Mental Models and Mindsets
Eric Jewell
OI/361
May 4, 2015
Val Porter

Mental Models / Mindsets AAA Transporting is taking steps to offering new services. There are two employees that are slowing down the process. One, a supervisor, thinks it is not a good idea to expand past our core business. The other, an office worker, thinks the service does not fit our current model and could disrupt relations with other companies. Having these two employees on board through this change is imperative to moving forward in a timely manner. Over the next few paragraphs we will discuss mental models and mindsets, and how they play a role in affecting our employees. We will do this by discussing steps to changing mental models and mindsets. We will also talk about the forces that affect the mental models and mindsets. After discussing the steps to change and the forces that affect us, we will go over the most commonly used mental models and mindsets. We will then try to examine which mental models and mindsets are affecting our employees. Knowing these things will help us transport our employees through this change.
Four Steps The four steps for changing our mental models and mindsets according to Wind, Crook, and Gunther (2005). * Understanding power and limits. * Testing relevance against changing environment and generating new ideas as well as creating integrated models. * Overcoming inhibitors by changing infrastructure and thinking. * Changing and implementing models, assessing models, and strengthening models.
Figuring out the employees’ mental models and mindsets is key to helping them change. Once we understand where they stand, we can help move them along those steps.
Five Forces The five forces that influence and affect our mental models and mindsets according to Wind, Crook, and Gunther (2005) are as follows. * Genetics * Education * Influence of others * Past experiences * Rewards and Incentives
These forces are what make us. Genetics make us who we physically are and play into what we can do. Our education creates our view of the world. The people that surround us (influence us) play a huge role in who we become. Memories mold all of the aforementioned forces to adapt us. They are like our history book. We use our memories to make us who we are. Rewards and incentives are what drive us. They give us the reason to do what we do.
Most Commonly Used Mindset The company has been working to having employees that are open to change. Being open to change, will allow our company to grow substantially. It will also help us be more flexible to keep up with the ever changing times. One thing that we can do is affect the forces. Genetics is out of our hands. We can try to be selective in our hiring process utilizing a creative intelligence test to find out if they align with our company. Education, we have a bit more control over this force. We can require either certain degrees or specific work experience to help push this. We do need to understand that this will just be one of many selection criteria. If we surround ourselves with likeminded individuals, we can work together to influence each other. The easiest way to use past experiences is to record our experiences as they come. This way as more people come along they can see what we have been through. They can then avoid making the same mistake. The easiest force for us to influence is the reward or incentive force. We can tie bonuses to incentives. This could give the team members their drive.
Where Our Employees Stand It is believed that the supervisor is afraid of losing customers by expanding out of our core business. This blocks his ability to see the possible new clientele that can be brought in by expanding. The office worker also fears losing customers, just for a different reason. We believe he thinks we might alienate current customers by expanding. These mindsets are slowing us down. While they think they have the companies best interest in mind, they cannot see the possibilities because of their different mindsets. We need to help them see the possibilities by helping them move through the four steps of changing.
Conclusion
Having senior employees concerned about change is not a new concept. Senior employees are usually the ones to get stuck in their ways. Having these employees fall in line voluntarily is key to our success. We need to use the fifth force to influence their mental models and mindsets. Incentivizing this change for these employees will help them through the four steps of changing their mental models and mindsets. Having them on board will help facilitate AAA Transporting move through this growth successfully.

References
Wind, Y., Crook, C., & Gunther, R. (2005). The power of impossible thinking . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton School Publishing.