New Directions in Mindsets Research in Organizations

Abstract: Research on mindsets has received increasing attention in management scholarship, driven by evidence that people’s beliefs about malleability (growth–fixed mindsets) and potential (universal–nonuniversal mindsets) shape important workplace outcomes. This symposium brings together new research that examines whether and when different mindsets shape outcomes in organizational and social contexts. Ozgumus and Rattan show that endorsing a more growth (vs. fixed) gender role mindset is associated with greater willingness among men to support workplace maternity leave policies. Savani and colleagues demonstrate that endorsing a universal (vs. nonuniversal) mindset about moral potential reduces inner moral conflict and promotes more ethical behavior in moral dilemmas. Extending universal mindsets to issues of identity and belonging, Basak and colleagues show that women’s identification with role models in male-dominated fields depends on whether those role models are perceived as endorsing universal versus nonuniversal mindsets. The final two papers challenge prevailing assumptions in the mindset literature by showing that mindset effects are more context-dependent than previously assumed. Lin and Rattan demonstrate that employees’ perceptions of the mindsets endorsed by their organization, rather than their personal mindsets, predict employee well-being. Wallace and colleagues further show that people recognize the benefits of both growth and fixed mindsets and strategically deploy them depending on situational demands. Taken together, this symposium advances understanding of how different kinds of mindsets shape social and organizational outcomes, highlighting the importance of nuance in when and which mindsets matter.

Keywords: mindsets, diversity; inclusion; morality; identity; well-being