Group model building: problem structuring, policy simulation and decision support

Andersen, David F.; Vennix, J.A.M.; Richardson, George P.; Rouwette, E.A.J.A.

doi:10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602339

Cited by 221 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Group model building is the process of building or refining a systems model by working directly with a small group of experts and/or representatives from a client organisation (( (Andersen et al 2007), (Andersen & Richardson 1997), (Vennix 1996) …”

Section: Group Model Buildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and cities: problem structuring methods and critical perspectives on low-carbon districts

Freeman¹,

Yearworth²

2017

Energy Research & Social Science

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Cities around the world have set climate change mitigation targets, yet actions to implement these targets have so far proved inadequate. Better methodology is needed to support this impetus for action.Problem structuring methods (PSMs) enable improvements to be made in wicked problem situations; they appear to have potential to improve climate change mitigation actions but they are difficult to carry out in highly pluralist problem contexts. A case study (STEEP) that applied a PSM to support lowcarbon urban energy master planning in three cities is presented. The STEEP methodology was effective in reducing the wickedness of the problem but issues of a lack of clarity on problem ownership and lack of interessement were seen. A reflective boundary critique study found that there was a mismatch between power and interest amongst key stakeholders towards the low-carbon vision. Three key issues identified in the case study were discussed through the lens of critical systems thinking: (i) the need for new competencies, (ii) dealing with wickedness, and (iii) behavioural complexity and discordant reference systems. The paper suggests how these issues might be improved through the application of non-PSM theories which can support the use of PSMs in improving city-level climate change mitigation.Key Words: Problem structuring methods; problematisation; Boundary Critique; climate change mitigation; critical systems thinking IntroductionRecent decades have seen slow and insufficient progress on climate change mitigation -the reduction of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to below a "safe" level, as recommended by climate science (Edenhofer et al. 2014). Climate change mitigation has been described as a "wicked" problem (Rittel 2There is much potential for cities to play an active role in climate change mitigation. A 40% reduction in carbon emissions from UK cities could be possible by 2020 just from investing in cost-effective lowcarbon technologies (Sullivan et al. 2013). City governments often control some of the key factors related to carbon emissions such as land use planning, building regulations, public transport, and waste management (Kousky & Schneider 2003). Across the world, cities are joining together to support each other in the goal of transitioning to a low-carbon future (for example, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (www.c40.org) and Local Governments for Sustainability (www.iclei.org)). In reality, however, low-carbon cities are difficult to achieve. A study of eight new-build eco-cities found that the idea of building smart, sustainable cities is still relatively new and unproven, with projects being To guide the reader through the rest of this paper, a brief description of the main sections follows:• Section 2, Background -Perspectives on Urban Climate Change Mitigation: A review of the literature on the nature of the problem of climate change mitigation at the city level, including barriers to mitigation, ideological perspectives from social science, and governance mechanisms that ha...

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Section: Group Model Buildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change and cities: problem structuring methods and critical perspectives on low-carbon districts

Freeman¹,

Yearworth²

2017

Energy Research & Social Science

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“…It has yet to be brought into any discussion of its paradigm but its roots in mathematics must surely place it firmly within hard systems. As far as we are aware it has not been noticed as a PSM by the Soft OR community and ideally ISM needs to be critically reviewed, both with respect to its positioning within multimethodology but also for its potential use as an enhancement to the group model building approaches from the system dynamics community (Andersen, Vennix, Richardson, & Rouwette, 2007;Rouwette, Korzilius, Vennix, & Jacobs, 2011;Vennix, 1996;Vennix, Andersen, Richardson, & Rohrbaugh, 1992).…”

Section: On the Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The uses of qualitative data in multimethodology: Developing causal loop diagrams during the coding process

Yearworth

White²

2013

European Journal of Operational Research

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-In this research note we describe a method for exploring the creation of causal loop diagrams (CLDs) from the coding trees developed through a grounded theory approach and using computer aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). The theoretical background to the approach is multimethodology, in line with Minger's description of paradigm crossing and is appropriately situated within the Appreciate and Analyse phases of PSM intervention. The practical use of this method has been explored and three case studies are presented from the domains of organisational change and entrepreneurial studies. The value of this method is twofold; i) it has the potential to improve dynamic sensibility in the process of qualitative data analysis, and ii) it can provide a more rigorous approach to developing CLDs in the formation stage of system dynamics modelling. We propose that the further development of this method requires its implementation within CAQDAS packages so that CLD creation, as a precursor to full system dynamics modelling, is contemporaneous with coding and consistent with a bridging strategy of paradigm crossing.Keywords-multimethodology; paradigm crossing; qualitative data analysis; causal loop diagrams (CLDs); computer aided qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS); problem structuring methods (PSMs)

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“…We decided to use group model-building workshops to elicit data (both qualitative and quantitative) from the client (Andersen and Richardson 1997;Richardson, Andersen, and Luna-Reyes 2005;Vennix 1999;Andersen et al 2007). Two group model-building workshops were held.…”

Section: Research Design-group Model-building Workhopsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing information security risks during new technology adoption

Qian

Fang

González

2012

Computers & Security

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In the present study, we draw on previous system dynamics research on operational transition and change of vulnerability to investigate the role of incident response capability in controlling the severity of incidents during the adoption of new technology.Towards this end, we build a system dynamics model using the Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry as the context. The Norwegian Oil and Gas Industry has started to adopt new information communication technology to connect its offshore platforms, onshore control centers, and suppliers. In oil companies, the management is generally aware of the increasing risks associated with operational transition; however, to date, investment in incident response capability has not been highly prioritized because of the uncertainty related to risks and the present reactive mental model of security risk management. The model simulation shows that a reactive approach to security risk management might trap the organization into blindness to minor incidents and low incident response capability, which can lead to severe incidents. The system dynamics model can serve as a means to promote proactive investment in incident response capability.

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Group model building: problem structuring, policy simulation and decision support

Cited by 221 publications

References 32 publications

Climate change and cities: problem structuring methods and critical perspectives on low-carbon districts

Climate change and cities: problem structuring methods and critical perspectives on low-carbon districts

The uses of qualitative data in multimethodology: Developing causal loop diagrams during the coding process

Managing information security risks during new technology adoption

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