Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World (Int'l Ed) (TMHE IE OVERRUNS)

I purchased this book while following a corporate course on Systems Dynamics. This is really one of the greatest textbooks I have ever had the chance to read. The wide possibilities of this modelisation technique are presented in a very progressive manner and with a lot of examples. The cases described in the book are worth the investment by themselves.The first chapter should in itself be a must-read for any decent manager as it presents some fundamental concepts on the learning cycles and people's mental models (and why they block most change initiatives). These concepts are widely present in change management litterature but this is one of the most accurate and simple description of the process I have ever read.Others sections of the book are also of tremendous value for anybody interested in process engineering, business change or strategy. The systems principles and some models described give an edge in understanding the key underlying causes to many business issues and how to deal with them in an adequate manner. (That is in most occasions not the most intuitive!)In summary, this book is really a must and I hope it will become (as Kotler's Marketing Management in its own area) the 'Bible' of Systems Dynamics.

This is the best economic alternative to the hardback edition. Great support from the seller. Recommended.

To buy this book is lose Your money. It is a disaster and it isa shame for MIT to lend its name to anybody like Sterman.To book i an endles talk and talk and TALK in 950 pages.The modelling is not there and if it happens to be there it is impossibleto anderstand. All what is said in the book is a common knowledgeknown by all living human beeings.Never has so little been said in so many pages...Sterman tries the best to fake his skill by present a referens listof 1100 referenses. I do not think he has read a single one.Before Sterman writes the next book I hope he will take an Intro coursein dynamical system an control theory at MIT.Bo Andersson

Sterman has produced a very comprehensive introduction to System Dynamics (SD) modelling for primarily business executives (or students in non-quantitative education programs). It is well written, will keep the reader engaged with both the style and examples and is relatively easy to digest. Little to no background in advanced maths is necessary to follow it or construct the examples mentioned and explained in the book (and provided on the accompanying CD).The book follows most basic building blocks that should be included in an introductory SD course and I found it quite useful in that context. The only real gap in such a use is that the space and attention devoted to validation of SD models are somewhat lacking, at least when compared to the other parts of the book.If, however you have a more quantitative background (maths, physics, engineering, etc.) many of the concepts will be familiar and then the book becomes more of a 'flick through' guide. The response from such users I have encountered was that it is often considered relatively basic.On top of that even a complete knowledge of the modelling concepts and approaches contained within will hardly make you anything but a novice when it comes to real SD modelling. Attempting to try and model real business problems with only the knowledge acquired in the book is more likely to lead to disaster than real insight - for that to happen some comprehensive further training / coaching is required - potentially explaining the relatively slow spread of SD in the business world.Finally none of that should detract from the really important work Sterman has done in the field of SD by writing this comprehensive work and everyone working in the field is well advised to keep a copy at hand.