WS5		OT2004 Session Systems archetypes -- diagnosing system issues and designing high-leverage interventions
		Learning to recognize and represent systemic problems and using archetypes to take effective actions Monday March, 13:45
		workshop -    150 minutes
		Martine Devos Diane Gibson
Session results	When available, can be found at SystemsArchetypesDiagnosingSystemIssuesAndDesigningHighleverageInterventionsSessionResults??
Abstract	Systems thinking can be thought of as a language. It helps a look at the world in a different way and it affects our thoughts. By speaking the language of feedback loops, we can learn to see and talk about complex interactions of circular causality on our projects and on our organizations. Using archetypes we learn to focus and understand feedback structures that produce undesirable "side-effects". Identifying and charting patterns over time can help us design more adaptive responses. This is important especially in situations where we have too little (time, resources...) or too much (defects, complaints) of something. This workshop introduces causal loop thinking, system dynamics and archetypes through stories (children's). I provides and easy to use structure (a tree of archetypes) for capturing our own stories.
Audience	Anybody interested in systems thinking and in system dynamics, in project improvements Beginners, intermediate and experienced (can help facilitate sub-groups)
Benefits	People can use the archetypes to become more effective at tackling problems in their organizations and on their projects. The archetypes can be used as diagnostic tools for developing understanding of current project situation and current reality. They can be used as planning tools, helping participants to anticipate future consequences and plan for them. Archetypes can be used as theory-building tools to help grow a body of knowledge and patterns and to help in building solid cases for our requests for project support and improvements. examples: Use Fixes that fail to get of the Problem-solving reactive treadmill Use Shifting the burden to break gridlock in testing/development issues Use growth and underinvestment in improving estimations use success to the successful to avoid competency traps
Materials	Stories for initial exploration of archetypes (children's books) Postcards and newspaper clips for application handouts 2 page pocket-guide for using the archetypes (with examples, interventiion guidelines) Forest of archetypes sheet to help exploration of the materials during the session Some public domain articles