REPLY Society Strategy Development (SD6854)

[SDMAIL Stephen Wehrenberg]

Posted by  Stephen Wehrenberg <stephen.wehrenberg at verizon.net>

Like Jac Vennix, I've come to believe that the real power in SD modeling 
lies not in the models but in the group model building process.  No one 
learns as much about the system or problem being examined as those who 
participate directly in discovering the relationships of the variables 
within.  It is the same with strategy development, particularly using 
scenarios: those who engage in the strategic conversation are the ones 
who benefit and who gain profound understanding of the factors driving 
strategy. 

In my dream for the community we would create many more opportunities 
for people to participate.  I can imagine wiki-like virtual group model 
building applications that would engage hundreds or even thousands of 
people who are interested in solving some of the great problems of the 
day.  We've seen that idea emerging in the use of simulation (games) to 
engage creative problem solving, but those efforts always suffer from 
the same malady (IMHO) as the Sim games -- I don't play them because I 
always want to get under the hood and understand the relationships of 
the variables.  A "game" where the whole purpose is to discover those 
relationships would be a real breakthrough. 

I've come to the sad conclusion that not everyone has the intellectual 
capacity nor the desire to examine the world through the lens of SD, or 
even to think systemically.  That capacity, like most things, is 
probably normally distributed in the population.  But everyone can 
engage at some level, and most people need only to be "enabled" by the 
technology and the process of inquiry.  The SD Society then would become 
a community of guides, or coaches, or paladins (in the sense of 
honorable knights, not the imperial palace guard), who dedicate  their 
careers to this purpose. 

I'll grant this seems a bit idealistic, but isn't that where strategy 
should begin? 

Steve

-- 

Stephen B. Wehrenberg, Ph.D./
/Human Resource Strategy and Capability;  Director, Future Force;
and Director of Executive Development, US Coast Guard
Organizational Sciences, The George Washington University
Posted by  Stephen Wehrenberg <stephen.wehrenberg at verizon.net>
posting date  Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:04:14 -0400