Mental models is essentially using a cognitive model which suggests that how we see the world will impact on our feelings and actions to address what we see. Collaborative learning in an organisation takes place when staff within a team or service explore these mental models together.

Key themes

• One of the major tasks for an organisation is to enable staff to explore and make explicit their basic assumptions about what may underpin problems and decisions in their work.
• This is supported by developing:-
• reflective practice within the organisation.
• exploring differences between espoused theory and what we do in practice
• balancing enquiry and advocacy. (pages 183-188 in The Fifth Discipline). This is a very interesting section with respect to AMBIT as it is very similar to Thinking Together. Senge proposes that the exploration of mental models is active process between colleagues in which there needs to be a balance between exploring the ideas held by a colleague (enquiry) and also being able to be transparent about one's own ideas (advocacy). He observes that too much enquiry without advocacy does not promote collaborative learning and vice versa i.e. just inviting reflection is not enough.

Implications for AMBIT

1. The degree of fit between Senge's theory of learning organisations and AMBIT is very high. The principle of collaborative learning has been operationalised in AMBIT with techniques such as Thinking Together and by ensuring that the Keyworker well-connected to wider team.
2. Specific observations about the need to balance advocacy and enquiry in team interactions are particularly helpful in developing the process of Thinking Together.
3. It is easy to see that the exploration of mental models is extremely consistent with a mentalized approach to team practice. (see Working with your TEAM)
4. In our view, the process of manualizing offers an explicit (and additional) method of exploring espoused theory against actual practice. (see Manualization)