Katherine Turpin

OGL220 - Assignment 2
Mental Models and Associated Behavioral Implications

Part I – Analyzing Mental Models from a personal perspective

Set up:
Be sure you have the “Neanderthal Debrief” reading handy to re-read if you need help doing
these items (see the Week 3 Readings content area).

Prompt # 1: Quoted from Hutchens (page 65), please write up a response to either item (a)
or item (b) below.

a. Think of a comment that a spouse, partner, or colleague has made about you that you
found disturbing or frustrating. After reflecting on the comment, do you find that there
is any truth in it? How hard was it initially for you to consider that the comment may be
accurate? Describe the comment/situation clearly. Don’t ramble but do connect your
reflective comments to concepts from the readings.
b. Have you ever known anyone with behaviors or traits that were very obvious to others,
but seemingly invisible to that person? Why do you think this was so? Might you have
similar blind spots about yourself, because they don’t match your self-perception?
Describe the example clearly and connect your reflection to the concepts from the
readings.

There was a time where I had my spouse tell me that I expect too much of others. I had
organized and thrown together a fundraiser car wash for a friend who had a death in the family
and needed help financially with funeral costs. I really had expected other people to jump in and
help with everything involved with the set up and advertisement. No one offered to help set it
up. I reserved the place, made and disbursed flyers, and got all the supplies needed for the car
wash on my own. I then had about ten people tell me that they would be there to help wash cars
and hold signs. I had three actually show up. I was beyond upset at this point and had been
complaining to my husband. He told me that I expected too much of others. He said that I
expect everyone to do just as I do or would do and then am devastated when it doesn’t happen.
He said that I even expected people to react to things the way that I do and that just wasn’t
realistic. People are people and not everyone is going to behave just as I would.
 I’m going to be honest. I took major offense when he first stated that’s how I was. I
argued with him and told him that I knew that everybody is different. Then I noticed that every
statement after that acknowledgement was a “but” statement. I acknowledged his observation
but had fifty different excuses as to why people should be behaving the way I was. I realized that
I do expect people to behave just as I do or as I would pretty often. When I start feeling like a
person is in the wrong I really have to sit back and analyze whether they are really in the wrong
or if it is just my false expectations that are clouding my view of the situation. I truly am the
Queen of the “tyranny of shoulds” (McCann, p. 92). I consistently am saying that someone
should have done this or should have said that. I am consistently unimpressed with people’s
response to situations when it is not the same as mine. McCann states, “Although it might be
nice to imagine that the world should be just the way you think it should be, this is clearly
unrealistic” (McCann, p. 92).
Since my husband’s comment on my unrealistic expectations of others I have begun to
try and pay better attention to my judgements. I am not perfect and not always successful but I
think that I am making a valiant effort to not expect people to do or say exactly as I would. I was
offended at first but that was my thoughts influencing my feelings. When I actually sat down and
thought about it he really did have a point. I am still working on fixing these unrealistic
expectations.

McCann, V. (2017). Human Relations: The Art and Science of Building Effective Relationships.
2nd ed. Boston: Pearson Educational Inc.

Prompt # 2: Quoted from Hutchens (page 66), please write up a response to either item (a)
or item (b) below.

a. Think of a time (either personally or organizationally) when you did not get the results
you wanted. What were the specific actions you took that led to those results, and what
was your thinking at the time that caused you to take those actions? (It may be easier
to reflect on this with a friend, because it is often hard to see our own mental models.)
b. Think of a time when you, or a group you were associated with, excelled by adopting a
new mental model. Explain the time clearly and connect to the readings.

