Strategic Thinking and Mental Models: Comparison Between Brazilian and Spanish Students - Implications for the Teaching-Learning Process

Abstract

. In this business environment characterized by VUCA, strategic thinking (ST) is mandatory for the company's strategic objectives accomplishment. ST competence is related to neurocognitive functioning, that is, to the mental model (MM), which can be Operational Mental Model (OMM) or Strategic Mental Model (SMM), which is more conducive to Strategic thinking. Many students report difficulty in dealing with strategic issues and prefer disciplines that are more operational and focused on the present. This difficulty results from their preferences for an operational MM having the focus on the here and now. Instead of the Strategic MM linked to ST. This paper presents survey results of undergraduate students’ Mental Models at UNICAMP (Brazil) and UPC (Barcelona), analyzes the incidence of the MM conducive to strategic thinking, and presents a comparative analysis between them. It discusses the relationship between the ST and the MM and its relations with the teaching and learning process. It concludes that the MM may be one of the causes of students' difficulty with the ST demands and proposes alternatives for developing the SMM.