Not all change is simple, straight forward and/or easily interpreted as a change for the positive.
An enigma, a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery, describes what is hard to solve or figure out. The word enigma originally referred to words, and specifically to words that formed a riddle or a complicated metaphor that tested one’s alertness and cleverness. This meaning is clearly connected to the word’s origin. Enigma comes from the Greek word ainissesthai, meaning “to speak in riddles.”
Some simply determined change may quickly become a complex journey into possibilities, potentials and pre-requisites. This is why change must be correctly determined, realistically creatively designed and completely understood along with the ability for the design, development, implementation and sustainable nature of the change to be managed. Effective management of change – especially enigmatic change requires three distinct elements in the approach best describes as:
Mindset – Method – Management
MINDSET
According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, your beliefs play a pivotal role in what you want and whether you achieve it.
Essentially, what you believe about yourself impacts your success or failure? Dweck, has found that it is your mindset that plays a significant role in determining achievement and success.
WHAT IS A MINDSET?
Your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation.
MINDSET TYPES
According to Dweck, there are two basic mindsets: fixed and growth. If you have a fixed mindset, you believe your abilities are fixed traits and therefore can’t be changed. You may also believe that your talent and intelligence alone leads to success, and effort is not required. On the flipside, if you have a growth mindset, you believe that your talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence. People with this mindset don’t necessarily believe that everyone can become Einstein or Mozart just because they try. They do, however, believe that everyone can get smarter or more talented if they work at it.
MINDSET FORMATION
So how is your mindset created in the first place? Dweck’s research reveals two primary sources: praising and labelling, both of which occur in early childhood. In a landmark series of experiments, Dweck and her colleagues found that kids behaved very differently depending on the type of praise they received.2 They found that personal praise or praising a child’s talents or labelling them as “smart,” promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message to a child that they either have an ability or they don’t, and that there is nothing they can do to change that fact. Process praise, on the other hand, emphasizes the effort a person puts in to accomplish a task. It implies their success is due to the effort and the strategy they used, both of which they can control and improve over time. Here’s an example of how they’re different. If your child gets a good grade on a math test, personal praise might be, “See, you are good at math. You got an A on your test.” Process praise, on the other hand, might sound like this: “I’m impressed by how hard you studied for your math test. You read the material over several times, asked your teacher to help you figure out the tricky problems, and tested yourself on it. That really worked!” Adults can take steps to ensure that their children develop growth mindsets by praising efforts not results. By focusing on the process rather than the outcome, adults can help kids understand that their efforts, hard work, and dedication can lead to change, learning, and growth both now and in the future.
THE IMPACT OF MINDSET
Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement. As adults, these same people are more likely to persevere in the face of setbacks. Instead of throwing in the towel, adults with a growth mindset view it as an opportunity to learn and grow. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets are more likely to give up in the face of challenging circumstances. In her book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” Dweck writes that those with fixed mindsets are constantly seeking the validation to prove their worth not just to others, but also to themselves. “I’ve seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves in the classroom, in their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is evaluated:
WHAT IS MY MINDSET?
Do you have a fixed or growth mindset? To find out, start by reading the following statements and decide which ones you agree with most:
HOW TO UNFIX A FIXED MINDSET
MINOR LEVEL CHANGE ELEMENTS
One successful method in commencing minor level change elements will be to gradually practice day to day minor changes in routines and methods introduced by family, community, front line supervision and teams/communities to accommodate family, societal, work place and environment requirements.
In these instances, the Management of Change process is simple and open discussion achieving agreed activities/actions will generally ensure all are well versed in the change to a routine circumstance, and any extra arrangements required, so that they are aware of the Change Method Understanding of:
MEDIUM LEVEL CHANGE ELEMENTS
These are likely to occur where some standards, activities or conditions need to change permanently to accommodate change specific requirements. In these types of situations, the change will require detailed planning and a risk review to identify the potentials of success going forward and the hazards associated with the change elements to develop risk management controls to minimise the risk potential associated with the change. The outcome of this review will be used to develop the necessary Change Proposal detailing the change, all forecast likely effects, and the control/management actions required to mitigate any hazards/risks identified or allied to the forecast. The change proposal actions to be implemented are then presented to the quorum for approval to proceed. All aspects of the proposed changes and hazard/risk control methods must be fully explained and any investigative3 discussions will be scheduled for presentation. When approved, a Change Implementation Plan will be raised and issued seeking approval to initiate the change. The proposed change will be introduced to the quorum and the presenters/change agents shall ensure that the new methods/practices are monitored to ensure the change factors are being correctly applied. Where the change will affect quorum and other elements the change agents shall guide the delivery of the Change Implementation Plan.
MAJOR LEVEL CHANGE ELEMENTS
These would usually involve changes that affect the wider community and beyond, and as potentially highly enigmatic change events may not be restricted to single sites or activities such as In these instances, the decision to introduce change would be undertaken at the Community level for instance and involve multiple Representatives.
Where this is the case, designated personnel will need to be nominated to develop a Change Proposal to:
Approval to implement the change should be initiated by the Change Agent.
MANAGEMENT
MONITORING CHANGE
The change agent and representative members of the quorum shall review and monitor the change to ensure that it is implemented as intended and all are aware of the issues that may or do arise. Not all change is simple, straight forward and/or easily interpreted as a change for the positive. An enigma, a puzzle, a riddle, a mystery, describes what is hard to solve or figure out. The word enigma originally referred to words, and specifically to words that formed a riddle or a complicated metaphor that tested one’s alertness and cleverness. This meaning is clearly connected to the word’s origin. Enigma comes from the Greek word ainissesthai, meaning to speak in riddles. Some simply determined change may quickly become a complex journey into possibilities, potentials and pre-requisites. This is why change must be correctly determined, realistically creatively designed and completely understood along with the ability for the design, development, implementation and sustainable nature of the change to be managed. The effective management of change, especially enigmatic change, requires three distinct elements in the approach best describes as Mindset-Method-Management.
MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE SYSTEM PROCESS
