make sense for another. We recommend referring back to the foundational values that you established in the previous chakra for guidance, or reach out so we can support you!
2️⃣ Utilize Design Thinking
Design Thinking will allow you to utilize human-centric data/research to get a more true to life idea of what your audience is thinking and feeling. Brands from across the world such as Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Toyota use Design Thinking to great effect – you can add your business’ name to that list as well.
3️⃣ Develop a Growth Mindset and Create a Culture That Encourages It
A Growth Mindset is an on-going process that will emphasize the importance of prioritizing the learning, development and growth amongst those within the organization. Learning and development is not something that ends when you leave school – it is important that you communicate this fact to your employees and new hires. The prioritization of a Growth Mindset should be apparent to all those within your organization and should be seen as key to its overall corporate culture philosophy. Practicing a Growth Mindset is something that takes place over time and the results may not appear immediately apparent. However doing so will cultivate an organization which encourages those to learn, develop and grow.
We strongly encourage you to follow these tips as they will pay dividends for your business.
Stay tuned this week for more content on the Mindsets Chakra.