We pursue our mission with a commitment to evidence-based practice, social justice, and capacity building. The principles of system dynamics serve as the foundation for our work.

System dynamics is a method for understanding, designing, and managing change.  It models the various relationships between elements of a particular system and how these relationships influence the behavior of the system over time.  For example, how do aspects of culture, livelihood, education, and environment impact the adoption of a new public policy or a new prevention treatment? 

In the SSD Lab, we work in collaboration with others to take what we know about the details around us and develop computerized models. These models enable us to visualize, communicate, and analyze interconnected issues.

According to Jay Forrester, founder of system dynamics, what we often learn is that most of our own decision-making policies are the cause of many social problems that we often blame on others.  System dynamics can help us to both identify the root causes of the problems and identify and model potential solutions. 

Please see the Social System Design Lab and Group Model Building fact sheets for more information.

Social System Design Lab Fact Sheet