Core Belief Research

Explained

What Are Core Beliefs? (1)

• Core beliefs are deep seated beliefs that people hold - about the world in which they live, work and play

• Core Beliefs influence everything a person does -from the type of house they buy, the job or career they pursue, through to the life partner they choose

• Core Beliefs are developed over time - based on regular interaction with family, friends, clients, colleagues and other sources of information such as the media, politicians, movies, television and the internet

What Are Core Beliefs? (2)

The most notable thing about Core Beliefs is that they cannot be easily changed –what can be changed is the intensity with which they are held

• This intensity can be reduced or increased by the information that is shared with people - and how this information is communicated, received and processed

Different Types of Core Beliefs

From a stakeholder engagement perspective, Core Beliefs fall into two types:

- There are people who disagree with a client’s position because they hold anti-positional core beliefs, and

- There are people who agree with a client’s position because they hold pro-positional core beliefs

Examples of Core Beliefs

Core Belief 1 - Smoking is Bad for a Person’s Health’

• This Core Belief is anti-positional for the smoking lobby and cigarette manufacturers, but

• It’s pro-positional for the health lobby and a large proportion of the general public who oppose smoking

Core Belief 2 - People Should Have the Freedom to Smoke if They Want’

• This Core Belief is pro-positional to the smoking lobby and cigarette manufacturers

• It is anti-positional to the health lobby and a large proportion of the general public who oppose smoking

What is Core Belief Research?

• More recent research into Core Beliefs* has confirmed that people use nine different processes - to form their Core Beliefs

• These processes are dependent on a number of factors - including people’s individual personalities as well as how they react emotionally / logically to specific situations or events, particularly when faced with the stress of having to deal with ‘change’

• What this means is that how a person responds to the emotional stress associated with making a decision will tend to follow a specific pattern - each and every time a person has to deal with ‘change’ of any kind

• These behavioural patterns can be tracked over time – to identify the key characteristics and thus the ‘personality profile’ of the person

• Once a person’s personality profile has been identified, this enables their core beliefs to be confirmed - and their future behaviour / response to specific issues or other matters accurately predicted

* Core Beliefs, Harnessing the Power by Peter Burow, Copernicus Publishing

Example of Core Belief Research (1)

• The Core Belief profiling system

comprises 9 different profiles

• These profiles each have distinct

and fundamentally different patterns

- in terms of how they think, feel and

act

• Each of these profiles also likes to

receive and process information - in

very different ways

• What this means is that each profile

will pay attention to and direct their

energy very differently

• This is because each profile group

has different ‘core beliefs’ - about

what they need to survive in life for

survival and achieve satisfaction

Example of Core Belief Research (2)

The focus of the 9 different Core Belief Profiles include:

• Profile 1 – focused on social integrity

• Profile 2 – focused on satisfying the needs of others

• Profile 3 – focused on achieving results

• Profile 4 – focused on being better than the rest, an elitist

• Profile 5 – focused on analysing all available information, information is power

• Profile 6 – focused on fear but also fiercely loyal, driven by caution

• Profile 7 – focused on opportunities, adventure and creativity

• Profile 8 – focused on achieving all of nothing

• Profile 9 – the passive type who doesn’t want to get involved, but watch out for the passive aggression if you push them too hard

Effective Use of Core Belief Data (1)

• Core belief data can also be used to track the movement of stakeholders - through the four phases of change

• Core belief research will identify what % of your stakeholders are in which quadrant - at a specific point in time –

• Their movement through the four phases can then be tracked over time - as a way of measuring the effectiveness of your engagement and communication activities

• This kind of research can have a major impact - on the overall success of your investment in stakeholder engagement and public participation programs

Effective Use of Core Belief Data (2)

• During periods of change, the aim is to move as many stakeholders as possible into the reasoning/acceptance quadrants - thus reducing the emotions of anger or denial

• By not knowing which of the four states of change stakeholders are in – it becomes extremely difficult to develop and implement a successful engagement, consultation and information program