AFH 1 · Chapter 16 · Section 16.6

Mental Frames

Part of Developing Ideas · 4 sections · ~827 words · WAPS PFE study material

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Mental Frames — Foundation

Mental Frameworks Defined

Mental Frameworks Function

Each of us uses mental frameworks and shortcuts to simplify our understanding of a complex world.

Why Frameworks Matter

Frameworks Process Quickly

The use of frameworks helps us process information quickly and efficiently.

What Frames Consist Of

Frames Definition

Frames consist of our assumptions about:

How things are related
How they work

Risk vs Opportunity

Risk vs Opportunity Effect

This effect is particularly noticeable when framing a challenge as either a risk or an opportunity.

Natural Estimation

Research shows that the human mind naturally estimates the expected return associated with a risky situation.

Leader Caution

Leader Frame Caution

Leaders of any organization or decision-making team must be careful about imposing mental frames on themselves and their teams where critical thinking is needed.

Mental Frames — Prospect Theory

Prospect Theory Definition

Prospect theory is commonly recognized as the act of:

- Framing a situation as a potential gain that causes decision-makers to act differently than when framing the same situation as a potential loss

Sunk Costs and Escalation

Sunk Cost Escalation

Prospect theory helps explain our tendency to escalate commitment based on sunk costs instead of making rational evaluations.

Risk-Taking Pattern

Based on sunk cost arguments, leaders often:

Take on more risk
Commit additional resources to avoid losses
Even when the chances of success are low

Gambler Example

Gamblers placing bets even when they are experiencing a losing streak is an example of prospect theory in that the 'chances' of winning seem greater with each chance taken.

Mental Frames — Change and Analogies

Change

Change + Framing

Another implication of framing is how organizations react when faced with changes in the operating environment or mission tasking.

Threat Response

At the organizational level, threats to our comfortable framework of assumptions are often met with rigid resistance, while changes we see as opportunities are met with flexibility and adaptability.

Initial Frameworks

Initial Frameworks Limit

As human beings, Airmen are subject to the initial frameworks we establish when confronting change. For good or bad, these frameworks act to:

Limit the information we take in
Limit our willingness to fairly and unbiasedly assess information
Ultimately restrict the solution sets we create

Frame Change as Opportunity

Consciously avoid an inherent tendency to view change as threatening.

Intentional Framing

Intentionally framing change as an opportunity may allow others to freely exercise the habits of mind necessary to make well informed decisions.

Analogies

Analogies Powerful

Analogies are often powerful decision-making tools.

Innovation via Analogy

Great innovative breakthroughs can sometimes occur when analogies from one field or domain are applied to another.

How Analogies Work

Reasoning by analogy occurs when we:

Assess a situation
Match it to similar experiences we have previously encountered

Conscious-Level Use

At the conscious level, analogies can be used to:

Save time
Provide clues about courses of action and implications for a decision-making process

Analogy Risk

However, without deliberate consideration, analogies may lead us to:

Focus on similarities between events
Downplay important differences

Separate Fact from Assumption

When allowing analogy in decision-making, effort should be made to clearly separate fact from assumption.

Habits of Mind

The act of questioning assumptions in any decision-making process is, at its heart, how we apply the habits of mind necessary for good critical thought.

Mental Frames — Intuition

Intuition Complement

Intuition can complement a decision-maker when used in conjunction with the evaluation of a whole series of alternatives and NOT solely based on objective analysis.

Strength of Intuition

A strength of using intuition is that it is based on:

Matching patterns from previous experiences
Cues picked up in the current environment

Pattern Recognition Risk

Based on recognition of patterns, decision-makers may select a course of action as if reading a script instead of truly exploring options.

Senior Leader Behavior

Having decided on an initial preferred course of action, senior leaders often:

Mentally play out a solution
If it seems feasible, they go with it

Combined Intuitive + Formal Analysis

Combined Approach

Proper use of combined intuitive judgment along with formal analysis may be an effective decision-making technique.

Mutual Validation

Formal analysis can check intuition, while intuition is useful in validating and testing assumptions that underlie analysis.

Recognize the Value

Recognize Value

As Airmen, recognizing the value of intuition is just as critical as guarding against a lack of analysis in the decision-making process.

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