Education for The Innovation Era

By Tony Wagner

Much of the current education debates focus on issues of inequity, accountability, funding, and improving access to higher education for more students. While these are all important issues, what is missing is a discussion of the purpose of education in the 21^st century. To consider this question, we need to understand fundamental changes that have taken place in our economy.

For the first half of the 20th century, when most people earned their living on farms and in factories, physical strength and manual dexterity were competitive advantages. Then came what Peter Drucker in 1959 termed "The Knowledge Economy." In this new era, brains mattered more than brawn because the ability to access and analyze information became a key driver of economic growth. The more you knew and the more facile you were with your knowledge, the greater the competitive advantage.

As a result, for the past 50 years our education systems have focused on ensuring that students acquire more and more education. First it was completion of high school, and now the emphasis is on getting more students to complete post-secondary education. The nature of this education has changed very little, however. From the beginning of high school and continuing through college, students spend the majority of their time memorizing massive amounts of information. And they are graded on how much of that information they have retained.

But here's the problem. We no longer live in a knowledge economy. The world no longer cares how much you know because Google knows everything. There is no longer competitive advantage in knowing more than the person next to you because what the world cares most about is not what you know, but what you can do with what you know. One’s competitive advantage today comes from the ability to bring new possibilities to life or to solve problems creatively — in other words, to innovate. Of course, you need knowledge to accomplish these things. It is necessary, but not sufficient. In the innovation era, knowledge still matters, but skills matter more, and motivation and dispositions matter most.

Our education systems, from elementary schools through graduate schools, have not yet begun to adapt to this new reality. At every level and in every course, the primary focus is on content knowledge acquisition. Rarely do students have opportunities to apply their knowledge, to hone their skills, to pursue their own interests. As human beings, we are born curious, creative, imaginative. The average five-year-old asks 100 questions a day, and most kindergartners think of themselves as artists. But by the time most kids reach the age of 12 or so, they are far more preoccupied with getting the right answers on tests than they are on continuing to ask their own questions. And fewer and fewer think of themselves as creative.

The price our students pay for this kind of education is very high and rarely discussed. We are raising generations of students who are obsessed with getting good grades and scoring well on tests — doing everything they think they need to do to get into a name brand college so they can have a name brand job and live happily ever after. These kids are terrified of making a single mistake, getting less than an A. And in the desperate pursuit of trying to market themselves and be the perfect kid for the right college, they lose sight of who they really are, what their questions are, what they're curious about.

            

Meanwhile, the kids who don't compete because they'd rather work with their hands or don't think they're smart enough feel like losers. Twenty percent of our students don’t complete high school. An additional thirty percent graduate from high school and go on to minimum wage jobs. Of the approximately seventy percent of the high school graduates who enroll in college, nearly half drop out before they complete any degree, often having acquired enormous debt along the way. Lacking skills or preparation for a trade, most of them can only manage to find minimum-wage jobs.

            

But what about "the winners," the kids who manage to graduate from a four-year college or university and then head off into the labor market? Having attended schools where acquiring knowledge mattered most, how well are they faring in the innovation era? A growing body of evidence suggests that, in fact, the majority of our college graduates are stunningly ill prepared for the jobs of the present — and even less so for the jobs of the future, when computers and A.I. will have taken over virtually all routine work.

            

A couple of examples should suffice to tell the story. Back in the early days of Google, when everyone still thought we had a knowledge economy,

the fledgling company sought to hire the smartest kids in the world and so only hired kids with Ivy League degrees and only interviewed those who had the highest test scores and GPAs. But then along came Laszlo Bock. As senior VP of people operations at Google, he analyzed all of the data related to hiring and job performance and discovered that the indices they had been using like GPAs and test scores were "worthless." Today, Google no longer asks for your test scores or college transcript. They don't care whether or not you went to college, and 15% of their new hires in certain departments do not have a college degree. What Google cares about today is not what you know, but what you can do with what you know, and they now use multiple structured interviews to make hiring decisions.

            

When I learned this, I thought that perhaps Google was an anomaly. But then I was invited to speak by Deloitte to business leaders in Ho Chi Minh City several years ago. Prior to my presentation, I was invited to lunch by the CEO. She knew of my affiliation at the time with Harvard and had a bit of fun with it, telling me, "You know, we used to hire the best students from the best universities, but it turned out that they did not work out so well." She smiled and then continued, "Now, we put prospective new hires through a summer-long boot camp to see how they solve problems collaboratively, and then we decide whether or not to offer them a job."