I am a mother and always looking for different ways to make things flow more smoothly
in my house. One of the things that helps my house function smoothly is obedience. I would like
to say that my kids listen the first time all the time but they are children and sometimes would
rather do what they please than what mom says. The text states, “Obedience can be
distinguished from compliance by the addition of a negative consequence for refusal” (McCann,
p. 162). While this is true I decided to try the flip side of this and see if it worked for me. I put
out a jar for each child with their name on it and let them decorate them. I then explained to
them that they would get a marble put in their jar every time they listened the first time or
assisted someone else with listening the first time. Once they had their jar half full I told them
they would receive ten dollars. Once the jar was completely full they were told that they would
receive twenty dollars. I started them each off with five marbles in their jar as a motivator.
Time went on and they started accruing marbles. I noticed that they were listening a
little bit better. I was excited because I thought my idea was really working. Then one of the kids
made an accusation that they thought someone had taken some of their marbles out of their jar
and taken them for themselves. I quickly realized as each other child started to be wary of the
amount in their jar that I had no way in place to track how many they had in each of their jars.
The kids, within a few seconds, all turned on each other. It was a disaster. I decided at that point
that this was not the result that I was looking for, scrapped the idea, and went back to the
drawing board.

McCann, V. (2017). Human Relations: The Art and Science of Building Effective Relationships.
2nd ed. Boston: Pearson Educational Inc.

Prompt # 3: Quoted from Hutchens (page 66), please write up a response to either item (a)
or item (b) below.

a. Think of a time when someone presented his or her mental model as if it were a fact.
What kinds of responses did this elicit? Can you think of a time when you have done
this? Clearly and succinctly describe this, connecting to the readings.
b. The next time you are personally offended or frustrated by someone’s comments, what
questions could you ask to better understand the other person’s mental models? How
could you help him or her do the same for you? Explain your answers.

There are many ways to handle a situation where you have been personally offended or
frustrated by someone’s comments. Asking questions is a way to better understand their mental
models. I would begin by asking what brought them to feel that way. If it was a situation that
brought them to feel that way then I would ask if the situation was a common one. I would ask if
there was any way to look at the situation differently. If it were a person that made them feel
that way then I would ask them if that is possibly because they have had different experiences
than others. I would try to help them see both sides of the equation. I would ask them if they
would like to hear why I feel the way that I do about the subject. If they said yes then I would
explain what brought me to feel the way that I did and how I came to the conclusion that I did. I
then would make sure that they knew that I understood how they came to feel that way and state
that we just have two different opinions. I would say that we need to just agree to disagree on
this particular subject.
In order to help the other person do the same for me I would ask some leading questions
so that they would want to ask me about things. I would help them to gain a need for
understanding of my opinion. Once they had that need for understanding they would be more
open to asking me questions. Hopefully this would lead us into a more open minded discussion
where both opinions could be heard, understood, and possibly appreciated.

Prompt # 4: Quoted from Hutchens (page 68), please write up a response to the following:
Consider the “different towers with different views” metaphor as it applies to your own life.
What “towers” do you inhabit? To get your mind flowing, it may help you to think in terms of
your beliefs about, for example, how organizations should be run, or beliefs about leadership
and motivation, political ideology, theology, parenting style, etc.
Think through at least a few beliefs you hold. How has your tower view affected your life?
Have you changed a view? Also, comment on how your beliefs have led to disagreements
or impasses with others who inhabit “different towers with different views.”

I love the metaphor “different towers with different views.” I have many towers when I
think about it and they range from work to personal life. I will share a couple of them with you.
You can see from this how they have possibly led to disagreements or impasses with others.
One of my towers would be my view that corporal punishment is not necessary when
raising a child. This one seems to cause disagreements a lot. I was raised with time outs and
groundings and I think that I turned out pretty well. I do not believe that hitting a child is
“teaching them a lesson.” I think that you are teaching them that hitting is okay. Hitting also
revolves around anger and honestly hitting a child becomes an outlet of anger not an
opportunity to teach right from wrong. Many people disagree with this view and I have gotten
into more than one debate on this particular subject.
Tower two would revolve around work ethics. When you do a job, you should do it to the
best of your ability in an efficient manner without shortcutting. I have a huge issue with these
millennials that are so entitled and have no desire to do more than just the bare minimum. I get
very frustrated when I am training because they always try to shortcut things. Their argument to
me all the time is that their way is faster. Well, I teach you things the way that I teach you for a
reason. Each step is important to the process if not for right now then later. I expect you to do
your very best work on each job and complete it neatly and efficiently.
Tower three is a clean home is a happy home. My children get annoyed with because of
how much cleaning that we do. Cleanliness and organization leads to less stress, better health,
and overall happiness. This tower has a tendency to make me very judgmental. I have a hard
time walking into other people’s homes where housekeeping is not their strength or priority. I
work full time and go to school full time and am still able to keep a clean house. I judge very
quickly and sometimes comment on it but always with the offer to help.
The last tower I would share with you would be a happy manager has a happy staff. This
one is very close to my heart. I have worked with many managers. Those managers that hate
their job and are a grouch all day at work make life miserable in the office. In fact, it can cause
other staff to start to hate their jobs. The managers that come in cheerful and friendly with
everyone no matter what the stress is make it a pleasant place to be. I have had conversations
with others on this and debated whether it’s even possible for managers to be happy all the time.
No matter what anyone says, I do believe that there is a way to keep your stress level under
control and not take it out on others. A smile a day keeps grouchy away.

