Rewiring Thinking: How to Shape New Mental Models

Our capacity to adapt how we think will become the top skill in the next 5 years. At the core of our ability to adapt lie our mental models—the deeply rooted frameworks that shape how we interpret situations, solve problems, and make decisions.

For Learning and Development professionals, the imperative is clear: equip people not with static knowledge, but with the tools to challenge, refine, and rebuild their mental models—continuously.

What Are Mental Models—and Why Do They Matter More Than Ever?

Mental models are internal representations of how things work. They help us interpret complexity, make predictions, and guide our actions. We use them constantly—often unconsciously—to simplify the world around us.

But in an era defined by AI and volatility, outdated or incomplete mental models become liabilities. They lead to misinterpretations, poor decisions, and rigid responses to change. Neuroscience has shown that these models are not fixed. They are formed through experiences, reinforced through repetition, and—most importantly—changeable through deliberate learning interventions.

"Mental models are like trails in the brain—walked frequently, they deepen. But new trails can be formed with effort, practice, and the right learning conditions."— The Thinking Effect

The Neuroscience of Changing Mental Models

Recent research into neuroplasticity reveals that the brain’s ability to rewire itself continues well into adulthood. However, changing mental models requires more than exposure to new ideas. It requires disruption of existing beliefs and sustained practice with new ways of thinking.

Key enablers of mental model change:

Engaging Core Abilities: Mental model shifts happen when learners activate critical, creative, and systems thinking together. These Core Abilities function like neural “muscle groups” that must be exercised in unison.

Triggering Self-Generated Insight: True change comes when learners experience “aha” moments—internal insights triggered by reflective challenges, not delivered as conclusions.

Overcoming the U-Curve: Learning often follows a U-shaped curve, where performance temporarily dips before rising again. This is when old models break down and new ones begin to form.

Behavioral Feedback Loops: Change is cemented when learners receive feedback that exposes the effects of their decisions and thought processes in real-world or simulated environments.

Why This Matters in the Age of AI

As AI takes over procedural tasks and information synthesis, humans must excel at what machines cannot easily replicate: adaptive thinking. Now, that's a fancy word that simply means you need to learn new things continually. That hard part, is become aware that you need to learn something. The harder part, is putting the effort to learning something new.

Updating mental models enables people to:

Make better decisions by seeing beyond visible symptoms to root causes
Solve problems more holistically by understanding systemic relationships
Collaborate more effectively by surfacing limiting beliefs and aligning around shared understanding

The Five-Stage Process for Changing Mental Models

Transforming thinking isn’t a linear journey. It’s a continuous cycle of unlearning and relearning. Here's how L&D professionals can design learning experiences that update mental models:

Surface Existing Mental ModelsUse tools like reflective questioning, impact mapping, or behavioral assessments to help learners recognize their current models.
Disrupt Assumptions and Limiting BeliefsApply Core Thinking Practices to challenge default thinking and provoke discomfort with the status quo.
Introduce New PerspectivesLeverage systems thinking simulations, collaborative exercises, and exposure to diverse viewpoints to expand learners’ conceptual range.
Enable Practice and FeedbackPractice is the neurobiological engine of change. Skill practice environments—especially simulations—allow learners to test, fail, and refine new models.
Reinforce with Behavioral InsightsProvide continuous feedback—both data-driven and reflective—to reinforce evolving mental models and guide future action.

The New Role of L&D Professionals

In this landscape, Learning & Development is not about transferring knowledge. It’s about transforming cognition.

L&D leaders must shift from content creators to mental model architects. This means:

Facilitating self-awareness and emotional safety to allow for deep reflection
Creating immersive learning environments that activate Core Abilities
Integrating neuroscience-backed feedback systems into learning design
Measuring success not by retention, but by changes in thinking patterns and behaviors

A Call to Action

Mental models are not just cognitive tools—they’re the foundation for how individuals adapt, organizations evolve, and society progresses. As AI changes the rules of work, the ability to change how we think becomes the most critical skill of all.

L&D professionals are uniquely positioned to ignite this transformation.

This is the moment to move beyond static training and toward dynamic learning ecosystems that build adaptable thinkers. Not just what-to-think workers. But how-to-think Value Workers.

Because in a world where machines can know more and do more, human thinking—and the ability to reshape it—is our ultimate competitive advantage.