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The purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for the governance of 'modern' smart organisations that integrates IT‐based orientation to decision‐making, systems thinking through system dynamics modelling and cybernetics. The design of the proposed framework is based on the key role played by knowledge in the governance of organisations. The literature on ambidexterity, organisational learning, knowledge management and systems thinking is the adopted research background. A synthesis of the connection points between these fields is proposed within a theoretical framework named Smart Model‐based Organisations. The main result of this work is represented by the proposed Smart Model‐based Governance (SMbG) framework and an example of application. There are two main findings related to the contribution of the proposed framework: the overcoming of 'data‐based' approaches that favour rigidity in knowledge governance and the contribution of systems approaches that, increasing organisational involvement, improve knowledge governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy initiatives from the United Nations and EU institutions have emphasized the need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to fulfil a significant role in green transitioning. However, they tend to fall short of the achievement of this objective. Multiple studies indicate that HEIs assign high importance to the integration of environmental sustainability on a strategic level but generally lack dedicated policies of integration in operational aspects. This paper's research aim is to provide a meta-study that reviews, analyzes, and assesses the state of the art on research on HEI sustainability. The paper also contributes to the state-of-the-art by mapping institutional sustainability self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines in four prominent research areas: (1) sustainability integration in educational activities, pedagogical perspectives, and systemic transformations; (2) benchmarking sustainability of organizational transformation and operational optimization, and links between developmental priorities and educational settings; (3) whole-system approaches focusing on the design and implementation of whole-institution sustainability plans; and (4) HEI sustainability culture and operations. The paper's final contribution is the presentation of best practices and emerging trends in the literature. These practices were selected on the following qualitative methodological criteria based on the systems-thinking approach to whole-institution assessment: (1) the effectiveness of self-assessment models, tools, and guidelines in each respective research area; (2) the degree of integration of systems thinking and/or modeling; and (3) the incorporation of qualitative indicators for stakeholder engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a systemic model on the intertwined relations among managerialization, professionalization and firm economic performance, considering both business‐ and family‐specific features and issues. It sheds light on the role that, in the family business, the firm economic performance may play in favouring a positive development of both the business and the family itself. It aims at understanding how, in family businesses, the firm managerialization and professionalization may represent relevant drivers of firm performance. A Systems Thinking model based on causal loop diagrams was developed, to provide a clear framing of the interrelationships among the various aspects at stake. The conceptual model combines with systemic perspective all the variables and relationships that come into play when considering jointly the growth and development of the company and the family. This paper provides not only a conceptual background but also practical insights for family business' owners, managers and consultants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore and discuss the role of systems thinking and system dynamics-assisted games in enhancing critical thinking skills in learners. In more detail, the study relies on the use of a system dynamics-based interactive learning environment related to project management issues, followed by systems thinking-supported debriefing sessions. The interactive learning environment was developed and used in the form of a single-player, online, computer-based game. The game was designed to mimic all the necessary planning and operational activities needed to organize a wedding ceremony. The acquisition of critical thinking skills in learners was evaluated in three main ways: (1) players' performances were analyzed through a scoring system embedded in the game that considers several performance dimensions; (2) feedback from the players was collected and analyzed by using basic content analysis; (3) players' performances were analyzed using five main categories of structures that are typical of project management domains, i.e., project features, the rework cycle, project control, ripple effects, and knock-on effects. The findings show that the joint use of system dynamics and systems thinking tools and principles within a gaming environment has the potential to facilitate and enhance the acquisition of critical thinking skills in learners and may also provide valid support for educators and practitioners interested in the enhancement of project management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue focuses on proposing and analyzing systemic interdisciplinary approaches to support collaborative strategies and agreed-upon global sustainability policies toward addressing the challenges that lie ahead for our planet's future. The contributions target applications in system dynamics, systems thinking, discrete event simulation, agent-based modelling, and hybrid approaches and provide valuable qualitative and quantitative insights to guide the collaborative efforts of governments, institutions, organizations in general, and even the financial sector toward the next Conference of Parties (COP28). