Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
Introduction: ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Seven factors of mind changing: ........................................................................................................ 4 1-Reason:....................................................................................................................................... 4 2-Research: .................................................................................................................................... 4 3-Resonance: ................................................................................................................................. 4 4-Representational Redescriptions: ............................................................................................... 4 5-Resources and Rewards: ............................................................................................................. 4 6-Real World Events:...................................................................................................................... 4 7-Resistances: ................................................................................................................................ 5 How our minds change: ..................................................................................................................... 5 Intelligence: ....................................................................................................................................... 6 When we change our minds: ............................................................................................................. 6 Political leaders: ................................................................................................................................ 7 British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher: ........................................................................................... 7 American leadership style: ................................................................................................................. 8 Corporate executives : ....................................................................................................................... 8 John Chambers of Cisco: .................................................................................................................... 9 Indirect leaders: ................................................................................................................................. 9 Schools: ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Mind changing up close: .................................................................................................................. 10 President George W. Bush: .............................................................................................................. 11 A change of ideology: ...................................................................................................................... 11 Damascus, Luther, And the Fundamentalist changes in faith: ........................................................... 11 The future of Mind Changing: .......................................................................................................... 11 1-Wetware: ................................................................................................................................. 12 2-Dryware:................................................................................................................................... 12 3-Goodware: ................................................................................................................................ 12
Introduction:
Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, a leading expert on cognitive theory, offered a framework for understanding exactly what happened during the process of changing a mind. He explained how our minds changed gradually. The author thought this book as a synthesis of his cognitive psychology with special reference to changing minds. The author thought that primary audience will be readers in education and psychology but he was surprised to know that the primary readers were business people. Even more surprise came to the author when he received a call from Ralph Nader who was campaigning for presidency and the campaign had not been going well. The caller said that Nader was interested in changing of minds of public and press with respect to his candidacy. However another call from advertising agency, a business man of restaurant seeking to change the fast food eating habit of Americans, a high level commission on national security, charged with altering the beliefs and work habits of five thousands intelligence officers. However, when he was writing that book, he had not given any moment to any of these audiences. Even he had never thought that this book will became a major issue in the presidential election. But perhaps the reason was the publication of book at that time makes the author an instant expert on presidential election. Changing the minds of others is an important process in the world of business whether leader trying to keep a work force from resisting a significant change or a manager trying to convince a colleague to approach a task in a new way, or even a salesperson trying to convince consumers to change brands. Minds are exceedingly hard to change. Ask any advertiser who has tried to convince consumers to switch brands, top management who has tried to change a companys culture, or any individual who has tried to heal a rift with a friend. So many aspects of life are oriented toward changing minds. According to the author, there are four entities of mind changing stories, theories, concepts, skills. These four entities play an important role in mind changing. Changing minds occurs in different ways as our knowledge of the brain continues to accumulate at an impressive rate, this knowledge is being mobilised in efforts to change individuals minds from products they buy and to the political parties they support. The author main focus is on the people who succeed in changing minds, but he also considers peoples failed efforts in changing minds as political leaders, business man and other aspiring
minds changer. In a way leader, teacher and media personality plays an important role in minds changing. The minds brings discussion at all because a key to minds changing is to produce a shift in the individuals mental representations means the way particular way in which the person perceives, codes, retains, and access information.
1-Reason:
A rational approach involves identifying relevant factors, weighing each in turn, and making an overall assessment. Reason can involve sheer logic, the use of analogies, or the creation of taxonomies.
2-Research:
Complementing the use of argument is the collection of relevant data. The research only needs to entail the identification of relevant cases and a judgment about whether they warrant a change of mind.
3-Resonance:
An idea resonates to the extent that it feels right to an individual, seems to fit the current situation, and convinces the person that further considerations are unnecessary. Gardner also points out that rhetoric is a principal vehicle for changing minds. Rhetoric, he explains, works best when it encompasses tight logic, draws on relevant research, and resonates with an audience.
4-Representational Redescriptions:
A change of mind becomes convincing to the extent that it lends itself to representation in a number of different forms, with these forms reinforcing one another.
7-Resistances:
While it is easy and natural to change ones mind during the early stage of life and it becomes difficult to alter ones mind as the time passes. The reason is that we develop strong views and perspectives that are resistant change. Not all factors help a mind change. Any effort to understand the changing of minds must take into account the power of various resistances that inhibit a mind change. These seven factors play crucial roles in mind changing. As we look at individuals cases of successful and unsuccessful changes of mind, these various factors at work in distinctive ways.
