Environmental practitioners may find cooperative modeling an effective
tool to address complex environmental management needs. The method
involves convening a multidisciplinary team to collaboratively construct a
system dynamics model. Advances in computational tools have made this
technique increasingly effective because the process and the product allow
individuals to better understand the complexity inherent in the system
being studied. The authors describe four cooperative modeling projects and
document some of the “lessons learned” from these experiences.
Two of these projects were largely academic and team members were all
professionals who agreed to work together to build a model. The other two
teams were convened to contribute to water management processes. One of
these emanated from a regional planning exercise and the team included
professionals and volunteers from the public. The final project team
presented includes professionals, members of the public, and government
agency personnel. Like any multidisciplinary effort, the teams encountered
communication challenges. The overarching lessons derived from these
efforts are that teams can never pay too much attention to group dynamics
and that the proximity to a “real” management decision does
influence the cooperative modeling process. Recommendations to others
embarking on a cooperative modeling effort include reviewing the
literature regarding previous projects; establishing clear guidelines for
team interaction early in the project; and remaining flexible, to allow
the project to evolve.