| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 28: Avalanche |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Given a pole, participants must lower the pole to the ground without losing contact with the pole or allowing washers to fall off the ends.
Complex Systems Connection: Cause within System, Incorrect High-Leverage Policies. As participants attempt to reach a shared goal, the tendency is to blame one another for failure rather than looking at the underlying structure of the system Available at Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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 PDF
More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 29: Space for Living |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Given a set of rope circles, participants must find a way to have every person have both feet inside a circle. After each round, circles are removed until everyone must find space inside the last circle.
Complex Systems Connection: Ineffective Action. Participants must find a way to share a limited (and shrinking) resource. As they attempt to solve the problem, they must shift a mental model in order to successfully meet the goal. Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 3: Circles in the Air |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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While drawing a circle in the air, people view it from below and above to explore how seeing a system from different perspectives impacts beliefs about a system. Available from Chelsea Green Publishers |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 30: Group Juggle |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Participants in this group activity attempt to improve performance on a particular task.
Complex Systems Connection: Cause within System, Incorrect High-Leverage Policies. Participants attempt to improve performance by changing the structure of the system, but the action is only effective up to a point. Participants must change a mental model about the rules in order to create significant change in the system. Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 4: Thumb Wrestling |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Participants play a game with commonly known rules and goals.
Available from Chelsea Green Publishers.
Complex Systems Connection: Cause within System, Ineffective Action. Participant's mental models about the the system structure (the game) get in the way of significantly improving performance. As efforts increase, performance actually goes down. |
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PDF
More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 5: Chevreul’s Pendulum |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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This exercise can illustrate the power of a personal vision on the behavior of a system. Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 6: Warped Juggle |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Participants in this group activity attempt to improve performance as they toss an object among individuals in a particular order.
Complex Systems Connection: Cause within System, Incorrect High-Leverage Policies. Participants attempt to improve performance by changing the structure of the system, but the action is only effective up to a point. Participants must change a mental model about the rules in order to create significant change in the system.
Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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PDF
More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 7: Toothpick Teaser |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Using toothpicks to form a set of triangles illustrates how the problem definition affects the ability to solve it. Participants must shift a mental model to see beyond obvious strategies.
Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 8: Five Easy Pieces |
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Author(s):
Linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Without talking, teams work toward a group goal which requires the success of all individuals.
Complex Systems Connection: Short and Long Term Conflicts. Participants work to have each member of a team complete a task. Individuals on the team may complete the task (short term), but that completion can actually get in the way of the team completing the task (long term). The experience can also illustrate interdependencies within team structures.
Available from Chelsea Green Publishers. |
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PDF
More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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| The Systems Thinking Playbook Exercise 9: Community Maze |
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Author(s):
linda Booth Sweeney, & Dennis Meadows |
Subject:
Cross-Curricular |
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Teams must navigate through an invisible maze without talking. Through the experience, they can consider how system structure and mental models affect results.
Complex Systems Connection: Short and Long Term Conflicts. Conflicts can arise between the short term (seeing the individual events) and long term (seeing the patterns) while solving the maze. Available from Chelsea Green Publishers |
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More about the book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_systems_thinking_playbook:hardcover%20with%20dvd
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