Modelers facilitating group model building (GMB) sessions often draw on a set of sophisticated pieces of small group processes called scripts (Andersen & Richardson, 1997; Vennix, 1996). Andersen and Richardson (1997) have proposed that documenting the scripts that modelers use will help advance the field and practice of GMB by making the process more transparent and replicable. However, no common format or central library yet exists whereby scripts can be shared. This project responds to this need by proposing Scriptapedia, an open source Joomla based digital commons for documenting and sharing GMB scripts. Key features of Scriptapedia will include the ability to search for scripts, revise or develop new scripts, track the history and authorship of how scripts change, and review samples of a GMB agenda of scripts. This poster presents a prototype of Scriptapedia including examples of scripts, agendas, and draft policies for encouraging the documentation and sharing of scripts.
Different mathematical models explain the main features of combats, among them are models referring to the attrition of the forces involved; numerous battles employing these models have been recreated. As the matter remains active mainly inside a reduced community of operational research defense experts, in this study basic models of Lanchester´s Laws are reviewed, but employing system dynamics concepts and tools, with the objective being to open the subject to a more diversified audience. System dynamics also provide easier ways to account for soft variables, normally present in real combat situations. For applying those models a fictitious land combat case between two forces is presented, enriching the basic models with some additions to test commander decisions.
The steeply growing amount of players of social games on Facebook motivate to analyze the influencing factor, which lead to these successes. This research delivers a model, which qualitatively
We will show how to use AnyLogic - a multi-method simulation modeling tool supporting system dynamics, agent based, and discrete event methods. We will discuss how multi-method modeling helps to efficiently capture complexity of the real world systems we design and investigate: consumer markets, supply chains, project management. Everyone will be given a CD with a trial version of AnyLogic 6.5 for Windows, Mac and Linux featuring 3D animation and other new features.
This paper examines the ability of companies to change their organizational forms in an effort to obtain higher performance. We use the concept of fitness landscapes and we expand the notion of attributes to include not only the capabilities, but also the purpose organizations attempt to serve usually the market. We decouple the fitness a form represents from the actual fitness an organization that incorporates it will experience due to the effect of competition for a common objective, creating a dynamic landscape. The extended model incorporates the notion of feedback from the environment in a twofold manner: the structure of the underlying landscape and the interaction among rival organizations. On one hand, the feedback helps organizations into making decisions based on increased information and on the other hand, the outcome of those decisions is no longer entirely predictable. We examine two different rules of transformation, namely the local adaptation, and the distant adaptation. The results indicate that the proposed scheme can more accurately explain the variation observed in real environments than previous models. In addition, it can serve as a means of predicting the possible reforms of rival organizations on a common landscape.
Adaptive Campaigning describes the Australian Land Force response to the challenges of future warfare. It discusses the need for Army to perform successfully over various lines of operation and to maintain an adaptive approach in order to achieve its objectives in an ever changing complex environment. However, the novel nature of this approach poses some conceptual and practical implementation difficulties. A visualisation technique known as Influence Diagrams is employed to develop an Adaptive Campaigning Influence Diagram to abate some of these difficulties. The benefits of employing the diagram are illustrated by recent real world experiences of US Forces in Baghdad.
The political dynamics associated with an election are typically a function of the interplay between political leaders and voters, as well as endogenous and exogenous factors that impact the perceptions and goals of the electorate. This paper describes an effort by Sandia National Laboratories to model the attitudes and behaviors of various political groups along with that populations primary influencers, such as government leaders. To accomplish this, Sandia National Laboratories is creating a hybrid system dynamics-cognitive model to simulate systems- and individual-level political dynamics in a hypothetical society. The model is based on well-established psychological theory, applied to both individuals and groups within the modeled society. Confidence management processes are being incorporated into the model design process to increase the utility of the tool and assess its performance. This project will enhance understanding of how political dynamics are determined in democratic society.
This paper suggests a classification of the social roles simulation models can play. Two dimensions are distinguished according to the context and use of models: models can be boundary objects or representative objects and they can be epistemic or technical objects. These two dimensions allow a classification of four types of model roles. Models can be ascribed different roles over time and different roles by different stakeholders involved in their development and use potentially leading to misunderstanding and conflicts. The suggested classification framework can be applied to a variety of problems around the use models including the discussion of the differences between System Dynamics models and Discrete Event Simulation models and the comparative analysis of model use.
This paper attempts to explore the relevance of the systems thinking approach with the doctrine of dependent co-arising which is one of the central doctrines in the teaching of Buddha. The doctrine explains how one gets trapped into the vicious cycles of suffering and how one can come out of it. The main elements of the systems thinking such as complexity, cause and effect feedback loops, non-linearity, time-scale, endogenous perspective and experiential learning are inherent in the doctrine. One of the effective leverage points explained is the bodily sensation which can be used to transform the vicious cycles of suffering into the virtuous ones. The doctrine also gives clue how the mental model gets formed, and how it can be trained so that one can make spiritually informed and better decisions.