In today’s business society and economic environment, developing innovative products, services, and profitable projects are urgent tasks. Creativity in solving specific tasks is always encouraged, as it can contribute to a better or faster workflow. In a constantly evolving and changing business environment, a clear understanding by the team of the company’s objectives is fundamental. Shared Mental Models, or SMM facilitate this understanding by uniting all team members in work aspects such as goals, skills, and tasks.
Team Mental Models can likewise concretize this concept, which characterizes the group of people engaged in implementing a joint project. Furthermore, it is in the diversification and deep and equal understanding of the problems posed to them that SMM is valid for a positive outcome (Müller & Antoni, 2020). Visualization of the main problems strengthens SMM and adds creativity to solving them. The synergy and competence of such visualization are needed to execute creative processes virtually.
It is possible to distinguish several main points by which the effectiveness of forming a general mental model and, accordingly, its participation in the work process is determined. It is the knowledge associated directly with the specificity of the task, which does not require discussion and has the agreed expected results. It is the knowledge related to the task’s specificity that contributes to the team’s unity. It is likewise knowledgeable about the other teachers of the team and the distribution of competencies and skills within the team. Moreover, the last point is the sharing of beliefs and a shared perception of the task as a whole.
Visualization of tasks increases the level of effectiveness of the team as a whole and its cooperation with other teams. Again, to improve the quality and satisfaction of employees with the work process itself, the approach to visualization tools should be as practical as the choice of tools used directly in work. Installing a complete team mental model eliminates friction in the team and increases team spirit among employees.
Reference
Müller, R., & Antoni, C. H. (2020). Individual perceptions of shared mental models of information and communication technology (ICT) and virtual team coordination and performance—The moderating role of flexibility in ICT use. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 24(3), 186–200. Web.