Untangling Complexity – A Summer School Report. Thinking and modelling systems-oriented solutions for sustainability

Stefano Guzzo Bonifacio, EIT Food RIS Fellow 

During September, (12-16th), I attended a summer school, “Thinking and modelling systems-oriented solutions for sustainability”, organised by System Dynamics Italian Chapter with Fondazione Alessandro Volta (Villa del Grumello, Como – IT). 

System Dynamics is a computer-based mathematical modelling approach for strategy development and better decision making in complex systems, developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA) Professor Jay W Forrester in the mid 1950s. Systems Dynamics provides tools and methods to analyse and solve problems arising in complex socio-economic systems (economic, social, managerial, political, public health or etc.). Unlike Systems Thinking, System Dynamics quantifies relations between variables to develop a view of the behaviour of the system over time through computer simulations. Lectures, however, focused on the qualitative approach of system dynamics. 

By attending this course, I have learned more about how to apply this methodology in my MSc and EuroFIR’s activities. Also, I learned how to use Silico, Stella and Vensim software. 

First example (below) was created to investigate the best policy for fishermen to ensure long term sustainable profit and maintain fish stocks. 

This second model investigates hiring policies for a company to avoid major delays in product delivery when faced with inconstantly increases in orders. 
The course also included lectures from Dennis Meadows, the Italian minister for infrastructures and sustainable mobility, Enrico Giovannini, and Professor and coordinator of the Italian network of universities for sustainable development, Patrizia Lombardi. 

One particularly interesting topic was group model building, created to coordinate interdisciplinary groups into a better understanding of the effects of their decisions. This topic represents an effective way for managers, or indeed policymakers, to ensure decisions consider knowledge and expertise from other sources, leading to better decisions on how to tackle business or societal problems. 

During the summer school, I had the chance to improve my professional network and met individuals from different backgrounds and work interests including Emiliano Carbone, a senior business designer for Tangity, part of NTT DATA Design Network. Emiliano has worked with many Italian and international companies to improve automation in their operations. His ideas might help EuroFIR to improve operations through AI and software automation and could be useful to develop future EC projects.