            

For college graduates who do not know how to solve problems collaboratively and who lack other essential skills required to succeed in the innovation era, it is hardly the "full employment economy" that everyone touts these days. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, forty-three percent of college graduates ages 25 to 29 are either unemployed or underemployed. What does underemployed mean? They are baristas or bartenders — earning an average salary of about $33,000 — $10,000 less than jobs that actually require a BA might pay. Most have college debt amounting to an average of $35,000 or more. Many are living at home and likely to default on those debts.

            

The mantra of policymakers for the last decade has been to ensure that all kids graduate from high school "college ready." The assumption is that the more education a student acquires, the better positioned they are to succeed. But the reality is that students today need a different kind of education, not necessarily more education.

            

The essential education challenge today is to reimagine learning and teaching for the innovation era. We need to work together to understand what we must do in order to graduate all students “innovation ready” — ready for the challenges of work, learning, and citizenship in the 21^st century.

Tony Wagner current serves as a Senior Research Fellow at The Learning Policy Institute. Previously, Tony held a variety of positions as Harvard University for twenty years and was a high school English teacher for twelve years. 

This article is copyrighted, no unauthorized use is permitted.

Tony Wagner will present “Creating Innovators for the Future of Learning” on Wednesday, October 23 at the Opening Plenary of EDspaces in Milwaukee, WI.

Future Ready Learning Space by NorvaNivel

An Interview withh Jolene Levin, Director and Space Futurist at NorvaNivel

Classroom Name: Future Ready Learning Space by NorvaNivel

Design Team: Jolene Levin, Director and Space Futurist; Franco Modolo, Architect

Vendor partners: ELB Education, NorvaNivel, Tandus Centiva, a Tarkett Company

What was your concept in designing this classroom?

NorvaNivel is committed to creating agile and inclusive learning spaces that will equip learners for the skills needed for the future workforce. The way that we achieve this is through a varied range of learning zones that students and educators can quickly reconfigure to facilitate the different learning activities required for future-forward pedagogies. Additionally, with a focus on variety, purpose, textures, color, weight, and movement, we design and manufacture furniture that help learners feel safe and comfortable, increasing learning engagement.

The classroom has distinct spaces to gather, collaborate, present, create, and reflect.  From Socratic circles to hands-on STEAM activities and student presentations to spaces for introspective learning, we have considered the primary needs of any future-ready learning space.

What role does technology play in the space?

Any future-ready space must be quickly adaptable for purposeful technology use. Our environment facilitates the use of mobile devices, robotics, and other hands-on technology. For EDspaces, our primary technology integration is the use of interactive Prowise screens from ELB Solutions that support presentation as well as group collaboration. The large touchscreens are all equipped with a mobile lift system, which is ideal for our reconfigurable space, allowing presenters to share and present within any zone. The Prowise screen can also be used as a surface for small groups to collaborate around.

How does the design and technology plan encourage attendee interaction?

The technology has been chosen because of its flexibility and responsiveness to the requirements of the space and session content. We have two connected 80” screens to allow for presenters to effectively share content to attendees throughout the large space. We have an additional multi-touchpoint 65” screen for in-depth sessions, additional supporting content, or for collaborative activities. 

How does the choice of furniture impact the space?

NorvaNivel designs with intent and has only ever designed furniture for the education industry. Each of our pieces is designed to address a specific need for education and each piece considers increased engagement in all types of learners. For example, we have integrated texture through the incorporation of the GRASSYOTT™ Ottomans. We have used almost entirely whiteboard surfaces for our tables, such as our SUNSHINEONACLOUDIEDAY™ Foldable Table, which are ideal for visual learners, note-taking and group collaboration. Our primary considerations were the responsiveness of the space. This requires lightweight products like our ROCKER OTT™ Seating and select pieces on casters. Lightweight, movable pieces are essential to being able to flip the space for different learning activities. We also have a zone dedicated to hands-on learning with our STEAMSPACE™ range of furniture. Durable, functional, and full of storage, this furniture is designed specifically for a hands-on STEAM curriculum.

What do the flooring choices say about your classroom?

