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.

While Knowledge-Centered Support is rather easy to understand and has amazing potential realizing that potential seems to be quite elusive.

Network Magic's rapid growth creates a growing demand for resources. And the more they satisfy their customers the more difficult the problem becomes.

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Discussion groups, or bulletin boards if you prefer, come in numerous forms though for all their forms they are all pretty much the same. And, if you've found your way here then you probably belong to one or more of them.

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.

Now that we have some context for the situation it's appropriate to begin to investigate, though possibly not where you might think. And the investigation is actually a bit hindered because management fired the accounts receivables department. What I'm really interested in is trends as to how things have evolved over time.

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.

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

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The calorie reduction model elaborated to include exercise calories.

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How we know what we know.

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

The purpose of this model is to have the user change the value of stocks, flows and converters to experience a variety of different graphical results. Understanding this generic model is important pre-requisite to learning about intravenous drugs in the body, radioactivity, self-esteem, water flowing from a drain and many other basic natural systems.

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

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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.

​Example of using a Macro as a counter. See the comment on Counter for a definition of the Macro then run the simulation to see the counter in action.

Influences which work in opposition to sustainable capitalism and influences that might work to further promote it.

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

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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.

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.

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

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The predicament forcing us toward virtual collaboration and our learning about relationships is hopefully encouraging us toward the systemic perspective.

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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