The System Dynamics Group was founded some 40 years ago at MIT by Professor Jay W. Forrester who wrote, "System dynamics combines the theory, methods, and philosophy needed to analyze the behavior of systems not only in management, but also in environment

IAP Course 15.973
Sustainable Solutions:

A
System Dynamics Approach
in Organizations
and
the Environment

January 26-29, 1999

Available for credit
or non-credit

Presented by
Professor John D. Sterman
Professor Nelson Repenning
Laura Black
Brad Morrison
Nan Lux

System Dynamics Group
Sloan School of Management
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts
02139

Tuesday, January 26, 1999
9:00 AM - Noon
Location: 16-160
Face to Face with Dynamic Complexity
Games that help us articulate how complexity affects us individually and collectively
Presented by Dennis Meadows,
University of New Hampshire

1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Location: 16-160
Making Complexity Explicit for Intervention's Sake
Introduction to the syntax of causal loops, using examples from the morning session's exercises
Presented by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

3:00 - 5:00 PM
Location: 16-160
Taking Games Seriously: The Role of Simulations in Learning
Presented by Vanessa Colella,
Media Lab, MIT

Wednesday, January 27, 1999
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Location: 16-160
Sustainable Solutions for the Environment
Working with Next Step and other leading environmental initiatives
Presented by Peter Senge,
Society for Organizational Learning and MIT

1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: 16-160
The Power of Structure: The Beer Game
MIT’s hallmark interactive introduction to the idea that structure shapes individual and group performance
Presented by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

Thursday, January 28, 1999
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Location: E52 Basement Trading Room
The Difference Between Debt and Deficit and Other Basics of Stocks and Flows
An introduction to the building blocks of system dynamics and a tutorial in simple simulations with Vensim PLE
Presented by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

10:45 - 12:30 PM
Location: E52 Basement Trading Room
A Common Language for Complexity
More of the basics of continuous simulation, including molecules common to many simulations
Presented by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

1:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: E52 Basement Trading Room
Expect the Unexpected: Interactive Modeling of the AIDS Contagion
Presentation and discussion of a simple model portraying the dynamics of an epidemic and possible points of intervention
Presented by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

Friday, January 29, 1999
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Location: 16-160
On the Ethics of Choosing a Time Horizon
Presented by Jay Forrester,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

10:30 - 11:00 AM
Coffee and refreshments

11:00 AM - Noon
Location: 16-160
Discussion: Moving Toward Sustainable Solutions in Business, Health, and the Environment
Facilitated by Brad Morrison, Laura Black,
System Dynamics Group, MIT

**************

An Invitation to Join Us

Please come and participate in hands-on simulation games, computer-based case studies, discussions, lectures and other exercises designed to increase your intuitive understanding of complex systems. No previous computer experience is needed. Any session can be taken alone, although there will be a linkage of concepts throughout the sessions.
Registration
Please register on the IAP web site. Please note that this course is available for 2 units credit.