Plenary: "A Model Simulator: The Lives of Jay W Forrester and the Creation of System Dynamics" with David Lane (Hybrid) on Monday, July 20, 2026, 12:00 PM
Room: Senaatszaal
Thread: Methodology
Duration: 45 minutes
Chairs: David Lane, Ellen O'Neill
Supports: Marjan Shamayeli, Özgün Çetinkaya
Watch RecordingA Model Simulator: The Lives of Jay W Forrester and the Creation of System Dynamics
Presenter: David Lane
Keywords: Learning and Teaching
This talk presented a treatment of Jay Wright Forrester’s life and achievements. The concentration is on the intellectual provenance, emergence and growth of system dynamics. For Forrester’s account of events see: Forrester, JW. 1992. From the Ranch to System Dynamics. In Management Laureates: A collection of autobiographical essays (vol. 1) (2018 reprint) ed. A. G. Bedeian, Routledge, Abingdon; pp. 335-370. For a detailed, highly illustrated and perhaps more easily-accessible description of Forrester’s life and the emergence of SD, see: Lane, DC. 2007. The Power of the Bond Between Cause and Effect: Jay Wright Forrester and the field of system dynamics. System Dynamics Review 23(2-3): 95-118: doi/10.1002/sdr.370 For a further consideration of how Forrester’s various experiences continue to shape the field, see: Lane, DC. 2022. Fons et origo: Reflections on the 60th anniversary of 'Industrial Dynamics'. System Dynamics Review 38(3): 292-324 doi.org/10.1002/sdr.1717