In an era defined by rapid technological advancements, most notably the integration of AI, the need for agility and a learning-oriented workforce—one with a growth mindset—has never been greater.
The term growth mindset, coined by Stanford professor Carol Dweck, reflects the belief that skills and intelligence can be developed through dedication and effort. Organizations have embraced the concept, using it to drive not only individual development but also a culture of continuous improvement, learning, adaptability, and innovation—all of which are increasingly important given the rate of change today.
With the half-life of skills continuing to shrink, the ability to adapt and learn has become a survival trait for businesses across industries. The World Economic Forum predicts that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted between 2023 and 2028, making a growth mindset essential for organizations to keep up and thrive.
Companies that cultivate a growth mindset consistently outperform their peers, demonstrating higher levels of employee engagement, faster problem-solving, and increased agility in the face of disruption. They’re often characterized by a culture that celebrates:
- Seeking to learn.
- Embracing feedback.
- Setting ambitious goals.
- Getting excited about new challenges.
- Taking smart risks and learning from failures.
- A culture of open dialogue and candor.
Chief People Officers (CPOs/CHROs) play a critical role in building a growth mindset within the organization, and the best place to start is within their own function.
Building a Growth Mindset in HR
As stewards of talent and culture, CPOs must take the lead in embedding this mindset across the organization, starting with the HR function itself.
Here’s how to get started.
Invest in upskilling your own HR team
Identify the skills your organization needs from HR (increasingly, that’s skills like problem-solving, data and analytics, and change management) and create programs and on-the-job opportunities for people to learn those skills. That includes creating opportunities for people to stretch into challenging or different projects. Internal “gig marketplaces” allow employees to take on projects outside their core responsibilities, developing new competencies along the way. HR can implement such programs first within their teams, providing a model for other departments.
Other ideas include giving rising HR leaders personalized development plans that consist of a “major” and a “minor,” or a core strength concentrated in a specific area and a complementary secondary skillset. For instance, an HR professional with a “major” in compensation and benefits might develop a “minor” in organization effectiveness, enabling them to take a human-centered and whole systems view to design meaningful compensation strategies that reinforce the organization’s talent strategy, culture, and desired outcomes. Alternatively, an HR professional with a “major” in talent acquisition could develop a “minor” in supply chain management, allowing them to collaborate with operations leaders to forecast workforce needs, optimize staffing for production schedules, and ensure that talent pipelines align with operational demands.
These approaches provide HR professionals with the tools to navigate challenges, drive organizational success, and adapt to the changing demands of the workplace.
Be the first to adopt new technologies, experiment and learn
Lead by example in experimenting with AI-driven solutions to assist in and accelerate the flow of work. One example lies in HR support. Developing a chatbot as the first line of support for questions can ease the burden on support teams and free them to do other work. As a business-facing use case, it demonstrates to everyone in the organization that HR is on the forefront of leveraging new technologies to advance its goals.
Create a listening culture
As the pace of work continues to accelerate, many longstanding listening practices, such as an annual employee engagement survey, are not keeping pace with the needs of organizations. HR leaders can move to more of a “continuous listening” approach that leverages multiple data points and listening channels to create a complete picture of the employee experience with real-time relevance. Make it a practice to take at least one meaningful action in response to feedback as it arises and do this regularly. Build open channels for feedback, then act on that feedback to improve things in a continuous cycle.
Recognize and reward smart risks, even if they fail
When employees feel safe to take risks, they are more likely to think outside the box and propose innovative solutions. Acknowledging efforts, even when outcomes are unsuccessful, demonstrates that the organization values creativity and forward-thinking. Consider conducting retrospectives to integrate learnings into the flow of work, or build a bias toward action with a data-driven approach to evaluate risks and understand the difference between reversible and irreversible decisions. Creating an environment of psychological safety helps a growth mindset to take root and thrive.
In today’s business environment, the organizations that learn the fastest hold the greatest competitive advantage. As such, the mandate for HR is clear: Embrace continuous learning, innovation, and a growth mindset. By fostering a culture of learning within your own teams and embedding growth-oriented principles, you can set the tone for the entire organization.
Lauren Lightbody, a senior director at Propeller, has over a decade of experience driving large-scale transformations for enterprise technology organizations, including Tanium, Cadence Design Systems, and NetApp. With a background in organizational effectiveness, change management, executive communications, culture development and employee engagement, she’s adept at crafting clear and effective solutions that fuel transformative value. Lauren holds a master’s degree in organizational development from the University of San Francisco and a bachelor’s degree in English from Vassar College.