[How About This Book] The Faded Luster of "Genius Culture"... Only Together Can Organizations Shine

"Genius Culture" Relies on a Select Few Elites
Obsessed with Fixed Abilities and Credentials
In "Growth Culture," the Process Itself Drives Growth
Mistakes Are Acknowledged and Turned into Learning Opportunities
A Growth Mindset, as Chosen by 3M and Microsoft, Is Essential

About 20 years ago, the term "mindset" began attracting attention through American psychologist Carol Dweck's book "Mindset." Dweck distinguished between a "fixed mindset," which regards talent as innate, and a "growth mindset," which believes that one can develop through effort. This concept has since sparked a major response across education and corporate culture, bringing new value to the notion of effort.

The author of this book, a psychologist and neuroscientist who was once Dweck's student, expands the concept of mindset beyond personal attitudes to encompass organizational culture. He presents two frameworks. The first is a "genius culture," led by a select few elites and accustomed to hiding mistakes. The second is a "growth culture," which treats mistakes as learning opportunities and connects collaboration to results. The former is highly competitive and closed, while the latter values diversity as an asset and sees collective learning as the driving force behind organizational growth.

Genius culture is obsessed with fixed abilities and credentials such as academic background or grades. It assumes that only those born as geniuses exist in the world, and only they should have a voice and take the lead. Growth achieved through effort is not recognized as having much value or meaning. In this culture, abilities and achievements are seen as "discovered," not "developed."

In contrast, growth culture learns through mistakes, fosters cooperation, and treats diversity as an asset. Instead of asking "Who is the smartest?" it seeks answers to "How can we learn together?" The author's research on hundreds of global companies, including Microsoft, 3M, and Patagonia, leads to a clear conclusion about sustainable growth. It is only when organizations prioritize working "together" over individual performance, value "constant experimentation" over perfection, learn from failure, emphasize "ethics in the process" as much as the outcome, and reflect on the "innovation" that arises from the clash of different perspectives, that they can achieve sustainable growth.

Genius culture may appear attractive on the surface, but its underside is often grim. Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, who touted innovation by claiming diseases could be diagnosed through blood tests, was ultimately convicted of fraud. Charlie Javice, CEO of Frank-once called the "Amazon of higher education"-was also indicted for defrauding investors by inflating customer numbers. These cases show how organizations that chase the genius myth can easily fall into self-deception and ethical collapse.

The author asserts that an organization's success or failure ultimately depends on its culture. If you want to examine the mindset of your organization, he advises asking not "Who is the smartest?" but "Are we learning together?" Organizations that rely on a handful of outstanding individuals inevitably create an atmosphere where mistakes and failures are concealed. In contrast, organizations that value learning and growth regard the process of members realizing their potential as a key part of performance. When even mistakes and failures are treated as assets for growth, the organization finally gains true competitiveness.

Based on this perspective, the book presents concrete real-world examples across various areas such as collaboration, innovation, risk-taking, integrity, and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Each case convincingly demonstrates the cultural forces underlying performance and how "organizations that learn together" achieve sustainable growth.

For example, 3M created the innovative product Post-it through its "15% Time" policy, which allows employees to spend 15% of their working hours on personal interests. Shell operates a program where all employees can freely propose ideas, achieving "Goal Zero" (zero fatalities). These results came from investing time and effort in the possibility of improvement rather than immediate outcomes. These companies remain prime examples of how a culture unafraid of failure can lead to creative achievements.

At one time, Microsoft was an organization where employees only proposed "safe ideas" to protect their positions. As a result, the company was slow to enter new technology markets like smartphones, causing its stock price to plummet. However, after embracing a growth mindset, things changed. Learning from the failure of the chatbot "Tay," Microsoft continued to experiment and learn, eventually launching "Bing," a chatbot that became a leader in the consumer artificial intelligence (AI) market. This case clearly demonstrates how a culture that does not hide failure but turns it into possibility can drive innovation.

The lessons from the various organizational culture transformations in the book are simple. Ultimately, every moment presents a crossroads of choice. Will you blame yourself in the face of performance evaluations, or will you work to address your shortcomings? When confronted with difficulties, will you remain afraid, or seize the chance to prove your abilities? When criticized, will you take it as condemnation, or find clues for improvement within it? When faced with others' success, will you blame your own incompetence, or willingly celebrate and learn from their journey?

These questions clearly reveal the boundary between organizations that grow and those that stagnate. It is striking that an environment where people can openly share mistakes leads to greater progress than fierce competition. Yet, recalling the reality that such cultures still feel distant leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste. While the book's content is not difficult, its conceptual discussions mean it is not always an intuitive read. Nevertheless, it earnestly prompts us to reconsider what kind of organization we want to work for, and what kind of culture we should strive to create.

Growth Culture | Written by Mary Murphy | Translated by Kim Taehun | Published by Gimmyoung | 480 pages | 24,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.