ABSTRACT
Jay Wright Forrester is a scientist and professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His name will forever be associated with the concept of system dynamics, a technique for modelling systems as they develop over time, and one which encourages thinking about management-and a broad range of other issues-as something that happens in a constantly changing environment, rather than in static situations. His ideas and techniques have been widely diffused. Much of his influence on management has been indirect: system dynamics does not raise the instant cheer of recognition that accompanies terms such as, for example, management by objectives or core capabilities. Yet the influence of system dynamics can be seen in areas as various as forecasting, resource planning, organisation behaviour and the concept of the learning organisation. As twenty-first century managers learn to accept and manage through continuous change and ambiguity, system dynamics becomes an increasingly important concept.
