Mental Model
Crop Rotation Logic
Crop rotation—growing different crops sequentially on the same land—is among the oldest validated agricultural knowledge systems
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Mental Model
Cross-Cultural Negotiation Frameworks
Cross-cultural negotiation theory identifies systematic differences in deal-making approaches
Mental Model
Crossing the Chasm
Geoffrey Moore’s framework for the market-development challenge of moving a technology offering from enthusiastic early adopters to customers who expect a dependable solution for a specific use case
Mental Model
Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing obtains contributions through an open call beyond a designated individual or team
Mental Model
Crucial Conversations Framework (Patterson/Grenny/McMillan/Switzler)
A protocol for high-stakes conversations where opinions differ and emotions run strong
Cognitive Move
Cue in Context
Put one exact prompt at the place and time of the intended action, and delete cues that don't change behavior.
Mental Model
Culminating Point Theory (Knowing When to Stop Advancing)
Clausewitz's culminating point of the attack is the moment when the attacker's combat power no longer exceeds the defender's—continued advance leads to overextension rather than further gains
Mental Model
Cultural Capital
Bourdieu's concept that social advantage is transmitted not just through money (economic capital) but through knowledge, skills, education, and cultural competencies that signal belonging to dominant social groups
Mental Model
Cultural Code-Switching
Cultural code-switching is alternating between cultural frameworks -- language, behavior, communication style, values expression, identity presentation -- depending on context
Mental Model
Cultural Evolution
The process by which knowledge, practices, tools, and norms accumulate across generations—not through genetic inheritance but through social learning, imitation, and teaching
Mental Model
Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Model
Developed by Christopher Earley and Soon Ang, Cultural Intelligence measures an individual's ability to function effectively across cultural contexts through four capabilities
Mental Model
Cultural Rot Pattern
The progressive degradation of organizational values from lived practice to empty rhetoric, following a predictable decay sequence: (1) values are genuinely practiced and reinforced, (2) values are articulated but except…
Mental Model
Cultural Translation Framework
Cultural translation addresses making concepts and practices legible across cultural boundaries
Mental Model
Cultural Transmission (Vertical, Horizontal, Oblique)
The three pathways by which cultural information passes between individuals: vertical (parent to child), horizontal (peer to peer within a generation), and oblique (non-parental adults to younger generation—teachers, med…
Mental Model
Culture
The set of unwritten rules, shared assumptions, and behavioral norms that determine 'how things actually work here' as opposed to 'how we say things work.' Culture is revealed not by values posters but by what gets rewar…
Mental Model
Culture of Lifelong Learning
A set of expectations and practical supports that enable continuing learning, reflection, application, and revision beyond formal education.
Cognitive Move
Cumulative total
An accumulated quantity over a period where timing can vary but the total is what's causally meaningful.
Mental Model
Cunningham's Law (Best Way to Get Answers Online)
Ward Cunningham's observation that 'the best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer.' People are more motivated to correct errors than to answer questions—the…
Mental Model
Curiosity Instinct
The intrinsic human drive to seek novel information and experiences—a motivation as fundamental as hunger or fear
Mental Model
Curiosity Tendency
Charlie Munger's recognition of curiosity as a fundamental psychological drive that produces disproportionate learning and advantage when cultivated—and disproportionate ignorance when absent
Mental Model
Curse of Knowledge
The cognitive bias where, once you know something, you can't accurately reconstruct what it's like NOT to know it—making it difficult to communicate with or design for people who lack your knowledge
Mental Model
Curse of Knowledge (Expert Blind Spot in Teaching)
The curse of knowledge is difficulty setting aside one's information when estimating what someone without it will understand or predict
Mental Model
Customer Development
Steve Blank's methodology for validating business hypotheses through direct customer interaction before building products