A Culture of Genius: How an Organization’s Lay Theory Shapes People’s Cognition, Affect, and Behavior

Abstract

Traditionally, researchers have conceptualized implicit theories as individual differences-lay theories that vary between people. This article, however, investigates the consequences of organization-level implicit theories of intelligence. In five studies, the authors examine how an organization's fixed (entity) or malleable (incremental) theory of intelligence affects people's inferences about what is valued, their self-and social judgments, and their behavioral decisions. In Studies 1 and 2, the authors find that people systematically shift their self-presentations when motivated to join an entity or incremental organization. People present their "smarts" to the entity environment and their "motivation" to the incremental environment. In Studies 3a and 4, they show downstream consequences of these inferences for participants' self-concepts and their hiring decisions. In Study 3b, they demonstrate that the effects are not due to simple priming. The implications for understanding how environments shape cognition and behavior and, more generally, for implicit theories research are discussed.Keywords implicit theories of intelligence, lay theories, situational factors, self-presentation, self-concept, hiring decision It was a company that prized "sheer brainpower" above all else, where the task of sorting out "intellectual stars" from the "merely super-bright" was the top priority when making hires and promotions. It was an environment where one of the most powerful executives was described as being "so sure that he was the smartest guy in the room that anyone who disagreed with him was summarily dismissed as just not bright enough to 'get it.' -Description of Enron (McLean & Elkind, 2003) In public statements, executives proudly described their CEO's growth and learning over 35 years-from sales rep to the head of the organization. Managers expected their workers to show a passion and love for learning and expanding knowledge. Instead of proving how smart a person or division was, the company's focus was on making a contribution, investing in the experiences and development of a larger portion of talent, and intense on-the-job learning.-Description of Xerox (George & McLean, 2005;Vollmer, 2004;Knowledge@Wharton, 2005) Imagine that you are employed by one of the two companies described above: a company that endorses a culture of genius and talent or one that endorses a culture of growth and development. What is it like to function in environments that endorse these views of intelligence? How do organizations that cultivate a culture of genius or a culture of growth affect people? This research examines how an organization's lay theory of intelligence motivates people's inferences about what is valued there. In four studies, we measure how these inferences affect people's self-presentations, their liking of the environment, and their downstream judgments of the self and others, including decisions about whom to hire.Throughout this research, when we speak of an organization's theory of intelligence, we are r...

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