Cognitive models of strategic management

The present work is drawn from a continuing research stream consisting of three interrelated topics: a theoretical framework for mental models in strategic management; a knowledge representation for these mental models; and a management support system that embodies that theory-based representation. The work reported summarizes a part of the theoretical framework and describes the management support system as it might be used to model a total quality management (TQM) strategy. The structure of cognitive models is based on a well-established cognitive complexity theory that describes strategic decision making in terms of multiple dimensions that are discriminated, differentiated, and integrated. This framework is used to organize the case study data on a TQM strategy being implemented at a large financial services company. These same data are used to illustrate a prototype management support system´s knowledge structure and its hypermedia interface for creating and manipulating a model´s contents