Group model building (GMB) is a participatory method for involving stakeholders in the process of developing system dynamics models. GMB has historically consisted of undocumented structured small-group exercises. This paper describes an effort to document GMB scripts called Scriptapedia, and how documented GMB scripts can be used to design more effective GMB sessions that address cultural and ideological barriers to collaboration. A case study of a project to develop a coordinated community response to domestic violence is used to illustrate the use of scripts for planning collaboration. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential limitations of scripts and implications for future research.

Ongoing research in the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy is focusing on strategies for efficient and effective model building in groups. The intent is to involve a relatively large client group in the business of model formulation, not just conceptualization. Recent projects have explored strategies for accelerated group model building in the context of three public policy problem areas: the burgeoning cost and caseload of foster care in New York State, recent unexplained increases in Medicaid costs in the state of Vermont, and homelessness policy initiatives in New York City.Five roles appear to be essential to support effective group model building efforts. We term the five roles the facilitator, the modeler/reflector, the process coach, the recorder, and the gatekeeper. This article identifies the five roles, briefly overviews the three problem areas, sketches the design of the group model building efforts, outlines the apparent results, and hypothesizes principles and strategies to guide future group modeling efforts.

This paper explains a systematic way to code qualitative text data to generate causal maps for system dynamics modeling. The study was motivated by the important role qualitative data play in system dynamics and the need for formal methods to document the interpretive process of using text data in modeling. The coding method elucidated in the study was influenced by grounded theory, a flexible, yet rigorous way to build a theory from raw qualitative data. The inductive nature of grounded theory generation fits well with the conceptualization phase of simulation modeling. This paper uses verbatim transcripts from the Federal Open Market Committee meetings to illustrate the coding and mapping process, and it provides practical guidelines for systematic and reliable ways to ground simulation models in qualitative text data in order to build higher levels of confidence in models. Copyright © 2012 System Dynamics Society.