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper seeks to analyze and understand terrorism as a comprehensive process that, through various stages, transforms a "normal" individual with some grievances into a radicalized agent ready and available to be recruited and trained to perform terror attacks that produce casualties. The goal of this analysis is to produce recommendations regarding the leverage points in which policy interventions may be used to reduce the number of casualties that terror attacks in the west, and specifically in Europe, produce. To this end, the analysis is divided into two main sections. The first section will focus on a careful study of key literature regarding terrorism. A deep analysis is conducted in order to construct a qualitative understanding of radicalization and terrorism, finding common points among what is analyzed and developing a strong overview and understanding of the topic. The second section—the core of the paper—focuses on creating a novel System Dynamics model and on identifying leverage points. In this section, the System Dynamics model is used to construct a simulation model based on the findings from the first section. This model is then simulated on Silico.app® through various scenarios in order to identify leverage points in which policies would be best able to reach the stated goal of reducing casualties. Following these simulations, a few leverage points were evidenced, and some effective policies were also identified. The last section recaps the main findings of the analysis, its limitations and future extensions of the model (so to allow for deeper and more precise policy insight), and it is argued that System Dynamics can constitute a very powerful modeling approach in the context of counter terrorism policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing urbanization of the global population, policymakers and academia have shifted their attention toward mobility plans and inquiries on how to best design and implement them. Hence, in order to introduce meaningful and lasting mobility plans, coordination and addressing the needs of a wide number of stakeholders are required. Reaching such a broad target audience may appear challenging for policymakers; nonetheless, the employment of appropriate marketing techniques can make the different stakeholders aware of the problems at stake and inform them about the available solutions. However, the question of which marketing technique to use in order to increase the probability of success for the mobility plan still remains. The purpose of the current paper is to propose a hybrid method that can assist policymakers in categorizing the marketing techniques towards the sustainable urban mobility plan's steps, with the combination of Systems Thinking and modified Group Concept Mapping. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations to policymakers on which marketing technique appears to be the most appropriate under different conditions. The novelties of the paper are the combination of the two methodologies and the practical recommendations that could be useful by policymakers. Moreover, the paper illustrates an example of how to structure and more efficiently use evidence-based policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-security incidents show how difficult it is to make optimal strategic decisions in such a complex environment. Given that it is hard for researchers to observe organisations' decision-making processes driving cyber-security strategy, we developed a board game that mimics this real-life environment and shows the challenges of decision-making. We observed cyber-security experts participating in the game. The results showed that decision-makers who performed poorly tended to employ heuristics, leading to fallacious decision approaches (overreaction strategies in place of proactive ones), and were not always aware of their poor performances. We advocate the need for decision support tools that capture this complex dynamic nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to count on tools to help software professionals to evaluate the software process and how it may be affected by factors related to its deployment. Simulation models are a valuable means to illustrate the behaviour of such a process since scenario generation supports the prediction of potential outcomes and the prevention of undesired scenarios which are harmful to the process and the company in charge of the project to be developed. This work explores the effectiveness of introducing system dynamics (SD) models in the software engineers' process of understanding, from a management perspective, the software process dynamics. The used SD simulation model of the software process emphasises the representation of an iterative process. The COCOMO II model drivers and their main attributes were used, providing a set of reference factors that affect the software process, the estimation of project cost and the effort required. A set of 59 junior software professionals with no previous knowledge about SD participated in a validation study. For simple predictive scenarios, there was no important improvement effect, while for more complex predictive scenarios SD helped them to guess better and provide a rationale for the expected behaviour of the software process performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today natural water resources are becoming scarce, both due to global climate change but also due to irresponsible behaviour of human beings. Lakes are among the most delicate aquatic systems due to their limited size. The objective of this paper is to propose a System Dynamics model, employed in a real case study regarding the city of Rome and one of its water reserves, the Bracciano Lake, for the evaluation of different strategies and policies to reduce environmental impacts, considering different climatic and context scenarios. The results indicate that, as the system is currently exposed to a high risk of ecological disaster, the situation might worsen, and the disaster effectively happen. Simulation models may help agencies and administrations to explore policies and find solutions to address this fundamental problem, that may become even worst over the next years, given the potential severe consequences deriving from the current global warming trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, our society is increasingly becoming economically and socially dependent on the cyberspace. However, the cyberspace is exposed to numerous risks, and there is a constant threat of exploitable vulnerabilities, which could cause significant reputational and economic damages. For addressing these threats, the Italian National Cyber Security Framework was developed to offer an approach to assessing cyber risks into organizations, as well as to help improve the related security through focused investments. Still, this evaluation is not a straightforward endeavour. Using the principles of the Systems Thinking paradigm, this work puts into causal relationships the self‐assessment risk‐categories by associating them to the various aspects of an organization structure used as a case study (composed of business areas and process). Finally, it presents a systemic causal‐effect relationship map capable of evidencing how a change in one or more categories could impact other security‐related elements of the company. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of cyberterrorism, despite its contested nature, is an important area of research. Scholars agree that the most dangerous targets for such attacks are critical infrastructure and organizations that are vital to society due to their interconnectedness to the modern world and their increasing reliance on the cyber domain for their operations. Thus, their security and protection against cyberterrorism is of elevated importance. Given the lack of documented cases of cyberterrorism, the purpose of this article is to simulate the threat of a terrorist act on a critical infrastructure, using a computer virus and to investigate how the individual behavior of employees affects security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]