8/21/2008: 2008 ASysT Prize Seminar
The presentations and a video form the 2008 ASysT Prize Seminar are now available online. Go to the 2008 ASysT Prize section for more details.
7/24/2008: "Systems Thinking. Applied. A Primer" now available for download.
Systems Thinking. Applied. A Primer
Systems thinking provides a way of looking at problem situations and an approach to problem solution. First, view the problem as a whole system in a larger world. Do not break the problem into small pieces which in fact do not reflect the actual problem situation. Second, approach problem investigation and assessment in a systemic way. Problem assessment and solution function as a learning system; the system becomes the lens through which the problem is viewed.
Applied systems thinking further focuses the thinking by leveraging the tools and methods of both the engineering and organizational management communities. Both approaches fall within the larger systems thinking construct, but applied systems thinking specifically applies to the intersection or overlap region between the two approaches.
Systems Thinking. Applied. provides an overview of applied systems thinking. It presents a discussion of the systems thinking concept and a summary of principles and tools used in its execution. The paper also serves as a foundation to a larger e-book, currently under development, which will explore in more detail the application of systems thinking to problems of U.S. national significance. This future exploration will be conducted through the development of case studies illustrating principles and methods of systems thinking as applied to specific problems.
Available for download.
6/20/2008: CDC-NIH System Dynamics Collaborative Wins 2008 ASysT Prize
The CDC System Dynamics Collaborative Team has been chosen the winners of the Inaugural ASysT Prize. The team is comprised of Dr. Bobby Milstein, Dr. Jack Homer, Dr. Gary Hirsch, Dr. Diane Orenstein, Dr. Patty Mabry, Dr. Joyce Essien, Ms. Kris Wile, Mr. Drew Jones, and Mr. Kevin Klein. They have been selected for their work the System Dynamics Collaborative for Disease Control and Prevention. ..more