Building capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system

8th Annual NW Diversity Learning Series (2006)

Session Six: November 8, 2006:
Recovering from taking a wrong exit: Turning negative feedback (failure), or loss of face into a positive, capacity-building outcome.

The sixth session of the Series focused on setbacks, failure, negative feedback or loss of face in the workplace, and what employees can do to get back on a capacity-building track: regain their self-esteem and the respect and confidence of co-workers, bosses, identity group members, family or community.

Below are two models that show how people view development, and the implications for doing so.

Two Models of Development

In our society there are two different ways in which people tend to think about learning capacity and development. We call them Castes-In-Concrete vs. Capacity-Building.

1. Castes-in-concrete

The Castes-In-Concrete model comes from a dominant belief system in our culture. This position assumes that "some have it, and some don't."

In the Castes-In-Concrete mindset, important human characteristics are believed to be innate endowments, fixed at birth, distributed unequally among the population and among different population groups.

The Castes-In-Concrete mindset applies to:

• intelligence—unequal distribution of mental capacity is thought to be responsible for the wide variation in human intellectual performance and development.
• character—in the minds of many, goodness and badness are thought to be fixed characteristics that control ethics and the quality of interactions with others.
• leadership—the often-quoted statement "leaders are born, not made" is evidence of the degree to which leadership and decision-making capacity are thought to be fixed at birth.
• These assumptions result in a tendency to judge people. We measure their intelligence, evaluate their character and leadership potential, and then determine their possibilities based on those judgments.

Implications of Castes-in-Concrete:

• Ability is fixed—not subject to further development after early childhood. Either "you have it or you don't," or "some groups have it, others don't."
• People have no sense of control. There is little that one can do to change outcomes that are based on fixed, innate traits.
• Failure or difficulty is very important data—it indicates limits in ability and the futility of continued effort.

2. Capacity-building

In the Capacity-Building model, it is understood that virtually all people are capable of brilliance. Important human characteristics are neither fixed nor given; they are subject to development throughout life.

The Capacity-Building Model is a constructive framework for thinking about people and their possibilities. It applies to:

• intelligence—virtually everyone is born with enough mental capacity to meet high standards for learning. All those whose effort is truly effective will develop.
• character—the capacity to behave in a principled manner, and be a constructive force in the lives of others, is shaped by positive regard and positive reinforcement.
• leadership—effective leadership and sound decision-making are developed over time through a process of building confidence and support.

These assumptions are the basis for continuous learning and professional development. They are the foundations for organizational practices that support development.

Implications of Capacity-Building:

• Capabilities can be developed throughout life. People can "get smart"—actually become more intelligent—through the application of Effective Effort.
• When effort is mobilized (not debilitated), people can control the pace and direction of their own development.
• Failure or difficulty can stimulate mobilized effort when understood as feedback about what people must do to improve. Failure debilitates only when used as the basis for judgments about the innate limitations of an individual.

Michael Hyter, President and CEO of Novations Group, Boston, MA, was the presenter for the November 8, 2006 session of the Northwest Diversity Learning Series in Seattle, Washington on the topic of turning negative feedback (failure), or loss of face into a positive, capacity-building outcome.

The 2006 NW Diversity Learning Series (now in its 9th year) focused on the theme, Building Capacity: Navigating organizational opportunities as if they were a subway system.

Using the metaphor of a subway system, each of the six-bi-monthly morning seminars explored some of the ways that access to organizational opportunities and career development are hidden and therefore more difficult for women and people of color, as well as people who speak English as a second language, to utilize. The purpose of this Series was for everyone to become more aware of organizational culture and how it impacts building people's capacity, and for everyone, managers and employees, to become better at navigating these cultural obstacles along career paths.

For more information about the NW Diversity Learning Series, please visit the Series section of our website.

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