Abstract for: Measuring Group Model Building Intervention Impact Through Preference Elicitation

This paper addresses a gap in the System Dynamics literature (henceforth SD) concerning the application of judgment models in the course of an SD intervention with the purpose of supporting and measuring the pertinence of this intervention. More specifically it regards the importance and implications of detecting changes in individual participant preference structures in a Group Model Building setting, where consensus-building and shared understanding of a problem situation are a key deliverable. The main propositions of this work are that eliciting individual preferences from participants in the beginning and the end of the intervention can: (1) inform us about potential interpersonal conflicts on a value level, and (2) help us detect (measure) the effect of the intervention on the individual preference structures of participants. The paper refers to past efforts in attempting a multi-methodology approach towards the inclusion of preferences in System Dynamics through a combination with judgment models on a simulation level. In contrast to those attempts, this paper suggests that a combination might also be appropriate and more actionable on a group process level. Finally, the paper reviews the applicability of alternative methodologies for measuring individual preferences in a group setting.