IDC White Paper “Business Value of Digital Transformation and the Contribution of a Growth Mindset in IT” discusses how individuals who believe they can develop their capability through effort, time, and training have what researcher Carol Dweck calls a “growth mindset.” These individuals achieve more than others who believe their talents are innate gifts, what is described as a fixed mindset. IT professionals with a growth mindset are less concerned with being the "smartest person in the room" and put energy into learning and using new skills.

In simple words…skills build confidence; confidence drives productivity, innovation, and growth!

While the pandemic has certainly changed where IT professionals upskill, instructor-led training is still the primary form of growth mindset learning for organizations who are integrating digital technology within their business. We have found over the last two years, as the majority of our students have migrated to attending classes using our remote technology, that people want to have conversation while learning!

I believe the most important benefit of attending an instructor-led training class to learn a new skill is the real-time access to the instructor, and other attendees, for feedback and discussion. Those discussions can direct how instructors modify the course content to the attendees’ needs – adapt in the moment by spending more time on a subject or guiding the conversation to the next level. Dialogue with others during the class can in turn grow a social network for the learners. Scheduled live IT training also provides a distraction-free environment to help students retain the information.

And surprise, Millennials rated the “opportunity to learn and grow” as their top incentive when considering a new job!  Because instructor-led training offers opportunities to discuss, practice, and roleplay with instructors and colleagues, students consider it more effective than other digital methods.

So how do you build a culture committed to growth mindset? Invest in upskilling/training your teams and prioritize certification to demonstrate knowledge and abilities.

LRS Education Services offers an extensive curriculum of technologies to help IT professionals become more proficient in their job roles and computing environments. Let me know when you would like to talk about how to achieve growth within your organization by providing your existing, and potential employees, with a growth mindset.

Margaret Teague
Manager, LRS Education Services
margaret.teague@lrs.com