We can gain even richer insights into systems by adding two more levels of perspective to the events/patterns/structure model. The two additional levels are mental models and vision.

 

Mental models are the beliefs and assumptions we hold about how the world works. We can view these assumptions as “systemic structure generators,” because they provide the “blueprints” for those structures. In our example about defective parts, maybe the production-line folks believe that they are responsible only for what they produce, not what the shift after them produces. This mental model may have led the company to create a structure whereby there is no overlap of staff during shift changes.

 

Vision is our picture of what we want for our future. It is the guiding force that determines the mental models we hold as important as we pursue our goals. For example, perhaps the people on each assembly-line shift hold a vision of competition—of striving to produce higher-quality products than any other shift. This vision would drive the mental model that says that each line is responsible only for what it produces.

 

See the “‘Acting’ in Different Modes” appendix on p. 17 for how to incorporate mental models and vision into the events/patterns/structure framework and take high-leverage actions to address a problem.