We humans make mental ‘maps’ of processes around us in order to live and survive. Many of those maps are simplified, based on a limited set of acquired habits and experienced events. The maps also tend to assume single and linear relationships between causes and effects. Assuming that more cars (A) cause more traffic accidents (B), I avoid travelling on busy days. Expecting climate change (A) to increase the number of refugees (B), I may be motivated to reduce my carbon footprint. Of course, upon reflection we usually understand that reality is more complex. There are many causes and many effects and they are linked in various directions and strengths. System thinking is the method par excellence to acquire and deepen insights from acknowledging real-world complexity.

One of the good educational texts on system thinking – and relatedly system analysis and system dynamics – is a report by Haraldson of Lund University. It starts with a qualitative description of elementary system concepts, such as system boundary, feedbacks, causal loop diagrams (CLDs) and delays, illustrated with simple examples on population growth, urban employment, industrial pollution and trade conflict. The author then introduces Reference Behaviour Pattern (RBP) and Observed Behaviour Pattern (OBP) as a way to connect available empirical data to the anticipated system behaviour over time. In this way, the structural features of the system as represented in a CLD can be explored – for instance whether the system will show oscillations in one or more key variables.

The document ends with listing 8 steps in order to construct, as a team and guided by the research question, a CLD. It lists also 7 rules to phrase CLDs correctly and reflects on the role of goal and hypotheses. The author stresses that the modelling effort is not generating some kind of definitive model, but instead is to be considered a continuous learning process. If you intend to make – simple – system dynamic models of aspects of your research, this text is really helpful. It can be combined with the book Thinking in systems (2008) by Donella Meadows, which is of a similar level, and the book Business Dynamics (2000) by John Sterman for more advanced study. The last chapter contains a couple of exercises. The report can be downloaded from http://cmap.crs.org.pl:4444/rid=1244140954250_1167059429_1461/Introduction%20to%20Systems%20and%20Causal%20Loop%20Diagrams.pdf .

Other literature

https://www.sustainabilityscience.eu/a-simple-introdu…hordur-haraldson/

Kim, D. (1994/2000). Systems Archetypes I-III. Pegasus Communication Inc. Waltham USA

Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in Systems. Chelsea Green Publishing, Vermont

Randers, J. (Ed.) (1980). Elements of the system dynamics method. Productivity Press, Cambridge Mass

Roberts, N., D. Andersen, R. Deal, M. Garet and W. Shaffer (1983). Introduction to computer simulation – A system dynamics approach. New York, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

Sterman, J. (2000). Business Dynamics – Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World. Boston: McGraw Hill

Stroh, D. (2015). Systems Thinking For Social Change A Practical Guide to Solving Complex Problems, Avoiding Unintended Consequences, and Achieving Lasting Results. Chelsea Green Publishing Co.