Re: How to bring out mental models?

Brage.Johansen (Brage.Johansen_at_PAKT@cc2.itea.unit.no)
Thu, 12 Jan 1995 21:48:35 +0100

How to bring out mental models?

Karash:
>How do *you* help a group bring out their mental models? What are
>your favorite techniques? What are the tricks to make these work
>well? What are the traps to avoid?
>
>I'd like to start a discussion thread on techniques and methods for
>this aspect of facilitating groups. It's an area (a discipline) in
>which many of us would like to improve our skills. In my case,
>besides my own work, I'm teaching internal consultants and
>facilitators; a related question is how do you teach this skill?

In this reply I am thinking of mental models as ideas of change in the
enterprise. (learning==change?)

A group has a mental model which they want to share with others.
Except for relying on charisma and oratory skills you might want to
use some tools to ease the work. A concept worth looking at is
Enterprise Modeling/Enterprise Models (EM).

In a librarysearch you will find (at least) two sorts of EMs:
One which is used by software engineers when constructing information
systems (in certain groups also labeled as process models). Another EM
which is used in Business Process Reenginering or other operations of
enterprise change. (The two sorts of EM can be very similar at times.)

What is EM?
Enterprise modeling is the process of understanding a complex social
organization by constructing models. [Rumbaugh 1993] Most commonly
pictured on paper, but also - and with greater potential - modeled in
computers.

Lets stick to paper:
A picture says more than a thousand words. A thousand words doesn't
need to say much though, so one important aspect is the processes
surrounding the model(s) where the 1000 words get their meaning. A
picture is no model. The model must be explained orally or by computer
simulations (games). It is all about to make people understand your
mental model - which is a kind of activity we do in every discussion.
With an EM you can also analyse and thoroughly investigate your ideas
(mental models). In an organizational context the EM will help a lot,
therefore if a group of people (or one indivudal) wants to communicate
their mental models to their environment I would suggest use of EMs.

Tricks?
Best way of learning about the mental model is to build it (physically
-> mentally). Make everybody build it.

Traps?
Not involving everybody.

How to teach people to (build &) use EMs?
Build some.

I am a novice and currently doing research on the subject, and will be
happy to discuss this in later emails if there is interest for this.

Brage W. Johansen
bj@pakt.unit.no
PAKT - Program on Applied Coordination Technology
University of Trondheim.
http://www.pakt.unit.no/