We are a big proponent of carpeted spaces. Color and texture are a huge consideration for any learning space and for the impact on learners. For this classroom, we have partnered with Tarkett, a Tandus Centiva company, to create distinct zones with the carpet. The colors and pattern create a directional feed in the space, orientating attendees.

How will this space work for presenters?

The design of the space and furniture allows for presenters to change the space according to their needs. Whether they are STEAM advocates, want to facilitate collaborative activities, or simply share information with the group, the space can achieve all of this. We want to share with and show the market how agile spaces can facilitate the future of education.

What do you see as the largest benefit of being chosen as a design team winner?

One of the biggest disconnects at education conferences is space and content. Thought leaders speaking about future-forward educational practices, trends, and so on can’t be limited to a stand and deliver environment. We don’t expect K-12 learners to learn this way so we can’t expect adult learners to learn this way either. We have created an authentic, purposeful space to help presenters from a range of background and areas of expertise to present from.

2019 EDspaces Winning Classroom Design – A Behind the Scenes Interview with Stephen Gower, Demco Design Supervisor

First in a 6 part series featuring the winners of the EDspaces 2019 Classroom Design Competition. 

EDspaces learning environments serve as vehicles for classroom experimentation, with sessions taking place in classrooms designed by top architects, designers, and space planners. This gives attendees first-hand experience of modern approaches to learning through innovation in planning, design, and products and are a unique extension of learning for participants. Learn more at http://www.ed-spaces.com/education/classrooms/index.cfm

Classroom Name: Cultivate. Transform. Flourish.

Design Team: Demco, Inc. and Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP                     

Vendor partners: ArtLine LTD, Community, Connectrac, Freshcoast, Forbo Flooring Systems, Interface, MooreCo, Muzo, Nora Systems, Professional Audio Designs, Inc., Smith System, Whitney Brothers

What was your concept in designing this classroom?

Using biophilic-inspired design, our classroom offers a rich integration of nature throughout the learning environment. The room is organized into three distinct zones: the forest edge, the clearing, and the glen. Entering the room through the forest edge, guests will find a zone of soft seating elements, tactile tables, and interactive display boards, along with living walls of green plants complemented by a natural imagery backdrop. This multisensory space opens to the clearing at the center of the room, where a variety of flexible seating, work surfaces, and media tools offer the ability to adapt the space for individual, small-group, and large-group learning. Integrated power throughout supports learners’ technology needs.

The edge of the glen on the far side of the room features larger tables and a private group setting for students to engage away from the active learning flow in the center of the room. Materials throughout the space have been carefully chosen to support focus, learning, and well-being by mimicking natural environments and making connections to our natural world.

What role does technology play in the space?

Technology is integral to the learning environment within our classroom. Multiple display screens support the variety of different learning modalities and different group sizes. Innovative screen technology allows for mirroring of presenter information, as well as sharing of work by smaller collaborative groups. Presenters will have the ability to select their presentation location and organize the room to fit their presentation style. An innovative, active acoustical system driven by a series of concealed speakers further supports the flexibility of presentation within the classroom. Digital amplification and sound support allow for customized tuning of the space. 

How does the design and technology plan encourage attendee interaction?

The classroom is organized into three distinct zones that create multiple organic spaces. These spaces encourage interaction for small- and large-group learning by using adaptable, mobile, and reconfigurable seating, work surfaces, and media tools. Users can quickly and easily rearrange for spontaneous collaboration and large-group learning. Learning zones are supported with a Connectrac underfloor power system that provides power throughout the space, with mobile Powerballs further distributing power at the user level. Digital content is shared through one primary monitor and additional smaller monitors, promoting digital interaction and visual collaboration for different group sizes.

How does the choice of furniture impact the space?

The variety of seating and work surfaces throughout offers users a choice to work where they learn best and provides the flexibility to accommodate different sized groups. Our seating solutions include organic Beach Stones and low-level Indie lounge platforms with rocking seats that promote informal collaboration. Height-adjustable Hierarchy Grow Stools are complemented with Bebop and Totem upholstered stools that promote movement, mobility, and student choice. Hierarchy Enroll Tablet Chairs act as satellite elements that students can move freely through the space during the day. Playful Planner Studio Benches pair with Studio Tables and create robust spaces for small-group making and collaboration. Connect Lounge Seating combines with Mix Stools to offer tiered seating heights, which promote different ways of working and assist with sight lines across the classroom.

