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Mental Models

Mental models are internal representations of how the world works that influence thoughts and actions. They are often unconscious and can limit perspectives. Three key points about mental models are: 1) They are constructed within the mind to represent how one understands the world. 2) They can create biases by leading to conclusions being drawn from limited observations and past experiences. 3) Identifying and inquiring into mental models is important for overcoming biases and expanding perspectives.

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Salvador Peña Ugalde
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208 views

Mental Models

Mental models are internal representations of how the world works that influence thoughts and actions. They are often unconscious and can limit perspectives. Three key points about mental models are: 1) They are constructed within the mind to represent how one understands the world. 2) They can create biases by leading to conclusions being drawn from limited observations and past experiences. 3) Identifying and inquiring into mental models is important for overcoming biases and expanding perspectives.

Uploaded by

Salvador Peña Ugalde
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MENTAL MODELS

Fieldbook 4

By Kevin McLogan
www.kevinmclogan.com

Watch this:
Kids react
Charlie Video
OBL Video

MENTAL MODELS

What are Mental Models?


Mental models are deeply held internal
images of how the world
works, images that limit us to familiar ways of
thinking and acting. Very
often, we are not consciously aware of our
mental models or the effects
they have on our behavior1
A mental model is a model that is constructed
and simulated within a conscious mind. To
be conscious is to beawareof the world
around you and yourself in relation to the
world. Lets take a moment to think about
how this process works operationally. 2
1-Senge
2-Making
2-Making Connections isee systems blog

MENTAL MODELS

Understanding the Bias of Mental


Models
At the turn of the 15th century, prevailing wisdom said

the earth was flat and, if you sailed too far to the west,
youd fall off the face of the earth. For the average
person of the era, there was nothing wrong with this
assumption. Most people never journeyed more than 20
miles from their homes, so whether the earth was flat or
round didnt matter. Donna Fitzgerald, How to
understand the bias of mental models

Exceptthis is a function of a 19th and 20th


century Mental Model!
In truth, few people on both sides of the Atlantic
believed in 1492 that the world was flat. James
Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me p.46
MENTAL MODELS

How do we imagine the world around


us?

MENTAL MODELS

MENTAL MODELS

The Ladder of Inference

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook p.


243

MENTAL MODELS

The Ladder of Inference


We live in a world of untested beliefs, which remain largely
untested. We adopt those beliefs because they are based on
conclusions, which are inferred from what we observe, plus our
past experience.
Our ability to achieve the results we truly desire is eroded by
our feelings that:
Our beliefs are the Truth
The Truth is obvious
Our beliefs are based on real data
The data we select are the real data

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook p.


242

MENTAL MODELS

Mental Models Exercise 1


This is you
coming up
on jammed
up traffic.
What do you
do?
1. Go to the left
lane and
jockey for a
better spot
2. Stay where
you are and
wait.
3. Block anyone
from using
the left lane.
4. Other

Southfield Freeway mile marker 5


NB 5:15 pm 5/3/2011

Left lane
closed in
.75
miles

MENTAL
MENTAL
MODELS
MODELS

What is the most effective strategy?


ST. PAUL, Minn. Fifteen percent of drivers admitted to
straddling lanes in order to block late merges in construction
zones, according to a recent study conducted by the
Minnesota Department of Transportation. 1
Studies indicate "late merging" in traffic is safer and faster 2
Study shows that merging late speeds traffic 3
As I found outearlier this year, the seemingly innocuous
question of late merging vs. early merging is the third rail of
American commuting. I admitted to being a late merger,
using as much of a merge lane before moving over into the
bottleneck. In response, one angry early merger called to
say,"I hope you die." 4
1 October 29, 2003 MN DOThttp://www.dot.state.mn.us
2 On May 24, 2010, inActivity, by mandyvision
3 ByDetroit NewsFriNov12, 12:50pmET
4 Joseph Rose, The Oregonian August 12, 2009, 8:30 AM

MENTAL MODELS

10

The Left-Hand Column


What Im thinking
I think that you are
presenting this from the
perspective of how it
benefits you alone.

