Abstract for: From Maps to Meaning: Leveraging Stock and Flow Thinking for Operational Insights at PepsiCo

PEPSICO’s Global Ag Team wanted to understand how to better understand and address their global potato supply chain; the chain spanned multiple functions, geographies, and long-term time horizons. They needed to create a systemic view of interdependencies between their producers (agriculture), product R&D, solutions development, and sustainability goals. An upcoming global meeting limited the ability to apply a comprehensive system dynamics modeling approach. We used the stock and flow language to facilitate mapping sessions prior to PEPSICO's 2025 Global Ag summit. The team learned to use and mentally simulate stock and flow structures, see potential systems archetypes, identify feedback loops, and understand leverage points. Team members facilitated small groups; they then presented to the larger group, where they explored sectoral and cross-system dynamics. Participants identified several high-level strategic areas that needed further exploration due to their potential impact on PEPSICO goals. Conversations illuminated the necessity of orchestrating the R&D pipeline optimally, suggesting simulation modeling might provide guidance. Attendees created a more operational mental model of organizational learning and identified how a Success to the Successful dynamic might hinder resilient, sustainable supply systems. Organizations can achieve significant systemic insights through structured conversation and visual mapping using the stock and flow language. Although full system dynamics modeling could increase confidence, this approach generated actionable insights. The success suggests conversational systems thinking serves as both modeling precursor and standalone tool for building organizational systems thinking capacity.