When endeavoring to develop an understanding of the nature of something it is generally useful to create a model of some type to aid in surfacing that understanding.

Rich Pictures, Causal Loop Diagrams and Stock & Flow Simulation Models are the three types of models most commonly used.

There are limits to what one can infer from a qualitative model.

A small change in one variable can have a marked impact on multiple variables. Run the model [quits change] = 0  and consider the output. What happens if  you change [quits change] = 5. Run the model to find out. Was the change what you expected?

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

This model depicts the interactions of Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

CLD of Eric Wolstenholme Syst. Dyn. Rev. 23, 371–389, (2007) See IM-1008 for a stock flow version.

What's the real difficulty associated with managing time?

Introduce the concept of modeling and simulation.

New Learning tend to reduce Outdated Thinking, Communicating & Learning though our Outdated Thinking, Communicating & Learning inhibits new learning. The question is then how do we break this cycle. Adopted from "An Introduction to Systems Thinking with STELLA" by Barry Richmond.

All you wanted to do was put a bird feeder in your yard to attract birds and make for a more pleasant morning. And...

This is a model depicting the interactions of the Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

This model is derived from the paper "Nobody Ever Gets Credit for Fixing Problems that Never Happened: Creating and Sustaining Process Improvement" by Nelson P. Repenning and John D Sterman. See Insight 1899 for a simulation of this model.

Rain Barrel Model

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

Simplest Innovation diffusion model from Sterman's Business Dynamics Ch 9

The interaction of a population of Moose and Wolves.

This is a model depicting the interactions of the Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

The Home Heating System can be used to demonstrate how we get caught in dilemmas and become victims of ourselves.

To develop insights regarding a situation of interest there are a number of things should be considered to ensure a view of the relevant influences.

Original Insight (#1366) by Gene Bellinger

This is a model depicting the interactions of the Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

There are about fifteen known archetypes with an interesting set of relationships among them.

LinkedIn, YouTube

Based on 1990 SDR Article. Control systems act to make their own input match internal standards or reference signals. Competent control systems create illusions of stimulus response causality. Stimulus-response theory can approximate the relationship between disturbance and action, but it can't predict the consequences of behavior. These consequences are maintained despite disturbances. See also Double loop learning and Nurse Thinking Insights

This is a model depicting the interactions of the Aesop's Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."