Ulysse: a qualitative tool for eliciting mental models of complex systems Methodological approach and application to regional development in Atlantic Canada

摘要

Stakeholders involved in the definition of managerial prohlems perceive and internalize the complexity of these prohlems as mental models. These models are not always made explicit, which can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. This article presents Ulysse, a tool that enables stakeholders to progressively elicit their mental models as causal loop models. Ulysse uses web technologies that store information in a database and interactively display the modeling results. It is based on matrix calculation that facilitates statistical operations and provides better understanding of the model structure. Analysis and comparison of individual models reveal the most important variables and relationships among them as a basis for identifying key issues, divergent and convergent opinions between stakeholders. Ulysse has been tested in the context of regional economic development in Atlantic Canada. The tool was designed to support managers, during interviews, in building qualitative models of indicators.