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Systems dynamics: a challenge to "enterprise" architecture?   Message List  
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Re: [erp4it] Systems dynamics: a challenge to "enterprise" architecture?

Stuart, your thoughtful post got flagged by Google as spam. Many apologies for the delayed acceptance.

On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 11:37 AM, Stuart Charlton <stuartcharlton@...> wrote:

I have Sterman's book and found it useful; when I was an EA I do recall a couple of colleagues that were influenced by (an older but still relevant view of system dynamics, IMO) both Stafford Beer's work on organizational cybernetics.  I also recently noticed that David Hay's book on requirements analysis (aligned to Zachman) included nearly a whole chapter on Beer's work. 

The challenge with using all of these in business architecture is  the specific organizational mindset - i still see a frightening number of executives that cannot grasp (or don't believe in!) emergent behaviour or non-linear effects.  They never let go of "Theory X".  

On the other hand I find groups that are goal-driven rather than process-driven may be inclined to it -- if their work isn't inherently repeatable or countable .. And attempts at making it so are flawed... 

eg. Think of a high-touch sales organization like enterprise software; the pipeline doesn't dictate the behavior, the account list v. quota goal does.  Yet enforcing ever more yield/probability driven process is a common way management tries to induce predictability, however flawed.  Continuous informal "system dynamics analysis"  in their accounts was how the better account executives got their large deals; too bad the sales management would not catch on.

Stu



Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:22 pm

alphas0ng
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Systems dynamics: a challenge to "enterprise" architecture? Followers of this site and IT Skeptic may have noticed a number of debates concerning industrial...
Charles Betz
alphas0ng
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Jan 4, 2009
4:04 pm

Charlie, I don't claim to be super-current on Systems Dynamics, but I was much into the same sort of thing in the 1970s (then called by names such as...
Oliver Sims
oliver_sims
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Jan 6, 2009
10:12 pm

I have Sterman's book and found it useful; when I was an EA I do recall a couple of colleagues that were influenced by (an older but still relevant view of...
Stuart Charlton
stuartcharlton
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Jan 31, 2009
2:19 pm

Stuart, your thoughtful post got flagged by Google as spam. Many apologies for the delayed acceptance. On Mon, Jan 5, 2009 at 11:37 AM, Stuart Charlton...
Charles Betz
alphas0ng
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Jan 31, 2009
2:22 pm
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