Using a Group Decision Support System to add Value to Group Model Building

Abstract

This note intends to contribute to the practice of group model building by presenting group model-building scripts that can (1) create a preliminary problem boundary using less than one hour of group time, (2) convene discussions with the group that explicitly link dynamic structure with system behaviour, and (3) allow participants to “zoom” between a micro and a macro view of system structure. These scripts may be used during early phases of problem structuring. They build on an extended program of inquiry dating back to the Stirling System Dynamics Conference of 1994, and they utilize a well-established group decision support system to facilitate group discussion, negotiation, and decision.