What do the flooring choices say about your classroom?

Our flooring selections revolved around choosing products and companies that are eco-friendly. Interface has long been a leader in sustainable products and biophilic designs, and their Moss Carpet was the inspiration for the color palette. From there we turned to Nora rubber and Forbo linoleum for the same reasons. These conscientious companies produce products that are made in a resourceful way and can be recycled at the end of their useful life. All of these products are also quality commercial materials that are easy to maintain and do not require waxing or harsh chemicals for cleaning. The floor pattern was developed from the organic nature of the Moss Carpet and created organically around the furniture zones. Functionally, the soft surface was placed in the quiet learning zone and the hard surfaces were placed in the play and create zones.

How will this space work for presenters?

Our room setup will allow for quick changeover of speakers. Technology, while flexible and innovative, will support standard digital interface protocols. The primary presentation area (where the largest digital display will be) will have two portable podiums for presenters to utilize as needed. As the furniture in the room is mobile, each speaker has the ability to organize the room as he or she chooses.

What do you see as the largest benefit of being chosen as a design team winner?

We are honored to be chosen as a design team winner. Creating this biophilic classroom provided another opportunity for Demco and Plunkett Raysich Architects to collaborate and to illustrate that learners can benefit from educational environments that take a holistic approach to learning. Along with showcasing for educators what’s possible inside their spaces, our hope is that we also inspire them to feel confident that their learning environments can support modern teaching methods while being flexible enough to change and adapt to the future of education.  

Stephen Gower leads Demco’s design services team. He is an experienced furniture, product, and interior designer with a background in designing educational products and impactful educational interiors. Stephen has 20 years of design experience, including five years of international experience at Demco Interiors UK in England.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in furniture design from Brunel University in High Wycombe, England. His past awards include the 2017 EDspaces Classroom Design Winner, awarded for “unique spaces designed by leading architects and designers in the field and outfitted with the latest innovations that make learning spaces come to life.”

Research Insights for Setting Up Powerful Learning Environments

By Melina Uncapher, Babe Liberman, and Judi Fusco

You’ve probably heard about the “learning sciences,” but what is this research field and how can it help educators?

Learning sciences research — which draws from many academic disciplines including neuroscience, education, developmental science, linguistics, psychology, and sociology — focuses on how people learn, investigates novel approaches to teaching and learning, and designs for educational environments to promote effective learning. Learning sciences research can aid educators in selecting instructional strategies, developing curricula, and creating learning spaces.

The learning environment is an important equity consideration, as equity gaps often stem from different opportunities in the places in which students grow up. How safe, nurturing, and stimulating an environment may affect a child’s brain development.

When children are born, their brains are optimized for all environments. As they grow and develop, their brains undergo a process of synaptic pruning, removing connections that are not necessary for the environment where they live. In the schematic below, you can see that the older brain (the brain on the right) has fewer connections, and that is because it has pruned away connections that were not consistently needed for its environment, in favor of making strong connections for experiences that were consistently encountered while growing up. Thus, this older brain is more efficient than the younger brain (on the left) because it has been optimized for its environment. 

Context matters for student learning, so those who design learning environments — including architects, education leaders, curriculum developers and teachers — can benefit from incorporating learning sciences research into their work.

Keep reading for three learning sciences insights, and associated design considerations, for setting up research-based environments to support powerful learning for the full spectrum of students. These teacher strategies will help you be a resource for the best possible learning environment.

1. Students learn well when they feel safe and connected.

To thrive at school, students need to feel that they are part of a positive, supportive learning community. Feeling safe and connected at school can reduce students’ anxiety, allowing them to focus their attention on the learning at hand.

Trauma-Informed Design

Childhood trauma results from emotionally painful or stressful events and is often associated with lasting mental and physical effects. Unfortunately, such trauma is commonplace: nearly half of all children in the United States have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, such as parental divorce, death, or incarceration; being a victim of violence or witnessing violence in their community; or experiencing economic hardship. Many students who have experienced trauma view the world as a scary place and may have trouble engaging in everyday activities, including participating in learning activities in the classroom.

