Industrial Perspective The Business Opportunity for Systems Thinking Douglas McKelvie The Symmetric Partnership LLP

Industrial Perspective The Business Opportunity for Systems Thinking System Dynamics Key Concepts Systems Thinking combined with Computer Simulation multiple applications in Health and Social Care Applies an operational understanding of things to strategic thinking “Whole system” strategic service planning Problems that cross organisational or functional boundaries Interconnections between population need, a presenting problem, an intervention, its impact on the whole (e.g. cost) Conceptual toolkit of stocks, flows, causal relationships, feedback loops, “change over time”, “system as cause” explanations (not always) Methodology, lends itself to participative approaches such as Group Modelling Building using iterative learning cycle Advances in computer technology make “productisation” of SD models more possible

Industrial Perspective The Business Opportunity for Systems Thinking Opportunities Changing landscape of commissioning, SD provides a means of facilitating discussion / negotiation between commissioners and providers Renewed emphasis on Public Health “Integration” agenda between health and social care Need to build bridges with “health economics” approaches Challenges Nobody is required to have a “model”; most organisations choose to plan without a formal model Supply of practitioners is limited (hence need for Cumberland Initiative); what would happen if everyone suddenly wanted a model?

Industrial Perspective The Business Opportunity for Systems Thinking hundreds potential adopters tens adopters ??? ex-users quality pressure on capacity word of mouth innovation N = ? practitioners more detail Government Departments Clinical Commissioning Groups (212) and clusters Health and Wellbeing Boards (152 LA’s) “commissioning support” Providers too And that is just England +

Industrial Perspective The Business Opportunity for Systems Thinking How to get OR graduates to follow a career in Health / Care Sector How to get interest of people from the domain How can experienced people effect a career change? How to identify and work with the facilitators and translators Models of delivery of simulation and modelling Support for existing practitioners to ensure retention Supporting Practice: Some Challenges for the Cumberland Initiative