Abstract
This study aims to be a contribution to a theoretical model that explains the effectiveness of the learning and decision-making processes by means of a feedback and mental models perspective. With appropriate mental models, managers should be able to improve their capacity to deal with dynamically complex contexts, in order to achieve long-term success. We present a set of hypotheses about the influence of feedback information and systems thinking facilitation on mental models and management performance. We explore, under controlled conditions, the role of mental models in terms of structure and behaviour. A test based on a simulation experiment with a system dynamics model was performed. Three out of the four hypotheses were confirmed. Causal diagramming positively influences mental model structure similarity, mental model structure similarity positively influences mental model behaviour similarity, and mental model behaviour similarity positively influences the quality of the decision.
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Acknowledgments
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the CELDA 2008 meeting in Freiburg, Germany and published in the CELDA 2008 Proceedings: Capelo, C., & Dias, J. (2008). Exploring the role of mental models in strategic decision making. In Kinshuk, D. G. Sampson, J. M. Spector, P. Isaías, & D. Ifenthaler (Eds.), Proceedings of the IADIS international conference on cognition and exploratory learning in the digital age (pp 10–17). IADIS: Freiburg, Germany. We want to thank the editor for excellent guidance and reviewers for valuable feedback.
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Capelo, C., Dias, J.F. A feedback learning and mental models perspective on strategic decision making. Education Tech Research Dev 57, 629–644 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-009-9123-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-009-9123-z