Please note that faculty are subject to change and not all faculty teach in each session of the program.

• 

  J. Bradley Morrison

  Senior Lecturer
  MIT Engineering Systems Division
  

  Brad Morrison studies dynamically complex problems in organizations, organizational change, and management using the tools of system dynamics. His research centers on why organizations find it difficult to do what they want to do. Morrison focuses on implementation problems, which he has studied in several contexts, such as process improvement settings and firms adopting the practices of lean manufacturing... ... (more)

  Brad Morrison studies dynamically complex problems in organizations, organizational change, and management using the tools of system dynamics. His research centers on why organizations find it difficult to do what they want to do. Morrison focuses on implementation problems, which he has studied in several contexts, such as process improvement settings and firms adopting the practices of lean manufacturing. He tries to understand why some cases lead to successful implementation, while others lead to failures. For example, why do apparently well-intended actions often lead to outcomes that differ greatly from people?s intentions? How do the actions some managers take foster the very problems they are attempting to solve? His research is strongly rooted in organizational theory, with a methodological emphasis on interpretation through the lens of system dynamics.

  Over a 20-year career with a leading management consulting firm, Morrison has assisted dozens of organizations that wrestle with change in areas such as product development and supply chain management. His consulting clients have included agencies of the United States and other governments, global consumer products firms, major retailers, and professional services firms. He has extensive experience in Asia, having worked in 11 countries on projects for clients from North America, Asia, and Europe.

  Morrison teaches at MIT in the System Design and Management program, the Leaders for Manufacturing program, Executive Education programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program. He is a senior scientist in the Pre-Conflict Anticipation and Shaping research team at MIT. Morrison teaches courses in business dynamics, operations management, and supply chain management in the MBA program at Brandeis University?s International Business School.

  He holds a PhD in management (system dynamics and organization studies) from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and undergraduate degrees in chemistry and management science from MIT. (less)

• 
  John Sterman

  Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management
  Professor of System Dynamics and Engineering Systems
  Director, MIT System Dynamics Group
  

  John D. Sterman’s research centers on improving managerial decision making in complex systems. He has pioneered the development of “management flight simulators” of corporate and economic systems. These flight simulators are now used by corporations and universities around the world. His recent research ranges from the dynamics of organizational change and the implementation of sustainable improvement programs to experimental studies assessing the public’s understanding of global climate change... ... (more)

  John D. Sterman’s research centers on improving managerial decision making in complex systems. He has pioneered the development of “management flight simulators” of corporate and economic systems. These flight simulators are now used by corporations and universities around the world. His recent research ranges from the dynamics of organizational change and the implementation of sustainable improvement programs to experimental studies assessing the public’s understanding of global climate change. Sterman‘s research includes systems thinking and organizational learning, computer simulation of corporate strategy, and the theory of nonlinear dynamics.

  He is the author of many scholarly and popular articles on the challenges and opportunities facing organizations today, including the book, Modeling for Learning Organizations, and the award-winning textbook, Business Dynamics. His articles on the innovative use of interactive simulations in management education and corporate problem solving have appeared in Fortune, the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, as well as other newspapers and journals. He has been featured on Public Television’s News Hour, National Public Radio’s Marketplace, and CBS television.

  Sterman twice has been awarded the Jay W. Forrester Prize for the “Best Published Work in System Dynamics.” He also has won a 2005 IBM Faculty Award as well as the 2001 Accenture Award for the “Best Paper of the Year” published in the California Management Review (with Nelson Repenning). Five times, he has won awards for “Teaching Excellence” from the students of MIT Sloan, and was named one of MIT Sloan’s “Outstanding Faculty” by the 2001 BusinessWeek Guide to the Best Business Schools. (less)