The good news is that trauma-informed practices, such as teaching coping skills and building caring relationships between teachers and students, can benefit all students, not just those who have experienced traumatic events.

Teacher Strategies:

●      Begin class with a breathing or mindfulness exercise to acclimate students to the learning environment.

●      Set and stick to a consistent schedule and classroom routines, informing students in advance about any upcoming changes to their schedule. When school is predictable it feels safe. Post the schedule somewhere prominent so that students can refer back to it.

●      Designate a “calm down corner” in the classroom, so that students always have a safe place to visit to refocus and recharge until they are ready to rejoin the group. Deck this space out with cozy seating (bean bags or pillows) and quiet, independent activities (tactile toys or books).

●      Explicitly teach social and emotional skills, like empathy and kindness, and encourage students to practice using these skills in multiple contexts (during group work or on the playground).

Positive Student-Teacher Relationships

It can be challenging for teachers to build authentic relationships with each of their students, but these connections matter. To grow and persist through challenging learning experiences at school, students need teachers who know them as individuals; who care about them, have high expectations for their success, and understand what they need to succeed. Teachers and students who have different cultural backgrounds may experience difficulty connecting, so teachers should practice culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) to help all learners. Practicing CRP requires teachers to understand their own cultural background, make a point to learn about the backgrounds of their students, and incorporate the personal and sociopolitical issues that impact their students and communities into their teaching.

When teachers are able to build such stable, trusting relationships with their students, this connection can promote students’ self-worth and sense of belonging, allowing them to be confident and valued in the classroom.

Teacher Strategies:

●      Foster connections with students by opening up about your own hobbies, pets, and family members, and by encouraging them to do the same with you. Designate a gallery space in the classroom for students to show off photos of their families or special memories.

●      When teaching students from a culture different from your own, discover culturally appropriate ways to get to know them. Learn about how students from different cultures may interpret directions, feedback, and discipline to create an atmosphere that guides and supports them appropriately. Build an inclusive classroom by displaying artwork or poetry from a variety of cultures, and books featuring diverse characters.

●      Communicate positive and high expectations (related to classroom behavior and, especially, learning) for all students. Explicitly remind them: “I believe you can do it,” and prominently display student work so they can take pride in their achievements.

●      Ensure that each student has an equitable opportunity to participate in class by rotating the students who are called on. Allow sufficient wait time for students who may need more time to formulate responses. Work to invite students with language differences, and those who may be less comfortable speaking in class, to participate in other ways.

2. Collaboration and social interaction can be powerful learning experiences because they encourage deeper processing and engage the “social brain”.

Students can be highly tuned to social dynamics, particularly during the transition to and through adolescence, and research shows that collaborative and relational interactions can drive learning. Harnessing this social drive in the classroom can take students further than they can go alone. Working collaboratively towards a common goal can encourage students to discuss, think about ideas they might not have considered, and learn more than they would if working individually. Since collaboration isn’t suitable for every learning task, educators can help students identify opportunities when working together is most beneficial.

Fostering Teamwork

Create a classroom environment that nurtures positive peer relationships so that students feel included in the learning community and understand how to work together to solve problems.

Teacher Strategies:

●      Promote collaboration and exchange of ideas by structuring projects to require shared learning and co-creating, rather than splitting tasks among group members.

●      Encourage students who are working on teams to get to know one another to better understand each other’s perspective. To help students work together in more effective ways, it may be important to have discussions about cultural differences. As students build stronger relationships with fellow team members, they can move beyond superficial questions to ones that are deeper and more challenging.

●      Ask students to take the perspective of others (e.g., the people who you are teaching about in social studies or literature) to help students tie the learning to themselves and to a broader perspective.

●      Invite students to teach each other. The process of preparing to teach is a powerful way to engage the social brain, whether or not students end up teaching the material! Teaching others often benefits the tutor the most, so be sure to give all students the chance to be tutor as well as tutee, or to compare notes on the lessons they prepare.

3. The entire environment, from space to temperature to lighting, can affect learning.

It may be no surprise that elements of the physical environment can play a role in determining whether the classroom will be conducive for focus and learning. For example, exposure to sunlight and views of nature from the classroom have been shown to boost student achievement, well-being, and behavior.

