Frequently Asked Questions What does “Arbinger” mean?“Arbinger” is a derivative of the word “harbinger.” It means “one that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner.”The Arbinger Institute is a forerunner, or “harbinger,” of change. Are Arbinger’s theories based on a particular philosophical or psychological school of thought?Arbinger’s theories have grown out of a rigorous and decades-long study of human interaction. For an explanation of the scholarly foundations of our work, you can read our whitepaper, “Intellectual Foundations of Arbinger.”Arbinger is composed of people who have been trained in business, law, economics, philosophy, education, coaching, and psychology. They bring a range of perspectives and diversity of thought to our work.What they share is a deep understanding and passion for the ideas underlying Arbinger’s work: a compelling model of human understanding that transforms organizations and enables individuals to resolve conflict. Why doesn’t Arbinger list author names on its publications?We publish everything in the name of the company for three main reasons.1. We want to keep the focus on Arbinger’s ideas and not on personalities.2. Writing is but one of many important tasks performed at Arbinger, and we feel that those who write are no more important than those who contribute in other ways. Additionally, the writing Arbinger produces is always deeply collaborative and never the result of individual effort.3. And finally, writing anonymously helps us—individually and as an organization—to avoid the traps and pitfalls of ego. We don’t want to undermine the power of the ideas in any way, so we won’t allow ourselves to get in their way. How can I introduce Arbinger to my organization?1. Share with your manager and others in the organization the videos or case studies on this site. They provide a glimpse into Arbinger’s work and results.2. Give your manager or others in the organization a copy of Leadership & Self-Deception.3. Attend and invite others to attend a public introduction to Arbinger’s work, such as a speech or our foundational outward mindset training.4. If you wish to become an internal Arbinger Facilitator within your organization, attend Arbinger’s train-the-trainer course. How can I explain Arbinger’s work to others?One way to introduce Arbinger to others is to send them a link to this website, or links to specific videos or case studies that give a glimpse into Arbinger’s work and results.You might invite them to read either Leadership & Self Deception or The Outward Mindset. Both books are compelling introductions to Arbinger’s work.Alternatively, you could describe the connection Arbinger makes between behavior, mindset, and results. Then you could explain that Arbinger’s work equips people to understand and effect change at the level of mindset to change an organization’s culture, resolve conflict, and facilitate dramatically better organizational results. Additional Frequently Asked Questions…What does a Mindset Assessment involve?Arbinger’s mindset assessment invites you to respond to 20 questions. There are 10 questions seeking your views on the organization you are in and 10 questions seeking your views about yourself. The generated report provides you with insights on strengths, and areas for improvement. What does Arbinger Workshops include?2-Day Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset Workshop Materials Reading books: Leadership and Self-Deception, The Outward Mindset Registration to Arbinger portal for access to: Post Workshop Sustainment Videos available on Arbinger portal Tools Learning Materials 1-Day Outward Leadership Masterclass Workshop Handbook 1-Day Outward Inclusion Digital Workbook Access to workshop learning videos for revision 2-Day Outward Performance Workshop HandbookIs Arbinger registered for GST?Yes. In Singapore, Arbinger is a GST registered organization. Yes. In Malaysia, Arbinger is a SST registered organization.What is the definition of mindset? The word mindset has been used by different thought leaders and have given the word mindset different meanings. Carol Dweck refers to mindset as our belief about whether we believe we can grow in our abilities (Growth Mindset) or we believe we cannot grow and are fixed in our abilities (Fixed Mindset) In Arbinger, we use the word mindset to refer to ”how we see… how we see people, opportunities, circumstances, problems etc. We are either having impact focused and seeing others as people (Outward Mindset) or we are self-focused and seeing others as objects (Inward Mindset) How can we help people change their mindset? SELF-AWARENESS is a critical strategy to help change mindsets. However, the conventional self-awareness approach organisations take to change mindset is mainly an OUTSIDE-LOOKING-IN STRATEGY. This is done by introducing 360 Degree Feedback, Profiling Tests, Personality Tests, etc. However, with these approaches others or something is telling me where and how I need to change. As mindset change is an individual choice, an Outside-Looking-In approach, where I am told where I need to change is not the most effective strategy. Ownership is not sufficiently invited. We need something else. The most effective strategy for mindset change is an INSIDE-LOOKING-IN strategy where the individual is able to honestly reflect on themselves, their thinking, beliefs, assumptions and emotions and discern where they are coming from, the impact they are having and grow a sense of ownership for what is happening to them internally. By heightening self-awareness with the right INSIDE-LOOKING-IN strategy, we can invite people to feel deeply responsible for their impact on others and situations and grow in their conviction to be more helpful and change. Is enabling behavioral change similar to enabling mindset change? Behavioral change is not the same as mindset change. A change in behavior does not mean there is a change in mindset. It may simply be compliance out of fear or a need to project a certain image of oneself. When behavior change is done in this way, behavior change is not sustainable as it is not supported by the right mindset. However, a change in mindset will invite more change in behaviors that are aligned with a person’s intention and will be authentic. What causes mindset change initiatives to fail? Mindset change initiatives fail for several reasons. These include: Reason #1: It is not Leader-Led. When leaders are not striving to strengthen their mindset but trying to fix the mindset of their people, mindset change initiatives are likely to fail. Reason #2: The mindset change initiatives do not have a deep and powerful self-awareness strategy component. People keep using the phrase mindset change, but the solutions being implemented are merely behavioral changes. This results in more coping and faking rather than real mindset change. Reason #3: In many organizations, even with very good self-awareness strategies to invite mindset change, they do not sustain themselves because the organizational processes, systems and practices do not support the mindset change. The existing processes/practices and customs are provoking people to return to their old ways. Reason #4: In some organizations, they tend to assess their efforts to change mindset by introducing KPIs that look for behavioral change. This ends up inviting behavior change and not deep mindset change. What are the best strategy to help change mindset? The best strategy for mindset change has to be a combination of 3 key components. (1) a powerful Inside-Looking-In approach to self-awareness. (2) a way to redefine the way we think of accountability that helps us stay in the right mindset and (3) strategies/tools to work with each other that supports both self-awareness and accountability. What are the key elements in developing leaders? Strengthening Influence and ability to bring the team together toward a vision Capability and Knowledge to support the business Ability to grow and develop others Delivering on strategy and Business acumen to support the business What do we need to do to develop high potential staff/leaders? Clear understanding of strengths and weaknesses Clarity about individual aspirations and business needs Clarity about essential components that need to be developed Clear plan to support development (both training, OJT and real time projects/assignments As a leader, if I have done everything right but still have a team that is not working well, what can I do?If I feel I have done everything right but still have challenges with the team a good place to start will be with some self-reflection. After all the challenges as a leader I am dealing with are happening under my leadership. “The question: What about my leadership is inviting my team members to behave like this and feel that is is okay?” Once I address issues that we as leaders are contributing to and inadvertently creating, we can then address the issues with individual team members, the team as a whole or even processes that might be creating these problems.What do we need to do to transform and create a high performing culture?To transform and create a high performing culture, it needs to be: Leader-Led Mindset/Attitude problems require mindset solutions, Light on training-Heavy on execution Review of processes, customs and practices and Provision of appropriate allocation of time, resources and dedicated people. How do you achieve successful transformation?There are several factors that determine the success of any transformation. Some are known and others are unknown. Sometimes when transformation initiatives are premised on wrong assumptions, they are likely to fail. Given this consideration, when transformation is leader-led, given the necessary resources, people, time with clear responsibilities, clear outcomes and robust monitoring we can increase the chances of success of most transformation initiatives.