In a causal loop diagram of a systemic issue, variables are connected in cause-and-effect relationships. But often the implicit thought processes behind those links…

Experiential activities have long been recognized as powerful ways to learn. Simulations create an environment where people can encounter many of the challenges and…

I recently got around to reading an influential book on …well, influence. Originally published in 1984, Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (reprinted…

The behaviors of all ecological and human systems result from cause-and-effect links that make up reinforcing (positive) or balancing (negative) feedback loops. Generally speaking,…

In the summer of 2006, a group of local foundations supported the leaders of Calhoun County Michigan (population 100,000), in developing a 10-year plan…

Every manager has white space in his or her day. Successful managers take advantage of their white space and use it as a time…

It was an early November day in Massachusetts, when forecasters of both the weather and the economy agreed that the outlook was bleak. My…

These are trying times for the field of knowledge management. Shunned by many as little more than yesterday’s information technology trotted out in today’s…

For a leader, few experiences compare with the gut-wrenching discovery that you are unprepared to face a changing reality. It’s even worse if you…

Systems thinking has been described as a language for talking about the complex, interdependent issues managers face every day. Within that framework, causal loop…