 Consider the Physical Space

Teacher Strategies:

●      Incorporating flexible furniture — lightweight or on wheels — can support flexible instructional goals and gives students choice in where they work to empower them to take responsibility for their learning. The best arrangement of furniture depends on the task at hand: More interactive tasks benefit more from interactive arrangements (semicircle and clusters), and independent tasks from independent arrangements (rows).

●      Try to keep the temperature between 68- and 74-degrees Fahrenheit so students are comfortable and able to focus. No thermostat? Have blankets and small fans for students to use.

●      If your classroom has less natural light than you’d like, replacing lighting with blue-enriched or full-spectrum bulbs may improve students’ cognitive performance.

●      No windows with views of nature? Take your class for walks outside and have plants in the classroom to get some of the benefits of nature.

Discover the rest of the 10 Learning Sciences Insights from the Institute for Applied Neuroscience and Digital Promise

 

To learn more about the learning sciences, check out the following resources:

●      The Science of Learning - Deans for Impact

●      Six Strategies for Effective Learning - Learning Scientists

●      The Brain Basis for Integrated Social, Emotional, and Academic Development - Aspen Institute

●      Unpacking Collaboration - CIRCL Educators

●      Culturally Responsive Teaching Blog - Hammond

●      e-Learning and the Science of Instruction - Clark and Mayer

●      The ABCs of How We Learn - Schwartz

●      Visible Learning- Hattie and Yates

●      Developing Minds in the Digital Age - Kuhl et al.

Melina Uncapher is Assistant Professor at UCSF and CEO & Co-founder at Institute for Applied Neuroscience

Babe Liberman is the Project Director, Research Communications at Digital Promise.

Dr. Judi Fusco is a Senior Research Scientist, focusing on STEM Teaching and Learning, at Digital Promise.

Fear: The Big Inhibitor of Innovation and Transformation

By Prof. Edward D. Hess and Dr. Donna Murdoch

Momentum is growing in the corporate world — more and more companies are realizing that the convergence of advancing technologies will fundamentally change how we live and how we work.

This realization has led some leaders to initiate either a digital transformation or the building of an innovation system. In many cases, the ultimate objective is to “win” — beat the competition by increasing the speed and quality of human learning in order to attain the highest levels of human cognitive and emotional performance in concert with advancing technologies.

Questions that are commonly asked include: Where do we start? How do we structure the initiative? Is the initiative company-wide or siloed? Who leads the initiative? What technology do we need? What skills are we lacking? What is our competition doing? How will we train our employees for new roles as these technologies are implemented?

Questions that are rarely asked happen to be as important: How do we handle the human, emotional part of the transformation? How do we lead in a way so that our employees will emotionally embrace the new learning and ways of working that need to occur? How do we minimize one of the biggest human inhibitors to transformation: fear?

TRANSFORMATION STARTS AT THE TOP

An organization can’t transform unless its people transform. And its people won’t transform unless their managers and leaders transform. Leaders and managers must role model the new desired mindsets and behaviors that are necessary to successfully accomplish the transformation.

We all know that change is hard — especially in successful companies. People can become complacent in doing what they already do, especially if it has worked well in the past. But the old corporate axiom “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” no longer applies in an environment of fast-paced technological change. Successful organizations today have to be constantly proactive, not reactive and defensive.

Transformation requires the mitigation of fear. Mitigating the fear of failing, the fear of not knowing what to do, the fear of learning new skills, and the fear of losing one’s position or job. Change can be scary for employees — especially for employees who do not have the skills needed for the new way of working, and especially for employees who do not have significant financial reserves to fall back upon if they find themselves needing to change jobs. People cannot learn when they are fearful.

What has surprised us in our transformation work is that leaders and managers can be just as fearful of the transformative change as employees. For managers and executives, the fear can be a fear of losing what they now have (power, status, responsibilities) or the anxiety about whether they have the abilities to do what will be necessary in order to lead in this new era. We have seen leaders sink underneath conference tables when it was suggested that they do a transformative pilot program. The fear of not knowing can be big.

