Are you guilty of cognitive fixedness? “Cognitive what?” you might be thinking. I had the same thought when I first heard the term. In essence, cognitive fixedness is a state of mind in which an object or situation is perceived in one specific way, to the exclusion of any alternative. Imagine a pencil as only an instrument with which to write or a basketball as only something with which to play the game.
The same thing can be true of ideas. “This is the way we have always done it,” comes to mind. The more you do something in a particular way, the more likely you are to resist alternatives. As digital technology became more and more a part of our lives over the past twenty-five years, so-called digital immigrants dealt with countless instances of having a digital native say something like, “I know you taught me there are 12 steps to getting this done. But I have figured out how to do it in seven steps using this app.”
We also tend to discount other’s ideas simply because they are unfamiliar. When was the last time you stressed out on a problem because you were trying to fit it in to your traditional way of thinking? When someone offered a simpler, but unfamiliar idea, you pooh poohed it and continue to insist there was only one way. I have been taught this lesson any number of times by others who turn to Siri, Alexa, Chat GPT or some sort of artificial intelligence as their first step.
So, how do you deal with your own tendencies toward cognitive fixedness? (Yes, we all have them.) Here are a couple of ideas.
First, take a class in improvisation. I have had the opportunity to participate in several classes on improvisation over the years. A common exercise in these gatherings is for the leader to grab a common item, such as a pencil, and ask the members of the class to pass it back and forth while mimicking all the other things it could be. I watched one time in amazement as a group of us came up with more than a dozen alternatives for a pencil, including a conductor’s baton, an arrow, a telephone handset, and a knife. (What others can you think of?)
Second, commit to exploring new ways of doing things. Like many, I am a huge fan of the how-to videos on YouTube. As much as I am pretty good mechanically (I used to be a shop teacher), I take time to watch how other people approach common fix-it problems to get a different and sometimes better perspective.
Ask those around you, “How do you think I should approach this?” Not only traditional thinking, but pride can get in our way an awful lot of the time. A couple of colleagues I admire the most are in their seventies, yet demonstrate endless curiosity about any and all subjects. Their enthusiasm to learn is infectious.
The bottom line here is that too often our beliefs, routines, and approaches become so fixed, that we hold ourselves back, hinder productivity and even create unnecessary stress, especially if we’re in charge. So get over your cognitive fixedness and get on with new ways of doing things.
Are you guilty of cognitive fixedness? “Cognitive what?” you might be thinking. I had the same thought when I first heard the term. In essence, cognitive fixedness is a state of mind in which an object or situation is perceived in one specific way, to the exclusion of any alternative. Imagine a pencil as only an instrument with which to write or a basketball as only something with which to play the game.
The same thing can be true of ideas. “This is the way we have always done it,” comes to mind. The more you do something in a particular way, the more likely you are to resist alternatives. As digital technology became more and more a part of our lives over the past twenty-five years, so-called digital immigrants dealt with countless instances of having a digital native say something like, “I know you taught me there are 12 steps to getting this done. But I have figured out how to do it in seven steps using this app.”
We also tend to discount other’s ideas simply because they are unfamiliar. When was the last time you stressed out on a problem because you were trying to fit it in to your traditional way of thinking? When someone offered a simpler, but unfamiliar idea, you pooh poohed it and continue to insist there was only one way. I have been taught this lesson any number of times by others who turn to Siri, Alexa, Chat GPT or some sort of artificial intelligence as their first step.
So, how do you deal with your own tendencies toward cognitive fixedness? (Yes, we all have them.) Here are a couple of ideas.
First, take a class in improvisation. I have had the opportunity to participate in several classes on improvisation over the years. A common exercise in these gatherings is for the leader to grab a common item, such as a pencil, and ask the members of the class to pass it back and forth while mimicking all the other things it could be. I watched one time in amazement as a group of us came up with more than a dozen alternatives for a pencil, including a conductor’s baton, an arrow, a telephone handset, and a knife. (What others can you think of?)
Second, commit to exploring new ways of doing things. Like many, I am a huge fan of the how-to videos on YouTube. As much as I am pretty good mechanically (I used to be a shop teacher), I take time to watch how other people approach common fix-it problems to get a different and sometimes better perspective.
Ask those around you, “How do you think I should approach this?” Not only traditional thinking, but pride can get in our way an awful lot of the time. A couple of colleagues I admire the most are in their seventies, yet demonstrate endless curiosity about any and all subjects. Their enthusiasm to learn is infectious.
The bottom line here is that too often our beliefs, routines, and approaches become so fixed, that we hold ourselves back, hinder productivity and even create unnecessary stress, especially if we’re in charge. So get over your cognitive fixedness and get on with new ways of doing things.