Organizational Development for Knowledge Management at Water ...

9. If a link between two terms
is not clear to others and
requires a lot of explaining,
the variables probably
need to be redefined or an
intermediate term needs to
be inserted. ―Higher
demand‖ leading to lower
―Quality‖ may be less
obvious than when
―Production Pressure‖ is
inserted in between.
10. A short-cut to determining
whether a loop is balancing
(B) or reinforcing (R) is to
count the number of ―o’s‖
in the loop. An odd
number of ―o’s‖ indicates a
balancing loop, an even
number (or none) means it
is a reinforcing loop.
CAUTION: After labeling
the loop, you should
always talk yourself around
the loop and make sure the
story agrees with your R or
B label.
The Department of the Navy (DON) used causal loops as part of their systems approach to
implementing knowledge management. (See the Department of Navy Case Study.) On page
10 of the study, there is a causal loop that links the DON information technology investment to
an increase in the amount of data, information and knowledge available which in turn increases
decision-making complexity. The balancing loops they put in place address knowledge
management implementation at the individual, organizational and enterprise levels.
Expected Outcomes:
Improved problem solving.
A useful technique for simplifying complicated relationships and identifying key variables
within a situation.
Identification of causal relationships and specific changes that may be needed to control
or ―change‖ the system.
Identification of standard or universal system archetypes that are found in many systems
or situations that may quickly illuminate the sources of behavior of the system.
See: Case Example #4 (Chrysler Corporation)
Case Example #5 (Natural Resources Canada)
Department of the Navy Case Study
Tools: Collaborative Problem Solving Forum
Concept Mapping
Force Field Analysis
__________________________
References:
Senge, P. (1990). The Fifth Discipline. New York: Doubleday.
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