Looking at work in a new light

Hi there,

Have you and your team ever become so fixed on how you’ve always done something, you literally stop seeing how you could do it differently? And if there might be a better way??

This could be down to a cognitive bias known as?functional fixedness.?Coined by psychologist Karl Duncker, it?describes how we often only see the function of an object for its original intended purpose.?

Photo by?Amy Shamblen ?on?Unsplash

It’s a bit like a shortcut for the brain; there so we avoid unnecessarily looking at everything as if for the first time. So, it’s a very useful bias – especially when our minds are otherwise preoccupied (like they have been for the past 2 years). But it’s also a massive inhibitor to innovation.?

And, if you think about it in terms of how we work, it could be getting in the way of changing things for the better.

There?are?times when looking at something familiar as if for the first time can be helpful. This idea is known as Vuja De (recently popularised by psychologist Adam Grant in his book, Originals). Think of it like a cousin of Déjà Vu and the antithesis of functional fixedness: it means looking at something familiar in a new light.?

This is *exactly* what we could do with in the world of work right now: a Vuja De on how we connect with colleagues, how we use the office… even how we rebuild our cultures. And it somehow seems less disruptive than a total overhaul of how we do things. ??

Maybe we don’t even have to use the word change at all.?Let’s face it – very few of us actually want to go through revolutionary change in the near future. We need time to settle back into normal life. And while it’s clear we need a reset in how we work, maybe we could think of it as a Vuja De rather than more unwanted disruption – gently looking at new ways of doing things on the solid foundation of what we already know.?

If you want to try out a Vuja De on your ways of working …maybe even overcome some functional fixedness as you go… here are a few tips that could help:

Let go of should.?

As with overcoming most biases, the first step is to become aware of how you’re thinking. If you’d like to change something about the way you work, first become aware of your beliefs about how it?should?be. Only then will you be able to see alternative angles on how it?could?be. (A good example here is moving from a belief based on how you’ve always done it: ‘I should set up a meeting to make sure everyone is on track’ to a more open minded: ‘I could set up an online tracker and see if people can update each other that way’.)

Break it down into basic elements.?

When trying to overcome functional fixedness, psychologists recommend spending time observing common objects and breaking them down into parts (e.g. the legs of a chair, the screws holding it together). The idea is that you start to see new uses for the component parts of familiar objects. You can also do this with the way you work. By breaking down your routine into parts, you’ll be more likely to pinpoint one thing that could do with a refresh. Maybe it’s just one approval process. Or the tool you use to connect as a team. I’ve seen team cultures make huge progress by focusing on and changing?just one thing?about how they operate.

Take time to reflect.

Taking time to reflect will allow you to identify where some fresh perspective would be most valuable to you. Take time, in particular, to get close to your values (you can do this individually and as a team). This will help you make better decisions about where to start. I’ve talked about values in a previous newsletter, which you can find here .

Try brainsharing.

Once you’ve identified which ways of working you’d like to rethink, set up a forum to ask your colleagues for their perspective. To make sure you’re getting the full benefit of everyone’s thoughts, you can also do this on a shared document; open for people to add ideas over time (Sidenote: I call this a brainshare – it’s a Vuja De on the more familiar brainstorm. It allows everyone to share their ideas in their own time; meaning it’s more inclusive for people who think better when they’re not on the spot).?

Embrace trial and error.?

You can look at the way you work in a new light. But you won’t make any progress until you actually try it out. Taking this leap into the unknown is a lot easier if you think of yourself as a scientist, running an experiment. It takes the pressure off when you know that even if it fails, you’ll have learned something valuable for next time.

And remember you don’t have to call it a transformation. You don’t even have to use the word change. Just focus on what you already know, look at it in a new light and take it one step at a time. I bet you’ll realise you’re not as fixed as you thought you were…

Bye for now,

Erin

This newsletter is a part of a series to help you find ways to change your experience of?work?for the?better. Subscribe and you'll find it in your inbox every other week.