Abstract for: Embedding Learning Aids in System Archetypes

This paper revisits the systems archetypes proposed in The Fifth Discipline. Authors believe there exists a framework, which explains how these archetypes arise. Besides, the framework helps integrate the archetypes and infer principles of organizational learning. It takes the system archetypes as problem archetypes and endeavors to suggest solution by embedding simple learning aids in the archetypes. Authors believe problem in the systems do not arise due to the failure of a single paramount decision-maker. More often than not the problems are manifestations of cumulative and compound failures of all players in the system. Since system dynamics does not account for the behavior of individual actors in the system and it accounts for the individual behavior only by aggregation the only way it can hope to improve the behavior of individual actors is by taking system thinking to their doorsteps.