Managers and leaders can deal with these fears many different ways. Reflexive responses can be:

• The “corporate grin and nodding yes” with the internal talk being “no way”
• Doing the minimal necessary to buy into the change or transformation initiative, hoping to make it to stock option vesting or retirement doing what one has done before
• Delegating responsibility for the change initiative to a group, creating distance — not having direct responsibility for the initiative so failure is not attributed to them
• Half-heartedly undertaking the transformation, believing this initiative — like many in the past — will blow over

We have seen all of these attitudes in the last few years inside very successful companies that have embarked on a major transformation initiative. How does a leadership team get to the place where they can admit their individual fears and find ways to support each other in acknowledging and working through those fears? How does a leadership team create a work environment that makes it easier for employees to deal with their fears? An answer to these questions begins with “the why.”

THE WHY

The first part of mitigating fear is having a reason to embrace the fear — a story that each employee can identify with in answering the question: Why should I change? That story is a story of why the organization must change and a story of why each individual needs to learn new ways of working to enable that organizational change. Employees need to make meaning personally of the Why in ways that that make sense to them. That “making sense” must emotionally connect with the individual.

Often, we need to help people find the “WIFM” — the what’s in it for me? Will it help me stay relevant? Will it help my career? Will it help me a better person or more successful in my life? We don’t usually know what will resonate, but ultimately the motivation needs to come from an intrinsic place. 

Conversations with employees individually and/or in small teams are necessary. The company story and the common individual whys must be continuously discussed and referred to for a long period of time until the new way of working becomes a habit. And the new way of working requires people to embrace their fears and to have the courage to go forward. Change is hard. Helping people buy in to change takes time and effort by leaders and managers.

If people buy in to the Why then they can move to the How. What mindsets and behaviors will be needed to accomplish the transformation? What kind of work environment is needed to enable those new mindsets and behaviors — both culturally and process-wise?

THE HOW

With respect to mitigating fear, culturally the leadership needs to create a “psychologically safe workplace” following the research of Professor Amy Edmondson of Harvard Business School. A psychologically safe workplace is one where people agree to do no harm to each other and to act civilly at all times. It is a place where everyone can speak up, be candid and have difficult conversations without the fear of — or actual — punishment or retribution.

It is a place where it is safe to challenge the status quo, to challenge each other’s thinking, to challenge higher-ups’ thinking and decisions, to admit one’s mistakes, and to say I don’t know. A safe workplace should mitigate corporate politics and internal competition, and it should enable collaboration, teamwork and learning. In order for that to happen, leaders and managers need to empower people and ensure their safety. Leaders need to show their own weaknesses; they need to fail in front of others and pick themselves back up and try again. Initiatives and trials need to be rewarded, not only the successes, but the effort and spirit. At some point this becomes the norm.

CONQUERING FEAR

Everyone is fearful — individual differences are a matter of degree. And what differs is how one manages his or her fears. Behaviorally, how do leaders enable workers to overcome their fears? How do leaders learn to personally embrace and deal with their own fears? Leaders need to become more human by acknowledging their fears publicly to others and encouraging their direct reports to do the same. Having nonjudgmental, respectful, caring, compassionate, safe conversations about fear starts at the top. Leaders have to take the first steps in being vulnerable with others and leaders need to have the conversations with others that result in the co-creation of the rules of engagement that can lead to creating an environment where it is psychologically safe for employees to talk about and work through their fears of change.

We have learned that for many leaders it is much easier to start the fear discussion by asking them a series of questions: “Why would your employees be fearful of the change that is needed? What can you do to mitigate that fear?” Then move to the personal discussion. “What about you — what fears do you have about the transformation? How can you mitigate your fear?” Transformation is very personal, and though we read studies and survey outcomes, we very infrequently hear about reasons for the fears. 

Acknowledging that everyone has personal reasons for their fears is a powerful step. Then managers and leaders can have conversations with small groups of employees and ask them what they need from the company in order not to be so fearful and to be courageous. Leaders and managers can ask employees: “How can I help you feel safe here? What do I need to do differently?”

We are not saying you should lower your standards of performance. What we are saying is that if you want big changes in human behaviors, you need to face fear in the workplace courageously, both individually and organizationally.

As Abraham Maslow so aptly stated: “An individual engages in learning to the extent he (or she) is not crippled by fear and to the extent he (or she) feels safe enough to dare.”

Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration, Batten executive-in-residence and a Batten Faculty Fellow at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Dr. Donna Murdoch is an adjunct assistant professor of Adult Learning and Leadership at Columbia University Teachers College and a partner at Rose Rock Dynamics. This article first appeared in UVA’s Darden Ideas to Action.