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- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- Many claims have been made for the efficacy of the growing number of curricula utilizing system dynamics. However, although there is educational research that will likely support these claims, systematic efforts to document them thus far have been inadequate or non-existent. This paper will review and critique one such effort to assess the effectiveness of system dynamics in the classroom. The compelling need for improved SD assessment procedures, as well as recommendations for the future projects in SD assessment, will then be discussed.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- Human civilizations cover the Earth. In the last several thousand years, many civilizations have been created. Several still exist. Over the next few hundred years, they will change. The most likely scenarios are: 1) All current civilizations come to a quick end in conflict with each other. After several hundred years, new civilizations arise. Many have values and policies strongly contrasting with those of today's civilizations. 2) A new civilization is formed from a combination of today's, which then collapses in civil disorder. After a few hundred years, new civilizations arise, many with values and policies strongly contrasting with those of the world's current civilizations. 3) Today's existing civilizations coexist peacefully until they, in turn then together, dissolve in civil unrest. After a few hundred years, new civilization arise, many with values and policies strongly contrasting with those of the world's current civilizations. 4) Today's existing civilizations change their values, over a course of a few decades, to embrace values of sufficiency and sustainability. They coexist peacefully until, in a few hundred years, they coalesce into a new civilization. This paper describes a model to stimulate the characteristic behavior modes of one civilization's extent and intensity, and how it relates to a second civilization. These modes include externally generated pressure collapse; internal loss of cohesion and resource shortage collapse modes; and a mode of sustainable civilization.
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- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- A paradox of the Information Age is that while the sheer quantity of data and information has grown exponentially, the quality of understanding is typically declining. New technologies are driving accelerating change and complexity, leading to greatly increased uncertainty and heightened business risk. There is widespread recognition that the old "command and control" decision making model, which relied on the insights of the "brains at the top" of the organization, is inadequate to cope with today's challenges. Yet nothing has emerged to take its place. Management has responded to change by reengineering core processes and decentralization through "empowerment" of employees and cross- functional teams; but such efforts, while a step in the right direction, have generally not been successful. Instead of increasing the organization's capacity for creative and timely response to radical change in the marketplace, the changes frequently have amounted to mere downsizing- leaving the organization and its employees more anxious and fearful of change than before.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- In recent years an important component of the research agenda in the field of system dynamics has focused on the definition and use of archetypal structures. Although the primary objective of such research is to develop an intrinsic set of system structures that can be used to categorize insights in dynamic systems, the ultimate goal is to provide an effective mechanism by which information can be transferred from a system dynamics model to a client in an easy to comprehend manner. To date, a number of archetypal structures have been presented by Richmond, Senge, and Wolstenholme. This paper discusses two systems archetypes proposed by Senge: "shifting the burden" and "fixes that fail." By developing sets of precise code and simulating the models, the authors document the written descriptions of these two archetypal structures and explore the extent to which the structures behave as expected. The authors demonstrate that the development of formal models for systems archetypes is not an easy task.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- The current interest in learning organizations makes clear the need for more open, more collaborative communication practices in the workplace. "To compete in today's fast moving business environment," says one corporate communication expert, "organization must create a culture of shared understanding" (Locke, 1992,245). However, a major obstacle to facilitating open communication and the generation of new ideas required in learning organizations is the inadequacy of traditional communication models. These models tend to use information for control in organizations; to see information as signals or bits separate from meaning; to see the brain as analogous to a computer; and to seek accurate transmission and replication of messages rather than creation of new information. The purpose of this paper is to show that the confluence model of negotiating differences in interpretation is better suited to understanding interpersonal communication than the traditional cybernetic and information theory models based on Wiener and Shannon and Weaver. Furthermore, it argues that information for control is an outdated model that binds us to old scripts, to replicating traditional patterns rather than creating new ones.
