The role of mental models in sustaining innovative teams

This paper considers two cases (developed via observation and interviews), exploring the critical role of mental models in the success of innovative teams. The first case demonstrates that mental models in a multidisciplinary team can provide opportunity for a shared generation of knowledge for process innovation while open to external influence. The models enable analysis of context 'now ' in an environment pervaded by uncertainty, continuous change and the need to make meaning of events for participants. This is accomplished as team members focus on why the team matters to those served by the team. The second case analyses a team in a different environment, where there are strongly shared mental models that prevent the team from constructing an accurate picture of their present by closing out external influences and pre-selecting desired knowledge. The paper concludes that mental models providing a sharing framework without closing out networks and systems that sustain them can foster and support innovation. However, the critical success factor is the ability of the mental models in use to enable an accurate analysis of the real time context of their application, so that 'new ' is a synthesis based in the needs and circumstances of 'now'. This is vital for innovation, thus managing team openness becomes a priority.