Prompt # 5: Quoted from Hutchens (page 70), please write up a response to the following:
How can this self-reinforcing dynamic help in understanding, for example, racism?
Generational
conflicts? “Problem children” in a family full of achievers? Companies that don’t change, even
though they’re losing customers?

This self-reinforcing dynamic helps in understanding because if we realize that our

beliefs can cause us to be one sided or biased then maybe we can be more open to other views.
Racism could be stopped if everyone got rid of their stereotypes and poor age-old beliefs and
realized people are people no matter the color of their skin. Generational conflicts could be
minimized if we didn’t immediately jump to conclusions and judge someone because of their
age. Families that are full of achievers would not label children as problem children but instead
give them a chance and offer them the same that the other children were offered. Companies
that don’t change even though they are losing customers would benefit from looking at what the
customers are upset about and fixing it. By showing people that you care and treating them like
they matter no matter what shows character and will bring success to any company.

Part II – Analyzing Mental Models from an organizational perspective

Remember, when you see the word “Organization” you can choose to think about a team, a
department, a whole company of any sort or other non-business organization (like family,
volunteer, civic, community, church, military, etc.) Consider the different levels as you work
through these questions.
Prompt # 6: Prompt 6 has five parts / sub-questions. First, identify the organization you are
choosing for this assignment then write up a response to the following:

Sanderson Ford

1) What are some mental models that your organization may hold about its role in the
world?
Sanderson Ford has several mental models it holds about its role in the world. If you
listen to their advertisements, you will hear the statement that they are the number one Ford
dealer in the state. They also will tell you that they are “the dealership that service built.”
Sanderson Ford also does a lot to help in the local and national community. They do many
drives for our armed forces, food and toy drives for kids and families, and water drives for the
homeless. They advertise these quite a bit as well.

2) How might you and your other organization members begin surfacing and testing some
of your organization’s mental models.

The number one Ford dealer mental model could be tested easily by comparing numbers
amongst the other dealers in the state as well as customer satisfaction numbers. This would
show if they really were the number one Ford dealer in the state number-wise and service-wise.
Their mental model of being built by service could be tested by asking long time customers
about their service experiences or from looking at service numbers from long ago. If you look at
service as an action and not a department then you could say yes, they focus on service by all the
things they do for the community.

3) What are some of your organization’s biggest challenges? How might untested mental
models be contributing to the problem?

My organization’s biggest challenges right now are a faulty management team and too
many employees that are not dedicated to the company. The management team there is always
in conflict and bad mouthing each other. In fact, I don’t even want to call them a team because
they are quite the opposite. They each have their own mental models that collide with the other’s
models. Rather than finding a way to work together amongst the different views and beliefs they
choose to bicker. This makes look very broken and their respect level received from employees is
tarnished. There are also too many employees that are not dedicated to the company and are
simply there to do the bare minimum and collect their paychecks. Their mental models of
entitlement and selfishness keep them from truly giving their all to the company and its success.
They fail to see that the company and its success reflects the success of its employees.

4) Cite an example or two of times that your organization has set in motion a self-fulfilling
prophecy, in which the group’s belief in something actually made that something come
true.

