Systems Thinking Workshop

Using Causal Loop Diagrams

Purpose

This workshop is intended to enable attendees to enhance their systems thinking awareness by working in small groups to illustrate a cause and effect landscape of an issue or dysfunction of their choosing, and derive strategies to resolve them.

In this workshop participants will learn:

• How to use Causal Loop Diagrams to map out the cause and effect landscape
• Uncover complimentary and opposing dynamics in the system
• Derive strategies to resolve or enhance specific dynamics in the system
• For inspiration watch the Hurricanes and Aerosols Simulation video.

Format

Demonstrate the causal loop diagram approach

1. Pick a system of choice with the attendees e.g. an Agile program of work with numerous teams
2. Identify the goals to be achieved as a starting point to the diagram
3. On a whiteboard write the goal(s) and begin to map out the causes and effects, and their relationships
4. Challenge the attendees to identify which causes and effects, and their relationships to draw in the diagram
5. After a while challenge the attendees to see patterns and reinforcing loops in the diagram
6. Ask the attendees what strategies they could put in place to leverage or remedy the patterns

Enable the attendees to experience drawing their own causal loop diagrams

1. Ask the attendees to pair up and share a whiteboard - you may need numerous whiteboards or a large drawing space for this
2. Ask the attendees to derive a goal to be explored and write these on their drawing spaces
3. Encourage the attendees to draw out the causal loop diagrams in their pairs
4. Encourage the attendees to identify any patterns or reinforcing loops in their diagrams
5. Ask the attendees to derive strategies to leverage or remedy the patterns
6. Encourage the attendees to draw additions to the diagram if the strategies were employed
7. Ask each of the pairs to present to other pairs in the group their findings

Closure

1. Finish up with a round up of what approaches were taken during the workshop and what observations were seen
2. Ask the pairs what will they do when they go back to their working roles