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The Cognitive School: Strategy as What the Mind Sees

Learning objectives

Strategy Happens Inside a Head

The Biases That Bend Strategy

Worked Example: Polaroid's Frame Trap

Practice: Audit a Decision for Bias

Expert Depth: Two Views of Cognition, and Whether Bias Can Be Trained Out

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Quiz

Completion

Strategy isn't just about numbers, market analysis, or competitive positioning—it fundamentally happens inside the human mind. Welcome to "The Cognitive School: Navigating Mental Frames and Strategic Biases," a transformative course designed to explore how cognitive processes shape strategic decision-making.

Strategy isn't just about numbers, market analysis, or competitive positioning—it fundamentally happens inside the human mind. Welcome to "The Cognitive School: Navigating Mental Frames and Strategic Biases," a transformative course designed to explore how cognitive processes shape strategic decision-making. Every leader views the world through a unique mental lens, but these frames can sometimes become traps, leading to flawed strategies and missed opportunities. In this course, you will dive deep into the Cognitive School of strategy, learning how mental models dictate what leaders see and, more importantly, what they miss. We will explore the psychological biases that bend strategy, using real-world case studies like Polaroid's infamous frame trap to illustrate the devastating impact of unchecked cognitive blind spots. Beyond theory, this course offers practical tools to audit your own decisions for bias and explores expert perspectives on whether these cognitive biases can truly be trained out. You will learn to step back, evaluate your thought processes, and implement safeguards against the very human tendency to rely on flawed heuristics. Whether you are an executive, a strategist, or an aspiring business leader, understanding the cognitive underpinnings of strategy will empower you to make clearer, more objective, and highly effective decisions. Join us to master the mind's role in strategy, overcome your inherent biases, and unlock a new level of strategic clarity for your organization.

5 - The Cognitive School: Navigating Mental Frames and Strategic Biases

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            <p>Strategy is rarely a product of purely objective analysis; rather, it is an intricate cognitive process that unfolds within the minds of strategists. For practitioners and students of strategy who have observed otherwise capable organizations fail to anticipate industry shifts, the root cause often lies not in a lack of data, but in how that data is perceived and processed. The Cognitive School posits that strategic formation is fundamentally constrained by mental frames, heuristics, and the neurological architecture of decision-makers. By examining strategy as a subjective interpretation of reality, we can begin to deconstruct why leaders fall into predictable traps and how deeply ingrained mental models dictate organizational direction.</p>

<p>This course systematically dissects the mechanics of strategic cognition, moving from theoretical foundations to practical application. The curriculum explores the specific cognitive biases that distort strategic vision, utilizing a detailed case study of Polaroid's infamous frame trap to illustrate these concepts in action. Following this historical analysis, you will be equipped with a practical framework to audit strategic decisions for underlying bias. The material culminates in an expert-level examination of differing cognitive views, addressing the critical debate over whether such biases can be systematically trained out of leadership teams. Through rigorous examination and targeted assessments, you will develop the analytical tools necessary to identify and mitigate the mental blind spots that compromise strategic efficacy.</p>
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