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MindWalk
ConsultingFormal Models of Systems Archetypes, A. M. Dowling and R. H. MacDonald (under revision for publication in the System Dynamics Review, 1998).
Abstract for Formal Models of Systems Archetypes
In recent years an important component of the research and practitioner agenda in the field of system dynamics has focused on the definition and use of archetypal structures. Although the primary objective of such research is to develop an intrinsic set of system structures that can be used to categorize insights in dynamic systems, the ultimate goal is to provide an effective mechanism by which information can be transferred from a system dynamics model to a client in an easy-to-comprehend manner. To date, a number of archetypal structures have been presented by Richmond, Senge, and Wolstenholme. This paper discusses seven systems archetypes presented by Senge (1990): balancing process with delay, limits to growth, shifting the burden, eroding goals, escalation, success to the successful, and fixes that fail. By developing sets of precise code and simulating the models, the authors document the written descriptions of these archetypal structures and explore the extent to which the structures behave as expected. The authors demonstrate that the development of formal models for systems archetypes is not an easy task.
System Dynamics Perspective on Reducing Traffic Safety Deaths in New York State, R. H. MacDonald. In Proceedings of the International Forum on Traffic Records and Highway Information Systems, held in Minneapolis, MN, July 1998
System Dynamics As A Tool For traffic Safety Management, Kenneth Carpenter, Executive Director, New York Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. In Proceedings of the International Forum on Traffic Records and Highway Information Systems, held in Minneapolis, MN, July 1998
