Category: MentalModel
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Prospect Theory: an ‘S’ curve and the relatively muted joy of winning
The frame of reference is essential to understanding why we make the decisions we do.
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Maslow’s Theory of Motivation: the five steps to Nirvana
Everyone has seen some version of this pyramid. But what exactly does it do? American psychologist Abraham Maslow created his hierarchy of needs to explain what motivates certain behaviours. His theory was that once you’ve largely satisfied one need, it no longer motivates you. The next need in the hierarchy becomes the main motivation, and…
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Innovator’s DNA: Do what Bezos, Cook and Musk do
This model explains what it takes to be a successful innovator. We’re talking DNA. Not the long chains of nucleotides that are the blueprint of organisms, but what Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton Christensen consider the foundational building blocks of great innovators. After an eight-year study, meticulously collecting data from 500 innovators and 5,000…
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Dunning-Kruger: Novices Don’t Know How Much They Don’t Know
This is the model that explains why after two hours into an edX Python course you’re stuffing a backpack, searching for motels in central Menlo Park and muttering gibberish to your cat about s3 buckets and a world-beating app that’s the Uber of dentistry. Still, on the flipside, the model offers solace when you know…
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PESTLE and mortar your rivals (in a nice, non-lethal way)
Pulverize your competitors with this tool to analyze the environment that shapes your organization’s performance. A PESTLE or PESTEL (or formerly, just plain PEST) analysis is a useful tool to deploy when starting a new business or entering a new market. It’s also a powerful sidekick for assessing external factors when used with the more…