Understanding Mental Models and How They Can Benefit Military Organizations
Abstract
People individually, in groups, and as part of organizations make decisions. Some are snap decisions based on a person's knowledge and experience. Others come after much debate. Despite their best efforts, people often make suboptimal decisions that can result in inconvenience or, in the case of the military, even fatal consequences.Drawing on studies by behavioral scientists, this research explores the factors that affect the decision-making process of individuals, groups, and organizations to understand why people unintentionally make poor decisions. First, the thesis examines the influence of mental models in shaping an individuals decision-making. It finds that an individuals performance is limited by the understanding of their environment. Then, the thesis explores how the interaction of these mental models leads to group decisions. It also examines how similarities, social identity, and other external factors influence the group decision-making process. Furthermore, the thesis details how a rigid organizational structure and culture hinders not only decision-making but also organizational performance. Mental models are not just a phenomenon but can be used as a tool to understand and improve organizational performance.Unlike prior research that examined these three levels separately, this study considers the relationship and interactions among them. Such an understanding can help the military to improve recruitment, training, retention, and overall performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213293
Entities
People
- Mark Haasdijk
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School