In addition to this one should avoid to inject equal amounts of energy into every part of task, problem or hobby or to lavish equal amount of attention on every employee, every friend. But now the question is this, why should anyone change his minds from 50/50 principle to 80/20 principle. Research shows that, in most business 80% of the profit come from 20% percent of the products then clearly it make sense to devote attention and resources to the profitable products while dropping the losers. In most business group, the top workers produce far more than their share of profits, thus one should reward the top workers while trying to ease out the unproductive ones. The same type of situation applied to customers, the best customers or clients account for most of our success, while the vast majority client or customers contribute little to our bottom line. But the question is how we know that which 20% to focus on. In other words, we can say that chances are high that you are beginning to change your mind about previous beliefs and accept the principle of 80/20.
Intelligence:
Many of us like Albert Einstein also report that vital thinking occur in imagery. Now the question is what the forms of thought are. We take in information through our eyes, nose, hands, nostrils etc. In addition to this actual thinking takes place in a number of different forms that rely on the sensory organs. The author studied various kinds of individuals under varying condition. The author developed a view of intelligence that was multydisplinary in the analysis of anthropology which abilities have been valued and fostered in various cultures during different eras and evolution and study of individuals differences. As a result of this analysis, the author arrive at a definition of intelligence that an intelligence as a bio psychological potential to process specific forms of information in certain kind of ways and term intelligences that allow them to solve problems . Rather than claiming that intelligence is the same in all time and places, the author consider that human being value different skills and capacities at various times and under varying conditions. So, individuals are not equally smart or dumb under all circumstances, rather they have different intelligence under different conditions. Now how multiple intelligences are relevant to mind changing? A change of minds involves a change of mental representations. If I change your idea of intelligence, I am altering the idea images concepts and theories by which you are accustomed to thinking of intelligence. The more of an individuals intelligences you can appeal to when making an argument, the more likely you are to change a persons mind and more minds you are likely to change.
People change their minds and particularly in the young stage of life. We change our minds when there is a clash with ones own mind is widely shared by a new, powerful and resources-rich country. However minds change as the result efforts by external agents. When we are young, we encounter individuals who are authorised to change our minds, our parents, other relatives, teachers and the community in between we live. Even our later stage, we encounter some agents like representative of our employer or the legal system who have sufficient power to change our behaviours and our minds. Perhaps the most recognised agents of mind changing are the political leaders or the top management in the organisation. For example political leaders from British Prime minister Margret Thatcher to the world leader Mahatma Gandhi. These leaders have influenced the whole world even they have changed the whole history.
Political leaders:
Political leaders is the person who convince their own party members to accept leadership and develop policies that have or can acquire reasonable support among both the governmental bureaucracy and the general public. In the absence of such support, leaders are likely to face revolt from their own supporters and that result in defeat in the next election. Leaders must analyse the current situation, determine what needs to change, and envision an altered state of affairs. They must then create a convincing narrative and present it to those whose minds they hope to change. Success will depend on various factors, including the effectiveness of the narrative, the ways in which it is convincingly conveyed, and the extent to which leaders and those around them actually embody the presentation. The more personal and authentic the story, the more people will identify with common themes. The one way to capture the attention of a disparate population is by creating a compelling story, embodying that story in ones own life and presenting the story in a format with certain characteristics. When one is addressing a diverse or heterogeneous audience, the story must be simple and easy to understand with emotionally resistant and evocative of positive experiences. If a story is too complex, it is likely to above the head of some audiences. Complex stories always have a trouble getting hearing rather than simple stories.
broken, industries and other major functions would be privatised. A smart and, tough and self made woman, Thatcher was well suited to bear this message and seemed to be a perfect candidate to lead her nation back to the proper course. From the moment she became Prime Minister, Margret Thatcher determinedly put her platform in to action with the aim of bringing about dramatic change in Britain. Indeed within a few years, Britain seemed to a very different country, occupying a position of refreshed importance in its own view and in view of many other nations. She had provided opportunity to all individuals to participate in the life of the nation and then let those with ability and tenacity rise to the top. Without question, she succeeded in changing many minds, due to her influence and Britain was in a very different nation. As a result the stories leaders tell and the lives that they lead, can determine their success or failure at changing their minds
Corporate executives :
In some respect, the task faced by a corporate executive or a college president is analogous to the challenge faced by a political leader. In each case the leader with his close adviser analyse the situation and determine whats need to be change. Then the leader must create a convincing story and present it those whose mind she hope to change. Success will depend on various factors as effectiveness of the narrative, the ways in which it is conveyed. However there are crucial difference in the nature and the scope of task faced by the leader of an organization as compare to political leaders. The major difference is size. For organization leaders, the sizes of audience consist of dozens or hundreds of people or even thousands. The individuals with whom they work are generally members of the organization and they define themselves that way. The members of such an organization have a common purpose and even
a common destiny; after all, if corporations fail none of its employees has a livelihood. Their minds have been schooled in the core philosophy, knowledge and culture of their particular group.
