Lesson 10
Mental Models
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Purpose
Mental models –
• What are they?
• Where do they come from?
• Why are they important?
• What is their power?
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Mental Models
Definition:
Our internal pictures of how the world
works
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Question?
• Do you behave differently towards an
individual if you believe they are
trustworthy - or untrustworthy?
• How do you behave differently?
• Why?
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Why Are Mental Models Important?
Our mental models determine not only how
we make sense of the world …
… but how we take action.
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Where do mental models come from?
The Ladder of Inference
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Ladder of Inference
• We live in a world of self generating beliefs which
are largely untested.
• We adopt these beliefs based on conclusions inferred
from observations and experience.
• Our ability to achieve results is eroded by our
thinking that:
•
•
•
•
Our beliefs are the truth
The truth is obvious
The data we select is the real data
Our beliefs are based on this real data
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Ladder of Inference
• Taking Action – based upon beliefs
• Adopting Beliefs – drawing conclusions about the world
• Adding Meaning – both personal and cultural
• Selective Attention – selecting data from available data and
experiences
• Observable Data – all data and experiences available
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Home Buyers
•
I take action based on my
beliefs
• Buy the most
expensive home you
can afford
• I draw conclusions and adopt
beliefs about the world
• Home ownership is a
riskless investment
•
• Housing prices will
not drop
I add meaning - - - cultural
and personal
• I “select” data from what I
observe (selective attention)
• Home prices have
risen each year
•
• People buy homes
Observable “data” and
experiences
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Mother
•
I take action based on my
beliefs
• Mothers go to baby
•
I draw conclusions and adopt
beliefs about the world
• When they baby cries
she needs my help
•
I add meaning - - - cultural
and personal
• The baby is in distress
•
I “select” data from what I
observe (selective attention)
• Baby’s cry
• Observable “data” and
experiences
• Tv, voices, baby’s cry
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Discovering Mental Models
Surfacing, testing, and validating our internal
pictures of how the world works requires:
• Reflection
• Advocacy
• Inquiry
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Reflection
• Slow down our thinking
• Recognize when we substitute simple concepts or
generalizations for details
• Asking ourselves what is the “data” on which this
generalization is made
• Consider that this generalization may be
inaccurate or misleading
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Advocacy
• Make your own reasoning explicit.
• What is the actual data
• How did I arrive at my view from the data?
• Encouraging others to question your view.
• Do you see gaps in my reasoning?
• Do you have different data?
• Do you have different conclusions?
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Inquiry
• Seeking to clearly understand others’ views.
• Stating your assumptions about others’ positions.
• Asking about the “data” upon which their
generalizations are based.
• Being genuinely interested in the others’ response.
• Being willing to consider a view different from your
own.
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Discovering Mental Models
Practicing reflection, advocacy and inquiry
means:
• Being willing to explore the limitations of our
own thinking.
• Being willing to be wrong.
• Being willing to change.
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Paradigm Shift
• A paradigm is another name for a mental model.
• A paradigm shift occurs when one’s existing
mental model is replaced with a significantly
different new mental model.
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Paradigm Shift
• Old view:
• The sun revolves around the earth
• New view:
• The earth revolves around the sun
• This paradigm shift took almost 300 years
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Paradigm Shift
• Old view:
• Parents have no hope for their child who has a terminal
disease which has no effective treatment
• New view:
• Parents learn of new treatment discovery and now have
hope for their child
• How long do you think it will take for this
paradigm shift to take place?
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Paradigm Shifts
• The shift to the belief that the earth revolves
around the sun took almost 300 years.
• The shift to the belief that the parents’ child could
benefit from a new treatment would likely
instantaneous once they absorb the new
information
• Why is there such a disparity in time?
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Implications for Leaders
• Leaders must be open to challenging their own
mental models.
• Organizations that continually assess their mental
models have a competitive advantage.
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Summary
• Mental models determine how we take action
• To test them we can use
• Reflection
• Advocacy
• Inquiry
• Paradigm shifts occur when one mental model is replaced
by another
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Bibliography
Downes, Robert B. Books That Changed The World. New York:
Penguin Books, 1956.
Lorenzo’s Oil. Universal City, California: Universal Studions,
1992.
National Association of Realtors. Existing Home Prices. July,
2010.
Senge, Peter M. The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday,
1990.
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This lesson is a modified excerpt from the book, Compass – Creating Exceptional Organizations: A Leader’s
Guide, written by William F. Brandt, Jr., cofounder and former CEO of American Woodmark Corporation –
the third largest producer of kitchen cabinets in America.
Copyright 2013
William F. Brandt, Jr.
This lesson may be copied, presented and/or distributed to up to five people. Distribution beyond five is
subject to a user fee as described in the website: CompassCEO.com
The book and related materials are also available from the website: CompassCEO.com
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