| dc.description.abstract | An organization can be seen as a system that is a collection of subsystems integrated to achieve set of desired goals. Policies within the business organization are decision rules proposed based on strategy developers´ and policy designers´ understanding of the system they are managing. The behavior of the system, governed by existing policy, may not be understood without studying the policies governing that behavior, - policies designed and implemented by such managers and based on their understanding. Systems are often large, multifunctional and complicated. Therefore, the discrepancies in dynamic complexities between a real-world system and the managerial mental models will affect policy development in the social system. In this thesis, the behavior of the system will be studied by considering how two mental models leads to different implementations of policies in the system. A method is developed and illustrated in this thesis to study how mental models shape policies that govern decision-making. Mental models are simplified representations of our complex reality formed after the fact (based on experience). The system behavior (dynamics) is governed by the strategies developed, the policies designed and the decision made ultimately based on the mental models formed. | en_US |
