Faced with a performance gap the two most obvious responses are to work harder or work smarter. There are trade offs associated with each, some obvious, some not so obvious.

Derived from Nobody Ever Gets Credit for Fixing Problems that Never Happened: Creating and Sustaining Process Improvement by Repenning and Sterman.

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This model was simply to depict the various function groups on the Make an Insight screen.

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We are embedded in a larger system and unless we realize it an act accordingly we are likely to be the victim of it. From Introduction to System Dynamics: Overview by John Sterman

OK, we have a problem. Yet, do we really know what the problem is? More often than not we look at the symptoms, consider them the problem and attempt to fix them. This actually dooms us to failure because they're only symptoms.

The city of Bergen has a goal of becoming fossil-free in 2030. How do we get there? Some weeks ago, local experts from different domains came together and developed a causal loop diagram (CLD). This will form the skeleton for the modelling hackathon.

The calorie reduction model elaborated to include exercise calories.

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Based on 1990 SDR Article. Control systems act to make their own input match internal standards or reference signals. Competent control systems create illusions of stimulus response causality. Stimulus-response theory can approximate the relationship between disturbance and action, but it can't predict the consequences of behavior. These consequences are maintained despite disturbances.

The following model was submitted by Lise Inman & Keith Margerison for inclusion in the ILE currently under development. I think it's a useful model which gets interesting as the arrival interval gets smaller and the queue backs up. So, what do you think of the model and what insights can we surface with this model?

Use a savings account model to investigate the manner in which inflows and outflows govern the quantity of a stock. Extend the structure to create and investigate the relationships of a growth producing reinforcing loop.

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A simplification of the systems approach to deal with a situation.

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It's now time for the stakeholders to take the investigation resulting from leverage and craft a strategy which will address the current situation in a manner that is beneficial to the whole system.

There are things we can influence and usually a broader array of things we are concerned about though can't influence. It's important to know the differerence otherwise we waste our energies trying to change things we have no influence over. 

Model in support of an article being written about Investment vs Austerity.

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This model was started at the STIA+ Conference in Seattle on April 18th by Rebecca Niles of Leverage Networks for discussion at her Open Space session. The intent is to continue that open space here in a virtual context.

The problem with microworlds is that too often people simply learn to play the game and the deeper lessons associated with the underlying structure and its associated patterns of behavior are completely missed. It is more appropriate for people to build and work with models to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships and then relate them to family, community, school and the world.

This is just a sample to use for embedding an insight.

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While understanding the interacting components responsible for the situation is important it is even more important to understand the stakeholders as they are the ones responsible for the interacting components being the way they are.

An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The first one tells the bartender he wants a beer. The second one says he wants half a beer. The third one says he wants a fourth of a beer. The bartender puts two beers on the bar and says “You guys need to learn your limits.” From Wild About Math.

Analysis has served us well in developing the understanding of things, at least to a point. Though analysis will not allow us to answer the why questions about things. For that we need synthesis. One might consider analysis and synthesis two sides of a coin that one shouldn't attempt to separate.

While it's rather straight forward to invest money in places that generate interest over time why isn't that more of us don't do that and become rich?

An escalation structure results from two or more competing entities with the competition taking them to somewhere none of them want to be. See also Archetypes.

Video

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One of the four basic model forms presented by Hannon & Ruth in Dynamic Modeling.

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Causal loop diagrams are more rigorous than rich pictures though are still only contain a very few elements with well defined rules for connecting them.

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When the typical approach doesn't work we tend to rely on our tried and true problem solving approaches, which as you will see really aren't that good.