Abstract for: CLD Synthesis for Resolving Diverse Perspectives: Principles, Methods and a Case Illustration

Mental models needed in developing our models are captured in qualitative data that are messy. The information is often conflicting and incomplete – making it difficult to translate it into a causal loop diagram or simulation model. During the conceptualization phase, system dynamics modelers may need to elicit individual perspectives and (somehow) proceed to synthesize them into a diagram. Few articles explicitly discuss methods for resolving such diverse perspectives for model conceptualization, and we hope to fill this gap with our research. We describe principles and specific techniques that can be used to synthesize diverse perspectives into a causal loop diagram, illustrated with a case study.