Region Beta Paradox and Moving Toward Thriving
If you were to rate your camp’s performance on a scale of 1-10, we could all agree that lower numbers would suggest some level of crisis. Leaders would be actively seeking solutions or making changes to navigate out of a score of 1-3.
Perhaps this is why doing ‘alright’ or ‘good enough’ with a score of 4-7 is more dangerous. Psychologists have coined this the ‘Region Beta Paradox’. The theory suggests that people tend to remain in a suboptimal state for longer provided the state is relatively ‘acceptable.’ In short, people tend not to act until it feels painful or like a crisis. We all probably know someone with nagging shoulder pain or a similar injury that have not sought out medical assistance or physical therapy. If their shoulder was broken, they would immediately go to a hospital. Or consider surveys that say many people remain in jobs or relationships that are not ideal because they want to avoid the pain of change. In reality, these people would likely be better off if they actively sought a better situation.
Kaleidoscope would say the same theory can be true for camps. Maybe your camp operates ‘in the black’ by balancing a budget, but the budget doesn’t fund depreciation or put anything toward reserves to take care of the next HVAC unit or piece of kitchen equipment going down. Or consider a camp board that is engaged and committed, but doesn’t involve the actual skills needed to navigate the current season of the organization. Thriving boards typically have skilled professionals and defined qualifications rather than the top qualification being ‘love of camp’ or ‘came as a camper’ (though those can be helpful).
The danger of just doing ‘alright,’ or scoring somewhere in the middle of the 10 point scale, arises in a few key areas. First, a sudden shift can threaten viability. Look no further than the strain the pandemic had on nearly every camp operation. Or perhaps a loss of funding from a supporting donor or institution. Second, the camping industry continues to take strides forward. As a collective, we are consistently innovating and adapting to meet the needs of new generations of campers and guests. When word of mouth is the primary marketing for many camps, failing to continuously improve along with the industry can threaten a camp’s reputation and therefore its market share. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, we have a responsibility to maximize our mission impact. Thriving camps consistently seek growth, whether it be quantitative or qualitative.
As the new year begins in earnest, Kaleidoscope continues to have conversations with camps across the spectrum: those that are seeking our help to navigate out of crisis, those that are currently thriving and already considering how to stay ahead, and those that are unsure of where they stack up but want some outside help in finding areas of improvement.
So wherever you are, we’re ready to have a conversation and put an end to just ‘good enough.’
