What is Mental Models?

Mental models are the deeply held, often unexamined assumptions, generalizations, and images that shape how a person understands the world and makes decisions. Two people can look at the same data and reach opposite conclusions because their underlying mental models about how the system works are different.

Systems thinking treats surfacing and testing mental models as essential work, not a soft distraction, because a strategy built on a flawed mental model will keep producing surprises no matter how good the execution is. Making mental models explicit is often the fastest way to resolve a team disagreement.