Theory in Practice: Why Our Mental Models Matter More Than We Realize

Jan 235 min read

Updated: Feb 5

In many organizations, “busy-ness” has become the default state—chasing deadlines, juggling tasks, and attending endless meetings. The result? Little time is left for reflection or deep critical thinking. The assumption often goes like this: “We’re too busy. Let’s hire consultants to do the thinking for us.” But in reality, effective solutions hinge on an intimate understanding of context—a knowledge that employees, not external experts, possess.

Yet if employees themselves are strapped for reflective time, how well can they communicate that context? And if consultants lack the critical insight into the organization’s specific challenges, how can they deliver the solutions people need?

It’s a problem worth dissecting because at its heart is a deeper truth: the theories that truly matter are the ones we actually use in our daily decisions—the mental models we rely on to make sense of the world. Understanding—and continuously refining—these mental models is a powerful step toward better learning, leadership, and personal growth.

Mental Models: The Theories We Actually Use

In the world of organizational learning, there is a famous distinction drawn by theorists Chris Argyris and Donald Schön:

Espoused theory: The concepts and ideas we say we believe in.
Theory-in-use: The ideas and beliefs that actually guide our actions.

Often, there’s a gap between what we claim to believe and what we really do. You might say you value teamwork, for example, but when deadlines loom, you make decisions unilaterally. In that moment, the “theory-in-use” is that personal efficiency trumps collective input.

This plays out every day at work, especially when people outsource their reflective thinking. If employees haven’t interrogated the mental models that drive their behavior, even the best external advice will struggle to gain traction. Change only happens if it aligns with the models that people already hold—or if those models themselves are systematically examined and updated.

The Busy-ness Trap: Why We Avoid Reflection

Take a look around your typical workplace: everyone is juggling tasks on tight timelines, bouncing between messages and calls, crossing off their never-ending to-do lists. It’s no surprise that few people take the time to slow down and ask, “Why am I doing this? What assumptions am I making here?”

Organizations often bring in consultants because they’re presumed to be specialists, able to come in with tailored solutions. But there’s a hidden cost:

Loss of Context. Consultants can deliver frameworks and templates, but without deep, contextual understanding—from culture and values to historical practice—they may only provide generic solutions.
Lack of Reflection from Employees. Employees are busy, so they rely on consultants to do the analysis and strategy. This reinforces a cycle where employees do not develop the critical thinking and contextual framing skills themselves.
Over-Reliance on External Expertise. The organization becomes dependent on outside help for insights it should be generating internally.

To break this cycle, organizations need to reserve time for meaningful reflection. As author Peter Senge argues in The Fifth Discipline, it is through reflective inquiry that teams cultivate a sense of shared understanding and develop more accurate mental models.

Why Context Matters

Imagine an experienced chef trying to craft a new dish without knowing who the diners are or what ingredients are available. Sounds impossible, right? Context is everything. Similarly, in organizations:

Employees hold the tacit knowledge: the behind-the-scenes details about operations, relationships, history, and unwritten rules, the rich fabric of the lived experience.
Consultants bring outsider perspectives, expertise in certain methodologies, and cross-industry knowledge.

When consultants are engaged, they need employees to supply contextual color. However, if employees haven’t spent time reflecting on the whys and hows of their processes, they might struggle to pinpoint exactly what a consultant needs to know. This disconnect can result in superficial solutions, wasted resources, or advice that simply doesn’t fit.

Continuous reflection around assumptions, environment, and past outcomes is crucial. This is what Argyris calls “double-loop learning”—the practice of not just fixing the problem but also revisiting and revising the assumptions behind the problem in the first place.

Knowledge Is Always Evolving—and That’s OK

One of the most critical insights I want to raise is that people don’t need the latest or most precise theory if a more basic framework suffices in their context. Let’s consider an analogy:

Flat Earth vs. Round Earth: If you’re traveling from your living room to your kitchen, the local environment is effectively “flat,” and that simple assumption works fine for daily navigation. But if you’re planning to launch a satellite, you need a far more sophisticated understanding of planetary geometry.

Both “flat” and “round” conceptions of Earth can be correct in certain contexts and within certain limits of application. The key is to understand which level of sophistication is necessary for the problem at hand.

This concept resonates with how scientific theories evolve. Newton’s laws of motion are invaluable and make near-perfect sense at everyday speeds. But for technology that deals with high velocities or cosmic distances, Einstein’s theory of relativity becomes indispensable. Neither framework is “wrong”—they’re just different tools suited to different contexts with different limits of application.

Practical Takeaways for Learning, Leadership, and Growth

Learning & Professional Development

Reflective Practice: we need to integrate structured moments of reflection into our workplaces. This might mean a short debrief at the end of each project, journaling sessions, or scheduled time to revisit work processes. By integrating these reflective practices, we can help employees surface and clarify their mental models.
Contextual Training: Whenever we offer new training or professional development, we need to link theory to real workplace challenges. Encourage learners to analyze how new insights mesh with their existing mental models.

Organizational Development

Create a Culture of Inquiry: We should design processes that value curiosity and questioning. This means praising those who ask “why” and avoiding shutting down unconventional ideas.
Balance Internal & External Expertise: Consultants can be fantastic catalysts. However, we should also develop internal reflective capacity, incentivizing employees to think about their own practices and holding consultant-led sessions that promote joint decision-making.

Leadership

Model Reflection: Leaders should model reflective practice. Leaders who pause, share their thought processes, and openly question assumptions set a powerful example.
Encourage Psychological Safety: People will only reflect openly if they feel safe to express doubts and disagreements. Leaders must actively cultivate an environment where challenging questions are welcome.

Personal Growth

Know Your Own Theories-in-Use: We all need to pay attention to the gap between what we say we believe and what we actually do. Journaling, coaching, or asking peers for feedback can reveal hidden assumptions.
Build an Adaptive Mindset: We should all be open to upgrading or discarding outdated mental models. When new data or changing environments make our old beliefs obsolete, we must be willing to evolve.

Bringing It All Together

Ultimately, the theory that matters most is the one you act on, whether you consciously realize it or not. In the flurry of modern work life, it’s tempting to delegate the heavy lifting of reflection to external experts. Yet doing so risks losing the very nuance and context that make solutions effective.

For organizations and individuals alike, the call to action is clear: make time to examine your assumptions, test your beliefs, and refine your mental models. By doing this, you nurture a culture that thrives on learning, adapts to change, and fosters resilience. And that’s when theory truly comes alive in practice.