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- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- This paper systematically presents, with the help of flow diagrams, the development of a system dynamics model for an activated sludge plant which is used to treat the waste water biologically under aerobic conditions. Three different physical flows (hydraulic flow, biomass flow and flow of substrate) are considered in the model. The model is simulated with the help of IGRASP. The transient and steady-state behaviour of the growth of biomass, sludge production and the treatment efficiency, and their sensitivity to variations of physical (both environmental and physical) parameters are studied in detail. Strategies for recirculation of activated biomass in the treatment plant are evaluated. At the end, the paper indicates the merit of system dynamics modeling as a tool for conceptualizing relationships, integrating knowledge about separate parts and evaluating control strategies in environmental systems.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- Although there have been many System Dynamics models written in DYNAMO, which are the common property in the society now, there are many obstacles recognized in studying these models using STELLA. This paper shows a conversion table of the basic DYNAMO rules into STELLA II in order to overcome these obstacles. First, we refer to the recent graduate increase of the papers System Dynamics Review, etc. which used STELLA I or STELLA II, and then we expect STELLA II for windows will be used more for model building in the future. Second, we refer to the general features of five differences between DYNAMO and STELLA II in terms of terminology, an equation, a time script, a time related character, and the relationship of Level and Rate (or stock and Flow), and then we refer to one similarity in terms of value chain. Third we show a comparison table of DYNAMO functions with STELLA II functions according to the categories of Delay and Smooth Functions, Logical Functions, Table Functions, and then we show a conversion table of DYNAMO functions into STELLA II functions using simple examples respectively. In addition, we show the applications of Sub-Model and Space Compression Object (SCO) of STELLA II functions, which are the new methods available in Stella II (Mac v3.0.4, 1993). In conclusion, we successfully convert the model of Saturday Evening Post written in DYNAMO (Hall 1973) into a model in STELLA II according to these our findings in order to estimate them.
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- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- It is a very important issue for China's sustainable development of economy and society aided by Science & Technology (S&T) Development. The Avenue of Science & Technology Development (ASTD) occupies a special place in the development process of Science and Technology. In Western views, innovation goes through from basic research, technological development to the commercialization. But for most developing countries, as we understood, innovation often started from the process of technology acquisition and innovation occurs when the indigenous technological innovation capability is good. So the S&T development of China may take avenue as NICs did, and improving indigenous technological innovation capabilities is extremely important, but China's strong S&T potentiality should not be ignored, there do exists a special strategy of S&T development for China. Concerning the vague understand on the choice of avenue of science and technology development in China as well as the avenue of science and technology development did not match with national situation of China, this paper provides a system thinking tool, a system dynamics model, to analyze the choice of avenue of science and technology development in coming 50 years in China.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- This paper provides an interim report of the work of the authors in developing a framework for analysing strategic and policy decisions within organizations. To explore frameworks a system dynamics model is developed which draws upon Michael Porter's approach to assessing industry profitability, Alfred Rappaport's method for measuring value creation and Oliver Williamson's approach for aligning management structures with the nature of the service being provided that promote economic efficiency. The framework is empirically tested based on the development of a dynamic simulation model of subsidiary of a large private sector company in New Zealand. A number of scenarios are provided illustrating the use of the model.
-
- Type:
- Document
- Date Created:
- 1995
- Collection:
- System Dynamic Society Records
- Collecting Area:
- University Archives
- Collection ID:
- ua435
- Parent Record(s):
- b83f2ce2912343b559f967dd985da515, 23d738ba88f8333bc39725f9cb5bd0b8, and 12420ec6bd5f758d2b4dea59aabd75a9
- Description:
- Recent innovations in systems thinking have fueled growing interest among managers in the practical application of the tool (Senge 1990, Morecroft and Sterman 1994, Senge et al. 1994). A number of technologies and protocols are more useful for developing systems thinking capability in organizations and individuals, such as management flight simulators, experiential exercises, and casual loop diagramming. Although various intervention techniques that fall under the rubric ' systems thinking' have become quite popular, little is known about their effectiveness in enhancing organizational effectiveness or productivity. In general, the relationship between the use of systems thinking and organizational performance remains the province of anecdote rather than developed if we are to build a strong foundation for the effective use and refinement of the tools of system dynamics and system thinking. In this paper we evaluate a well-known and often-cited systems thinking intervention in an organization. The evaluation suggests the intervention did have positive effects on the organization, but because the original intervention was not designed with evaluation in mind, the study also illustrates many of the difficulties encountered in conducting such evaluations.