REPLY The Death of System Dynamics? (SD6209)

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Posted by  Jean-Jacques Laublé <jean-jacques.lauble at wanadoo.fr>

Hi Richard

Following your remarks that are a bit hard, but sometimes it is necessary if
one wants to be  heard.

One first remark about the last thread.
All the ideas where very personal and not based on facts.
It seems strange that no one knows really how and why the field is evolving
and the result leads to the difficulty of setting clear objectives.

Second remark:
Now is it the fault of the SDS?
What are the official functions of the SDS?
The SDS is an organisation that has all the advantages and the drawbacks of
being public.
The advantages and drawbacks is that it federates many people with very
different world views and it is difficult to have coherent objectives that
satisfies all of them but it permits to have an annual conference with 400 people participating which is a not so
bad number.

Third remark:
The field seems to be mostly supported by the academic world.
I think that it is better to be supported by somebody than by no one.
The academic support has the advantage to be less prone to sudden
disinterest and offers a stable and protective environment.
The drawback is that its motivation is generally not profit and usefulness
oriented and more susceptible to err towards what you name intellectual
wandering.
I have personally nothing against intellectual considerations and I think
that everybody has the right to choose the way he uses SD.
I must confess that I have participated sometimes to some intellectually
oriented threads.
But one of the consequences is for instance that I never so far attended the
SD conference while being interested by the subject since 5 years.
I did not want to be an anachronism in a conference that seems not to be
oriented towards practical applications but towards research. I am from the
business world.

Fourth remark:
About the lack of business focus.
I am a member of the business special interest group and it will take some
time until it will reach a sufficient level of activity. I do not know if
you are a member, some members being only known by their user names and
not having given their real names.
But being interested in the business world and having visited your web site,
the business SIG would certainly benefit from an experienced person like
you.
The lack of business development seems to me the cause of a lack of private
involvement more than a the lack of public one.
When one studies the structure of the private sector directly involved in
SD, it appears as being formed by small entities that do not have the means
necessary to at the same time adapt the SD methodology to the business market, develop the offer and make
sure that the service offered will meet the clients expectations, this last
preoccupation being critical.
To my opinion the only possibility for the field to develop its activity in
the business world is that one individual or group of individuals find that
it is opportune to invest massively in the field in the three directions,
product, clients and people to do the job, hoping a return on their
investment in the future.
This can happen today or in 10 years as well.
Regards.
Jean-Jacques Laublé Allocar
Strasbourg France. 
Posted by  Jean-Jacques Laublé <jean-jacques.lauble at wanadoo.fr>
posting date  Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:24:50 +0100