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.
Often times there are a number of parameters in a model you want to set to specific values and run the model to demonstrate a particular behavior. When there are several variables involved remembering the setup is often difficult and takes time. And can you demonstrate the behavior when you're not there? Developing scenarios with Button scripts is a quick way to overcome these difficulties.
This is the model of the collaborative model development process which is being developed in a collaborative method to help understand what guidelines might be developed to aid in the model development.
When we're trying to understand a situation it is often very helpful to have a sense of the historical trends of several dimensions relevant to the situation.
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.
A Tragedy of the Commons situation exists whenever two or more activities, each, which in order to produce results, rely on a shared limited resource. Results for these activities continue to develop as long as their use of the limited resource doesn't exceed the resource limit. Once this limit is reached the results produced by each activity are limited to the level at which the resource is replenished. See also Archetypes.
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.
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.
The predicament forcing us toward virtual collaboration and our learning about relationships is hopefully encouraging us toward the systemic perspective.
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.
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.
Causal loop diagrams are more rigorous than rich pictures though are still only contain a very few elements with well defined rules for connecting them.
You've probably heard the comment "It's the economy stupid!" Well I've finally concluded that when it comes to the economy "It's stupidity stupid!" might be a more appropriate phrase.
