Bias to Action

A bias to action is a critical first step in developing a new innovation mindset because it challenges us to step into the unknown with an aspiration, not a plan.

As planners, most of us were trained not to move forward unless we have our entire process mapped out, something called Structured Planning. Once that plan has been defined, we execute against that plan, and judge our success based upon how well we followed that plan.

The problem is, when the challenge is very complex, we tend to get stuck. We can’t act because we are not able to figure out how to develop a plan. So we don’t move. We know change is needed, but we are left only with a vague hope that someone else, in the future, can create the change that is needed.

Few things are as complex as the education ecosystem. Even if we all know it needs to be reimagined, there is no one who can confidently develop a master plan for this transformation.

So it is up to individuals to try small experiments. We call this Hacking. By just trying something, knowing it may fail, we can quickly learn, giving us insight that guides our next hack, creating fast, iterative Learning Cycles.