Week Four Discussion: Mental Models and Group Culture
Mental models refer to any perceptions and views about how something works or should work. A mental model refers to the way people view and understand certain concepts, issues, or topics (Merritt, 2018). Mental models arise due to previous experiences about a particular matter. Growing up, I got used to seeing leaders in my community, being old adults. I developed perception and belief that it is only the older people that can become leaders. Such a negative mental model has negatively affected my efforts to become a transformational leader at a young age. The feeling that only older adults can become leaders lowers my self-confidence and motivation to become a transformational leader.
In an organization, group norms refer to practices and behaviors that arise among members of a group within the company. Group norms are directly connected to an organizational culture since they can make or break the culture of an organization (Kotter, 2012). group norms that are in line with the corporate culture help to strengthen the organization’s culture. However, group norms that go against organizational culture become the engine to a change in organizational culture. Therefore, group norms are closely related to organizational culture since, after a while, they become part of the organization’s culture, or they introduce a new culture.
References
Kotter. (2012). The key to changing organizational culture. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/09/27/the-key-to-changing-organizational-culture/#2fc8cde95509
Merritt, J. (2018). What are mental models? Systems Thinker. https://thesystemsthinker.com/what-are-mental-models/