Have you ever heard of the growth mindset ? This term refers to the belief that our abilities : intelligence, skills, talents… can evolve over time. Through effort, learning, and perseverance. A rather appealing idea.
Popularized by psychologist Carol S. Dweck, it can be summed up in one sentence: our abilities are not fixed. But beware, behind the enthusiasm, the reality is more nuanced. To turn it into a genuine driver of lasting performance, one must first understand how to apply it in practice.
In a constantly changing professional environment, it offers a reassuring framework. It shifts the focus from talent to process.
More specifically, in the world of communications, this approach encourages teams to test new formats, analyze their failures, and improve their campaigns without fear of making mistakes. It also fosters a feedback culture, which is essential for collective progress.
However, recent research calls for tempering this enthusiasm. A meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin by Brooke Macnamara and Alexander Burgoyne shows that growth mindset interventions have little to no impact on academic performance.
The growth mindset becomes powerful when paired with well-defined strategies. This is where a key concept comes in : deliberate practice, theorized by researcher Anders Ericsson. That is, contrary to a widespread belief, progress depends not on the volume of work, but on its quality.
Applied to a digital agency like SWAN, this means:
The growth mindset pushes us to embrace discomfort, step outside our comfort zone, and confront our limitations. But it is the method that truly drives progress.
Another major insight from experts : context plays a decisive role. A positive mindset cannot compensate for an unfavorable environment.
In a digital communications agency, this means putting in place conditions that are conducive to learning :
Without these elements, the growth mindset can even become counterproductive, turning into a mandate to “always do better,” generating frustration and pressure.
For a digital agency, the right question is not: “Do we have a growth mindset ?” But rather: “How do we turn this belief into concrete, measurable, and lasting actions ?“ It is in this connection that long-term performance is built.
Article written by Andréa Lepage