I will work to sabotage


your efforts

What is said
You are a real team
player!

Im sure the entire team


will work towards the
goals you are presenting!

MENTAL MODELS

11

Mental Models Exercise 2


Devise an argument that has two valid, but opposing
viewpoints
List the impressions after the statements

What Im thinking

What is said

MENTAL MODELS

12

Risks and Opportunities with the Left Hand


Column

The coach may share the assumptions and blind spots that
limit the case presenters effectiveness
The coach may join in the commiserating (this distracts
attention from the case presenters tacit assumptions)
The coach may not know how to raise the subject of the case
presenter's shortcomings in a way that promotes inquiry

The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook p.


250

MENTAL MODELS

13

Balancing Advocacy with Inquiry


High Advocacy/High Inquiry
< Communicate: conclusions, data
you select, steps in your reasoning
< Inquire to discover steps and
gaps in one anothers reasoning

Low Advocacy/High Inquiry


< Asking questions but not
revealing your views

High Advocacy/Low Inquiry


< Advocating your view but not
inquiring into others views

Low Advocacy/Low Inquiry


< Silent withdrawal
< Not revealing your views nor
questioning others views

What costs do you have in mind?

What weve got to do is enforce


these rules!

adapted from Robert Hargroves

MENTAL MODELSMasterful Coaching (1995), JosseyBass

14

Advocacy/Inquiry Matrix

http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/wpcontent/uploads/2008/05/windowslivewriterg
oodleadersbalanceadvocacyandinquiry1386badvocacyandinquiry1.png

MENTAL MODELS

15

Balancing Advocacy and Inquiry


Advocacy:is about how ideas are presented and explained. Its
primarily, one-way communication. When communication is
one-way it becomes difficult for the listener to understand the
reasoning which supports the ideas being presented. This
makes it unlikely, that people will commit themselves to any
meaningful course of action. Before people will commit to a
course of action they need to understand the reasoning
behind the ideas. Advocacy is about making your point,
taking a stand in an attempt to influence others, supporting
your viewpoint with a relational argument, whilst remaining
open to alternative views.
Inquiry:is about how questions are raised and answered.
Inquiry allows people to inquire into one anothers reasoning
and understand the conclusion they have reached. Inquiry
help us to understand what
others are thinking and the
Good leaders balance advocacy and inquiry to resolve
conflict, byGEORGE AMBLER, thepracticeofleadership.com
reasoning behind their viewpoints.
MENTAL MODELS

16

Protocols for Improved advocacy


Make your thinking process visible-walk up the Ladder of
Inference slowly
Publicly test your conclusions and assumptions
Ask others to make their thinking process visible

MENTAL MODELS

17

Mental Models Exercise 3


Working through the Advocacy/Inquiry matrices just
presented, what makes the best and worst bosses?
What are the qualities that make them great or horrible?

MENTAL MODELS

18

Good Boss/ Evil Boss?


Types of Bosses
Are they good or
not?

The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The
The

Captain
Know-it-all
Best Friend
Teacher
Ghost
Bully
Cheerleader
Communicator
Enabler
Hovercraft

MENTAL MODELS

19

Writing to your Loyalties


1.

2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.

Write three drafts of the same report to three audiences and


compare them
List your loyalties
List all of the stakeholders that you feel loyal towards
Whose reactions, if they read the report , would be important
to you?
Pick two-plus the truth
Report for the Truth
Include the following:
A curtain-raiser
A nut - graf (thematic core)
An ending
Write the reports for your loyalties
Loyalty Analysis
The Final Report
Test your Assumptions
MENTAL MODELS

20

What can we expect when dealing with


Mental Models?
The highest leverage for change
Prepare to deal with strong emotions
How do we use this leverage for change?
Use frustration as a new source of inquiry
People who accept different points of view
intellectually may have trouble with emotions
that are raised by analyzing Mental models
Use frustration as a source of inquiry
Beware of excitement and unbridled action
You can create new Mental Models
MENTAL
MENTAL
MODELS
MODELS

21

Thank you!

MENTAL MODELS

22

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