Eye Team Embarks on Arbinger Journey

The Arbinger Institute was founded in 1979 by Dr. C. Terry Warner, the scholar who solved the central problem at the heart of the human sciences: the problem of self-deception. That work revealed two distinct mindsets from which people and organizations operate—a self-focused inward mindset and an others-inclusive outward mindset—and the path to sustainably changing mindset and results.

Organizational change starts with individuals. In fact, an organization will only change when the people who make up the organization change. Jay Cyr and Katherine Saunders facilitated the first workshop for the Eye Team. They emphasized that individual mindset change in people at all levels of an organization can improve behavior and results.

Shlomit Schaal MD, PhD, department chair, said: “in my experience in academic medicine, people are usually smart and talented. What sets apart successful teams is their ability to collaborate and care enough to overcome individual selfish views, and adopt an outward look to enable them to work well together as a team.”

Jackie Volke, senior secretary at the eye center said: “in my decades of work at the eye center I have witnessed change from a very inward mindset, where everything was dictated top down, to an outward mindset, where employees opinions and ideas are solicited and embraced.”

The Eye Team is going to go through Arbinger training during the next six months. Dr. Schaal thanked Jay and Kate for leading the discussions and appreciated the Eye Team for their active participation in the workshop.