2011-06-09 for iafie claudia baisini – incorporating contextual sensitivity and meta cognition in...

2011-06-09 for IAFIE

Claudia Baisini – Incorporating Contextual Sensitivity and Meta Cognition in Intelligence Activity

Incorporating Contextual Sensitivity and Meta-Cognition

into Intelligence Activity



About me…

• Economics Milano• Organizational Sciences/Business, Scotland• Cross Cultural marketing Strategy, CBS• MSc Intl management• STRATMAS• MaC• Red & Green Teaming/Re-framing• Neuroscience, KI and Columbia• Agility



The problem

• Environment with a higher degree of complexity: • Complicated vs Complex

• Making decisions in a complex environment requires more internal versatility to make sense of the problem

• Mental Models, Framing, habitus, Categorizations (i.e. freedom)



FramingA frame in social theory consists of a schema of

interpretation— that is, a collection of anecdotes and stereotypes—that individuals rely on to understand and respond to events.

We do not look at an event and then "apply" a frame to it. Rather, individuals constantly project into the world around them the interpretive frames that allow them to make sense of it; we only shift frames (or realize that we have habitually applied a frame) when incongruity calls for a frame-shift. In other words, we only become aware of the frames that we always already use when something forces us to replace one frame with another



Framing Effect

• In psychology, framing is influenced by the background of a context choice and the way in which the question is worded• Presenting the same option in different formats can alter people's decisions. Specifically, individuals have a tendency to select inconsistent choices, depending on whether the question is framed to concentrate on losses or gains.

Plous, Scott (1993). The psychology of judgment and decision making



Organizational CultureOrganizational culture can be divided into three

levels:• the most superficial and visible that includes

facilities and disposition of the workplace, organizational charts and so forth• the one that is professed and communicated such

as ethos, statements, official symbols. • At the deepest level are the elements that are

internalized (Schein calls them Tacit Assumptions or Unspoken Rules); these elements are not visible and often are not discussed. • Espoused Theory and Theory in Use



Visual Perception and CategorizationOur expectations and knowledge of a scene influence

how we perceive objects associated with that scene.

• Contextual Cueing: when dealing with less familiar objects and complex scenes, the importance of context to guide perception increases (i.e. kitchen)

• Change Blindness: our expectations and knowledge of a scene influences how we perceive objects associated with that scene Chun, M and Marois, R. 2002 “The dark side of visual attention”, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12.XXX

• Inattentional Blindness: individuals focused on attentionally demanding tasks fail to notice stimuli that appear in front of their eye



However, Contextual Cueing also shows that…

• Visual context can assist localization of individual objects via an implicit learning mechanism.. implicit memory of visual context can provide top-down guidance for attention and awareness. In other words, with repeated experience the visual system picks up on invariant spatial relationships and uses this information to guide attention, without need for conscious intervention.” Jungs, B. Scholl, B. and Chun, M. 2007 “How is spatial context learning integrated over signal versus noise? A primacy effect in contextual cuing”, Visual Cognition, 15 (1), 1-11



Intuition

• The automatic retrieval and translation of subconsciously stored information into the conscious realm to make decisions and perform actions.•Or: use of experience to recognize key patterns […]



Train to Continuous Learning

• Single-Double and Triple Loop Learning• Learning as a flow rather than as an episodic

phenomenon• Reflection in Action: first step to thinking out of the

box is to have a clearer picture of what the box is made on

• When people expand their repertoire they improve their alertness



The Goal• Training as ”developing the mindset to handle any

problem” rather than ”providing solutions to specific problems.” (i.e. drilling Op)• Training methods that foster mental agility and the

capability to re-frame and continuous learning from the environment by interacting with it, rather than being provided static and pre-determined schemes of interpretation.• Go with the flow rather than trying to fit a

multidimensional reality into a cube.



Training

• Increase Visual Observation Skills:• Rapid Recognition Training• Renshaw Recognition System and Tachistoschope• Pitfalls: this alone could reinforce categorizations• Suggestion: develop a version specific to train re-framing

• Increase awareness of own frames of reference and categorizations (what the box is made on)• Unfreeze and reframe through exercises (visual and

problem solving) that force the trainee to rethink own logics and turn them upside down.



Sustainability• Training is not enough; without procedures and

routines that keep this mindset alive, it would slowly go back to comfort zone.

• Develop an Organizational Culture based on a language of inquiry rather than on a language of certainty (which fosters complacency, i.e. NASA case).• Introduce practices and routines that foster alertness,

vigilance and detection of weak signals.• Introduce practices and routines that reward looking at

situations from a different (even if absurd) angle.



Way Ahead

• Experiment on analytical method (Re-framing) with focus on its impact on Implicit vs Explicit categorizations• Mental Agility and Organizational Agility (NDC, KI,

Columbia University)• Development of RRT specific for training of reframing

and detection of weak signals (the NOT expected)• Development of simulations for training of

competencies (Simulation Team, University of Genoa)

Contact: [email protected]

2011-06-09 for iafie claudia baisini – incorporating contextual sensitivity and meta cognition in...

Documents

contextual sensitivity

intelligence activity

meta cognition

iafie claudia baisini

freedom slide

columbia agility slide

organizational charts

complex environment