Are There Really Foxes: Where Does The Doubt Emerge?

Abstract

This paper uses a model of doubting to demonstrate why a long term eradication programme has faced so many complex problems in its implementation. Analysis of a qualitative case study of the Fox Eradication Project in Tasmania identifies aspects of accuracy, source and relevance, demonstrating how the credibility of new triggers is undermined, thereby enabling individuals to maintain their current mental model rather than accepting new knowledge to adapt or amend it. The analysis illustrates how doubt can be managed either through prevention, perturbation or boundary spanning. It is suggested that the process of establishing what is leading to doubt enables a change manager to consider alternative communication and implementation strategies which directly address the alterations of mental models.