Faced with a performance gap the two most obvious responses are to work harder or work smarter. There are trade offs associated with each, some obvious, some not so obvious.

Derived from Nobody Ever Gets Credit for Fixing Problems that Never Happened: Creating and Sustaining Process Improvement by Repenning and Sterman.

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The calorie reduction model elaborated to include weight implications.

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The simple diet CLD structure implemented as a SFD simulation.

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This model was simply to depict the various function groups on the Make an Insight screen.

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Network Magic is high tech start up growing rapidly and having difficulty developing resources to respond to customer demand.

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How we know what we know.

Realizing that virtual collaboration is the avenue of resort and that the Internet is pervasive, the old tools and processes are highly unlikely to support the new speed of collaboration. The old tools are those such as word processor, drawing, presentation, spreadsheet, modeling and simulation which are confined to the computer on your desk and require that once you develop something you have few options available for sharing.

Discussion groups, or bulletin boards if you prefer, come in numerous forms though for all their forms they are all pretty much the same. And, if you've found your way here then you probably belong to one or more of them.

This model was started at the STIA+ Conference in Seattle on April 18th by Rebecca Niles of Leverage Networks for discussion at her Open Space session. The intent is to continue that open space here in a virtual context.

Use a savings account model to investigate the manner in which inflows and outflows govern the quantity of a stock. Extend the structure to create and investigate the relationships of a growth producing reinforcing loop.

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While Knowledge-Centered Support is rather easy to understand and has amazing potential realizing that potential seems to be quite elusive.

Influences which work in opposition to sustainable capitalism and influences that might work to further promote it.

Examples of Systems.

This is just a sample to use for embedding an insight.

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The calorie reduction model elaborated to include exercise calories.

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The problem with microworlds is that too often people simply learn to play the game and the deeper lessons associated with the underlying structure and its associated patterns of behavior are completely missed. It is more appropriate for people to build and work with models to develop a deeper understanding of the relationships and then relate them to family, community, school and the world.

The predicament forcing us toward virtual collaboration and our learning about relationships is hopefully encouraging us toward the systemic perspective.

Now that we have some context for the situation it's appropriate to begin to investigate, though possibly not where you might think. And the investigation is actually a bit hindered because management fired the accounts receivables department. What I'm really interested in is trends as to how things have evolved over time.

Network Magic's rapid growth creates a growing demand for resources. And the more they satisfy their customers the more difficult the problem becomes.

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The virtuous reinforcing loop is what happens when you just do it with a trial and learning mindset.

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We are embedded in a larger system and unless we realize it an act accordingly we are likely to be the victim of it. From Introduction to System Dynamics: Overview by John Sterman

A system is an entity that the existence of which is maintained via the mutual interaction of its parts and which demonstrates characteristics not exhibited by any of its parts.

In this piece, we explore the counter intuitive nature of systems where the best of intentions to address the homelessness situation using the most expedient approach is likely to make things even worse.

While understanding the interacting components responsible for the situation is important it is even more important to understand the stakeholders as they are the ones responsible for the interacting components being the way they are.