The first example of a time that my organization has set in motion a self-fulfilling
prophecy was when we got a new service director. None of us believed that he would work out
and we didn’t think that he would be there long. Because of those beliefs none of us truly gave
him a chance. None of us went out of our way to support him or help him. We only did exactly
what we had to and nothing more. In a very short time he lost his job and the prophecy was
fulfilled. Another example of a self-fulfilled prophecy was when we all believed that a new
process that was put in place was a waste of time. Due to this belief, we all slacked off on it and
never gave it a chance to function the way that it was supposed to. The new process was
scrapped shortly after its beginning.

5) Review the material on the Ladder of Inference (page 72 from the Neanderthal Debrief
document in the Readings content area of Week 3). Cite a recent conflict that took
place in your organization in which someone hastily climbed up the ladder and “jumped”
to conclusions about someone else. TRACE THE STEPS OF THE LADDER. That is, for
this item, clearly demonstrate that you’ve tied your situation to the steps of the
ladder…demonstrate you read and understood the steps and can apply them.

There was a new cashier hired at my work. The current cashier was placed in charge of
training the new cashier. Within a very short period of time the current cashier had jumped to
the conclusion that she didn’t like the new cashier and that she wouldn’t work out. She had
gathered small amount of data from talking to the new cashier and realized she had never had a
job like this one before. She then added her own meaning to that information and decided to
assume she was going to fail. The action that she then took was not to train her fully and to
complain to management about this girl continually. This girl still works and has become an
appreciated part of the cashier office because management stepped in and told the existent
cashier that she needed to put away the conclusions that she had jumped to and give the new girl
a chance.

6) Review the guidelines for making your thinking explicit (the bullet points on pages 75-77
from the Neanderthal Debrief document in the Readings content area of Week 3). With
the conflict you identified in item 5 (above) write down the kinds of questions and the
kinds of statements that would make your thinking about the conflict explicit. Stick with
it, you can do it!

The existent cashier should have thought to herself, “Am I just assuming that she will fail
or do I actually have hard evidence of her failing?” She could have asked herself, “Is it possible
that even though she has never done work like this before she could possibly be really good at
the tasks involved?” The cashier should have taken a moment to ask a coworker, “Do you think
the new cashier is going to work out and if so why?” The cashier could have also asked a
coworker, “Can you help me see why everyone else thinks that the new cashier is going to
succeed?”

Part III – Textbook Readings Connections

For this part of the assignment, please refer to Chapter 5 in your textbook.
Prompt # 7: Prompt 7 has four parts. Briefly define each of the following concepts and make
some connections / relate each concept to some aspect of the Tales of the Neanderthal story.
1) Primacy Effect
This is when there is more attention paid to the first information they receive about an
occurrence or a person than any information that they receive later on in time (McCann, p. 119).
This would refer to when the cavemen wouldn’t come out of the cave because they thought they
were only safe inside. No matter the sounds or leaves that blew into the cave they would not
leave.

2) False Consensus Bias

This is when we falsely assume that others see things exactly as we do (McCann, p. 122). Boogie
made the comment to the others about how maybe it was different outside of the cave than they
thought. I think he assumed that they all had the same thoughts or feelings. He quickly found
out that was not the case when they attacked him for even thinking that way.

3) Confirmation Bias
This is when we have preexisting notions that control what information we look for and pay
attention to while ignoring any type of information that contradicts (McCann, p. 121). Boogie
now knows that there is so much more outside of the cave but still doesn’t see it all. He is
focused on the small portion that he viewed and not much more because he isn’t paying
attention to it. He has been under the belief all of his life that the cave was it. That belief has
been expanded to a small portion around the cave but nothing beyond that.
4) Fundamental Attribution Error
This is when we assume that someone’s personality is the cause for the way that they behave and
failing to think about situational influences that could be contributing to the behaviors
(McCann, p. 124). The cave people called boogie stupid and attacked him for being curious
about outside of the cave. He was bored and hungry which probably assisted in helping him to
think with more of an open mind and sparking the curiosity of the outside world.

McCann, V. (2017). Human Relations: The Art and Science of Building Effective Relationships.
2nd ed. Boston: Pearson Educational Inc.