REPLY The Death of System Dynamics? (SD6246)

[System Dynamics Mailing List]

Posted by  "James B. Berger" <bergerjb at comcast.net>

I want to thank Richard Stevenson for his original post regarding the status
of System Dynamics. He raised a question that I have had in my mind for the
last couple of years. With the incredible power of System Dynamics, why does
it not get much wider recognition and use? I hope the question does not die
with this brief discussion.

I would like to make one simple suggestion, based in part on the several
replies to this question. We need to expand the systemic boundaries of the
question and the potential answers. We should consider System Dynamics in
terms of more than the tools and the practitioners. We need to include
consumers (those who ask for SD models) as more than sources and sinks in
our model of SD success. We should consider them in terms of stocks and
flows that provide invaluable feedback within the system of more widely
considered systemic thinking.

The most successful businesses tend to include consumers as active elements
in their business models (explicit or implicit). The success of System
Dynamics will ultimately depend on those that want the output rather than
the skills of those who practice SD modeling.

Jim Berger
Posted by  "James B. Berger" <bergerjb at comcast.net>
posting date  Thu, 8 Feb 2007 09:04:44 -0700