Behavioral Strategies and Observable Behaviors

Behavioral Strategies

Given a dominant paradigm, its related mental models, and the mindsets supporting the paradigm and mental models, individuals, groups, and entire school systems begin to devise strategies for how to behave within the dominant paradigms and about how to implement effectively their chosen mental models. These strategies are devised to help educators and their school systems succeed within the dominant paradigm by deciding about how they should work, when they should work, with whom they should collaborate to do the work, and so on. These strategies, when implemented, create observable behaviors.

Observable Behaviors

As individuals, groups, and entire school systems implement their behavioral strategies observable behaviors are manifested. Ideally, these behaviors will be clearly and unequivocally aligned with the dominant paradigm and mental models that govern the profession of education. These behaviors, when manifested effectively, move school systems toward their paradigm-driven visions.

Observable behaviors can be seen, heard, interpreted, and evaluated by others. If the observed behaviors are congruent with the four dominant paradigms and related mental models and with mindsets that control the education profession and school systems, then the people manifesting the observable behaviors are evaluated positively and rewarded. If their observed behaviors are not aligned with the controlling paradigm, mental models, and mindsets, then these people are punished or ignored; e.g., sometimes subtly as when an article is rejected for publication and sometimes in an embarrassingly obvious ways like when a person is publicly denied an opportunity to serve on a powerful committee.

Paradigm Shifting

Kuhn (1962) used the term “paradigm” to characterize significant changes in the hard sciences of his time. He argued that scientific advancement is not evolutionary; rather, he believed scientific advancement is a relatively peaceful journey punctuated by aggressive intellectual revolutions that replace one world view with another (this view is also supported by Tushman, Newman, & Romanelli, 1986). In other words, a paradigm shift is a revolutionary change from one way of thinking (as embedded in paradigms and mental models), believing (as reflected in mindsets) and doing (as reflected in behavioral strategies and observable behaviors) to another way. It is a revolution or disruptive transformation and it just does not happen on its own; rather, in the field of education it is being driven by frame-breaking revolutionaries with a powerful and compelling vision for creating and sustaining a new future for America’s school systems who are creating and nurturing powerful coalitions for transformational change. 1 However, as I have argued, creating a paradigm shift is no easy feat and doing so is analogous to trying to convince an entire religious community to shift to a new religion.

Paradigm Shifting Strategy

Let us say that we really want to create a true paradigm shift for the entire field of education. How would we do that? I believe that the initial target of paradigm-shifting efforts must be the mindsets (or attitudes) of educators. Our goal should be to motivate educators to open their minds to new possibilities, to increase the malleability of their mindsets, and to introduce new ways of thinking, believing, and doing. A process that might help to do that is visually depicted in Figure 3 and described below.

Phase 1: Prepare

Phase 2: Educate

Phase 1 focuses on preparing for Phase 2. The ultimate outcome of Phase 2 is to help educators expand their mindsets. Mindset expansion is the absolute starting point for paradigm-change because before shifting to a new paradigm educators first need to be “willing” to consider the new paradigm and its supporting mental models. Being “willing” is a function of a mindset.

Phase 3: Adopt

Phase 4: Expand

Phase 5: Tip

Phase 6: Shift

Conclusion

The terms paradigm, mental models, and mindsets are commonly used in the area of school improvement. The terms are often used as synonyms; but I believe they are not synonymous. Although not synonymous, they are interconnected and they are mutually reinforced in ways that forge stiff resistance to new ways of thinking about teaching and learning, new ways of designing the internal social infrastructure of school systems, new ways of managing relationships with external stakeholders, and new ways of creating and sustaining change. This article described why I think these phenomena are distinct, but interconnected; how they influence thinking, believing, and doing; and, how to change them.

As described in this article, a paradigm is a set of theories, beliefs, assumptions, and so on, that drive an entire profession. This seems to be the way that Thomas Kuhn (1962) first used the term to describe the phenomena that significantly influenced the hard sciences of which he was a part. There are, I believe, four dominant paradigms driving school system performance and improvement:

Mental models are created to support the four dominant paradigms. For example, the mental model of group-based, classroom-situated teaching and learning was created to support the Industrial Age paradigm for educating children. When mental models are used frequently and relatively successfully they are reinforced and educators develop hardened attitudes (mindsets) about the value and effectiveness of the paradigms and mental models.

Mindsets are attitudes hardened by beliefs and values. Mindsets about the four controlling paradigms and their mental models influence educators’ willingness to consider new ideas. If their mindsets are hammered solidly into their hearts and minds, they will resist new ideas that challenge their paradigm and mental models. Therefore, any effort to create and sustain frame-breaking transformational change must first focus on opening the hearts and minds of educators so they become willing to consider new ways of teaching and learning, new ways of designing the internal social infrastructure of their school systems, new ways of interacting with external stakeholders, and new ways of creating and sustaining change.

The controlling paradigms and their mental models influence mindsets. The paradigms, mental models, and mindsets, in turn, influence the design or selection of behavioral strategies that guide educators’ performance in their systems. When implemented the behavioral strategies create observable behavior.

When the behaviors are successful and if they are clearly aligned with the dominant paradigms and mental models, educators are rewarded. The rewards stimulate intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to continue thinking, believing, and doing things in ways that are aligned with the dominant paradigm and mental models. This creates an anti-change immune system within individuals, groups, and entire school districts.

The power of dominant paradigms and their concomitant mental models and mindsets should not be underestimated. These phenomena are significant sources of resistance to ordinary change. They are turbo-charged resistors when confronted with proposals for transformational paradigm change.