Indirect leaders:
Our minds also changes by the works that a person creates rather than by his or her direct words or acts. Karl Marx was not a leader, yet his writing exerted enormous influence on political events. We might think Karl Marx and others like as an indirect leaders. Take the example of Albert Einstein in physics and Charles Darwin in Biology. Their creative works have changed our minds and often perception of world.
Schools:
it is very difficult to say how schools came in to the culture but we can certainly say that over time, some individuals were designated as masters or teachers and given authority over
young, specific written and oral materials were as important and these became subject that were taught by them. All over the world, education is considered as one of the most important functions of the society. Universal education is goal everywhere. It is appreciated that in the absence education, individuals will not be able to function adequately in this world. Schools are the key to investigation because they are the institutions that have been charged with the changing of minds. According to the author, the schools help the student to achieve mental skills. Gardner describe about school education to illustrate the mind changing properties. A first challenge to educators is to socialize youngsters into the school setting. Schools are involved in the mind changing at the most basic level in helping youngsters to progress learning through observations. But the type of learning that takes place in the schools is far less natural than that occur in the world. In the schools, a group of youngsters comes together for some hours every day and to sit so that they can understand the materials and apply the application in to their daily lives. However most learning appears to have taken place in the natural surroundings of everyday existence. Youngsters observed adults engaged in different activities and slowly inducted into these activities and carry out actions as soon as they are ready to do so.
A change of ideology:
Whittaker Chamber, born in long island in 1901 and raised in a dysfunctional household, chamber became attracted to the moral vision of communism while studying in the early 1920s. Due to the political differences and increasing unjustifiable actions of the Soviet Union became too much for Chambers to swallow. So in 1937 at some risk to his own and his familys safety, Chambers left communist party. In ensuing decade, he joined the staff of Times magazine and became one of its most esteemed writers and editorialists. Chambers chronicles four successive states of mind: (1) his attraction to communism and his decision to join the communist party in the mid 1920 (2) his heart wrenching decision, in the late 1930s to leave the party (3) his initial ambivalence about revealing to investigative agencies the nature of his and others spying activities (4) his final decision to go public to bring renown about the awful story of communism in united states.
1-Wetware:
We born into this world with many reflexes and proclivities, but the knowledge that we begin to construct is based on the experiences that we undergo. Each organism must build up its understanding of the world from scratch. If all the faces that encounter happen to have but one eye, we would see the world as Cyclopean; if the only language we heard was Esperanto, that is what we would speak; if all the surfaces were rough, that is the texture that we would learn to feel. And because all of this newly acquired knowledge is stored in brain, cortical and sub cortical areas that serve those perceptions would become our windows on the world.
2-Dryware:
Mathematicians who laid forth in 1930s the basic laws of computing and information processing, high speed computers are now ubiquitous in our lives. They aid us in all sorts of tasks, from doing our taxes to handling our airplanes reservation to guiding our missiles. Speculative thinkers like computer experts Ray Kurzweil and Hans Moravec, the programming software and the robotics hardware as gaining intelligence with each passing year.
3-Goodware:
Neither science nor technology is good or bad in itself. Einstein understands between mass and energy can be drawn on to nuclear power plants or thermonuclear weapons. A pencil can be used to write beautiful sonnets, to poke out the eye of an enemy intentionally, or to puncture ones skin accidentally. Finally the author concludes by saying that basically mind change is the alterations of our mental representations. Most of us develop mental representations readily from the beginning of our life. Mental representations have content. These content are ideas, concepts, skills, stories. Some have noticeable charm and others are misleading or wrong. In the coming time mind changing will continue and new forms will emerge. Mind changing occurs all the time in the whole life and especially at the stage of young and until death. Yet certain ideas develop in the early stage of life and prove refractory to change.
liked most is creating and communicating vision which is very important from organisation point of view. What I feel is that it is a must read for management students to know the change and lead change in this modern era. As a corporate executive how to implement changes is what I learned from this book. Shashank chaudhri 11031