THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL MODELS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF COLLECTIVE KNOWLEDGE

 

Original article published in catalan on 08/10/2023

We can define collective knowledge as that which results from conversations and dialogues among different people with various knowledge and disciplines, methodologically gathered as pointed out in the article “Collective Knowledge: From Reflection to Action.” As with any interaction between people, the dynamics at play will be key to the outcome of what we obtain.

In this reflection, I want to emphasize the importance of being aware of the mental frameworks and biases that operate in each of us and the need to maintain an open and conscious attitude if we truly want to contribute to the co-creation of knowledge.

To promote the construction of collective knowledge, it will be important for the different participants to be willing to step outside their own mental frameworks; it would be like deactivating the “operating system” with which each of us is functioning. At the same time, they should develop a genuine willingness to understand the perspective of others, seek new ideas that either contradict or complement their own frameworks, to arrive at different and richer knowledge, resulting from the combination of each individual’s knowledge.

This is akin to the first two levels of listening described by Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufman in “U Theory: Leading from the Emerging Future”: the level of downloading, which involves deactivating old habits of judging other opinions while merely seeking to reaffirm our own, and the factual level, which is about being attentive to differences in thought that may challenge our own mental frameworks.

If we truly want to advance towards dynamics of collective knowledge creation, it might be more beneficial to focus our efforts not on preparing extensive arguments to convince others of our ideas, but on uncovering the questions that help open minds and deactivate resistances, thereby facilitating co-creation of knowledge. Through questions, we can approach the mental models of others.

Peter Senge, in his book “The Fifth Discipline,” talks about the importance of mental models. He notes that these not only determine how we interpret the world but also how we act. We must bear in mind that mental models are simplifications, and the problem arises when they are tacit, existing below our level of consciousness.

Considering the existence of mental models and how they influence our actions, they will be crucial in the co-creation of shared knowledge within organizations. Thus, organizations moving towards shared decision-making based on collective knowledge will need to be aware of the biases produced by individuals’ mental models. Therefore, they must establish mechanisms to deactivate or mitigate them.

Senge suggests that one possible way to advance effectively is for decision-makers to make their mental models and assumptions about reality explicit. This will be a way to open minds and approach the perspectives of others. Acting in this way, however, requires humility; it requires recognizing that a single person, no matter how expert, will not arrive at the best answer to complex challenges alone.

As Senge points out, in traditional authoritative organizations, the dogma was to manage, organize, and control, whereas intelligent organizations will move towards shared vision, values, and mental models. At the same time, it will be necessary for those leading organizations to learn and develop skills for reflection and inquiry, not just skills for consulting and planning.

People, he notes, achieve success through their ability to debate and influence others. Conversely, skills for questioning do not receive recognition or rewards. But as managers rise, they encounter more complex and varied problems than their personal experience covers. They will need others’ perspectives and need to learn. Here, their ability to persuade becomes counterproductive and works against mutual learning. It is necessary to combine persuasion with inquiry to promote cooperative learning.

Starting from the fact that objectivity often does not exist, we must accept that what we might have thought were facts were assumptions framed within our mental models. Thus, we must be willing to question our own perspectives and beliefs. Only in this way can we advance in exploring other mental models to collectively build richer, consensual, and consistent proposals—proposals that meet the complex challenges we face and must manage.

 

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Scharmer, C. O., & Kaufer, K. (2013). Leading from the emerging future: From ego-system to eco-system economies. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Senge, P. M. (2012). La quinta disciplina. El arte y la pràctica de la organización abierta al aprendizaje. Ediciones Granica SA. Primera edició en anglès 1990.

 

Foto de Rahul Pandit a pexels