Mental Models & Dialogue

While I was studying learning organizations in EAD802 I found many opportunities to connect the theory and ideas to my professional practice. The format of the course included many hands-on exercises and activities. In addition to providing an introduction to the work scholars such as Peter Senge, Chris Agyris, and Ettienne Wenger there were many practical suggestions offered. The primary text for the course is the fifth discipline field book (Senge, et-al, 1994) which translates Senge (1990) into tangible suggestions and exercises that are broadly relevant to people working in organizations.

Our workplace, grappling with changing demands on the unit and a growing professionalism within the staff had recently undergone a powerful exercise in shared-visioning and an elucidation of shared values. The design of this exercise was done by an external consultant, Dr. Lew Dotterer, made available through MSU's Human Resource Development team. The influence of theory I learned in EAD802 and some of the activities we practiced there gave me a greater appreciation of Lew's trade craft and allowed me to recognize the wisdom of his approach.

During the exercise I was able to recognize behavioral patterns and differences in thinking that often prevented individuals in our group from reaching agreement or fully understanding each other. Reading the material that Charlotte Roberts contributed to the field book (Senge et-al, 1994) on mental models made me consider how we had different mental models which shaped not just how we thought but how we perceived events and decisions. It made me wonder how much of my perception was shaped by my selective memory and habit of mind.

I began to yearn for ways I could pass on some of the things I had learned about dialogue and skillful discussion to reduce the amount of advocacy laced in our discussions and improve our ability to listen and learn each other's perspectives. This resulted in a paper, linked below, that tied my concerns about the organization to the literature. Writing this paper helped me advocate to my Director ideas about developing our team's use of discussion and thinking skills.