Shared Mental Models

Definition

"Mental representations that team members hold about themselves and the task, and how the team works toward the task in their environment." (Mesmer-Magnus et al., 2017, p. 508)

Key References

• Klimoski, R. J., & Mohammed, S. (1994). Team mental model: construct or metaphor? Journal of Management, 20(2), 403–437. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-2063(94)90021-3
  • Review of past literature and argued for the resurgence of mental model research, justified the use of the term “team mental model” over “shared” to limit use in dyads, proposed framework to connect team mental models to team performance.
• Mathieu, J. E., Heffner, T. S., Goodwin, G. F., Salas, E., & Cannon-Bowers, J. A. (2000). The influence of shared mental models on team process and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(2), 273–283. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.2.273
  • Defined four types of mental models
    • 1. Equipment
    • 2. Task
    • 3. Team Interaction
    • 4. Team
  • Determined that greater team and task mental model convergence was related to better task performance through enhanced team processes, utilized pairwise comparison.
• DeChurch, L. A., & Mesmer-Magnus, J. (2010). Measuring shared team mental models: A meta-analysis. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 14(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017455
  • Differentiated between elicitation, structural representation and representation of emergence, found that type of measure moderates magnitude of the relationship between mental model similairty & team process + performance

Key Measurements

• Representation technqiues: Pairwise Comparison (Pathfinder, UCINET), Concept mapping, Multidimensional Scaling (similarity), Card Sorting, not be be confused with Elicitation techniques that draw out the shared mental model to be analyzed.
  • Mohammed, S., Klimoski, R. J., & Rentsch, J. R. (2000). The measurement of team mental models: We have no shared schema. Organizational Research Methods, 3(2), 123–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810032001

Recent Articles 

• Jones, N. A., Ross, H., Lynam, T., Perez, P., & Leitch, A. (2011). Mental models: an interdisciplinary synthesis of theory and methods. Ecology and Society, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-03802-160146 
  • Synthesis that consists of literature that has contributed to the development and application of shared mental models in interdisciplinary fields.
• Van den Bossche, P., Gijselaers, W., Segers, M., Woltjer, G., & Kirschner, P. (2010). Team learning: Building shared mental models. Instructional Science, 39(3), 283–301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-010-9128-3 
  • Explores which team learning behaviors contribute to the construction of a shared mental model.
• Maynard, M. T., & Gilson, L. L. (2013). The role of shared mental model development in Understanding Virtual Team Effectiveness. Group & Organization Management, 39(1), 3–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601113475361 
  • Develops a conceptual framework to examine the relationship between shared mental models and virtual team performance.