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Mental models

Cartoon of two woman and a man with thought bubbles containing things that shape mindsets like culture.

Mindsets or mental models are deep, unconscious models we use to make sense of the world. Shared mindsets provide us with unconscious explanations about how a problem has happened, who caused it and what the solutions should be. These implicit explanations are present in shared mindsets.

This means we need to work with them if we want people to understand and support shifts to systems, structures, policies and practices, transforming the way people currently do things. 

Illustration by Megan Salole/Big Picture Thinking for The Workshop.

Rights: The Workshop
Published: 30 June 2025Size: 1.28 MB