Tamsen Webster explains Chris Argyris and Donald Schön's Model I and Model II: the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually behave. Model I prioritizes winning and suppressing feelings; Model II seeks valid information and genuine commitment. Closing that gap builds trust and enables real change.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes what people or a company says it believes doesn't match what they actually do? Best case scenario, it's a little annoying. Worst case scenario, it can interfere with the trust that we want and need to make change happen, to make sales happen, to establish long-term healthy relationships. This concept, which we have talked about before, is the work of Chris Ardris and Donald Schön. As they were studying this gap between espoused theories and theories in use, they noticed something. That the theories in use were so consistent among most people that they could actually name the 4 big components, or what they called governing variables, of the dominant theory in use. Number 1, to achieve the purpose, the outcome as the actor defines it. Number 2, win, do not lose. Number 3, suppress negative feelings, especially my own. And number 4, emphasize rationality. Make it clear that only smart, critical thinking people would do it this way. Ardris and Schön call this Model 1 thinking. It is the primary model of how people operate. Now you might be saying to yourself, Model 1, is there another one? Yep, that's called Model 2. Model 2, interestingly, is what we say we believe. Model 2 thinking has 3 governing variables. Number 1, valid information, full transparency, honesty, authenticity, integrity, congruence. Number 2, free and informed choice. Number 3, internal commitment. In other words, that we are giving people enough information so that they can see whether or not they align before they agree and start to integrate this information into how they want to do what they want to do. Your mileage may vary, but I find that Model 2 thinking is ultimately more effective in creating long-term change. Humans are really good at spotting these differences in what you say and in what you do. When there's a gap, it starts to interfere with their trust and in your believability to them. It's really hard to fake this. The more we can start with what we actually believe, what we actually think, the more likely that what we do and what we say will align. One of the first steps, if you are doing this for yourself or if you're working with somebody else, is to help them articulate what the actual reasoning is for why they believe in a certain change or why they've developed a certain product. The key is to not stop at what they say is important, but really keep testing until they're at an actual explanation for why something happens. Don't let something go with, "It's cost-effective." Ask them, "What is it about what we do that makes it cost-effective? Why do we believe that?" The more that you can align what you say and what you do, the stronger your message will be and the more likely the change you're looking for will happen.
