We Have Always Done It That Way

For all the criticisms we have of “always done it that way” thinking, we should probably point out that there are some strong psychological forces that push us in that direction. This quote is from an article by Donald Sull in the MIT Sloan Management Review:

Psychologists have documented a depressingly long list of factors that keep people locked into the confines of their established mental models. For example, people often escalate their commitment to a failed course of action in order to avoid admitting any mistakes, or they fixate on data that confirm their expectations while ignoring or downplaying any contradictory information.

Sull’s suggestion, then, is to ensure that organizations build in “frequent and rigorous” opportunities to make revisions to strategies and plans.

Tags: The Way We Execute, We've Always Done It That Way // Add Comment »