This model building approach supports a group as it discovers how a set of tasks or goals or aspirations interact. The model results in a tree that shows which tasks, if taken first, will have the strongest influence over the successful implementation of other tasks in the set. With this information, groups can more easily agree where to start working together to produce the greatest positive effect.
Blue Skies RI works in collaboration with 7 Letters LLC to support a group with an online tool for capturing sets of complex ideas and turning them into a simple, one-page tree. All of the decisions that go into the map are made by members of the group directly. There is no facilitator influence on the group’s choices and decisions. The facilitation specifically helps the groups use the modeling tool. And, yes, not all groups need to grapple with high levels of complexity, but all groups benefit from the visual clarity of seeing how their key tasks influence each other.
Interpretive Structural Modeling takes a messy, complicated problem with many moving parts and maps out exactly how those parts affect each other. It transforms unorganized ideas or opinions into a clear, step-by-step visual blueprint that looks like a flowchart or a family tree. Think of it as a tool to find the “root causes” or “root opportunities” and the “final outcomes” of complex situations.
The Spaghetti Analogy
Imagine you are looking at a plate of spaghetti where 15 different problems are tangled together. You know they are related, but it is hard to tell what is causing what. Modeling helps you see:
The Foundation: The root problems or opportunities at the bottom that start a chain reaction.
The Middle: The middle steps that can entangle or pass the problem along.
The Top: The final visible fruit at the very top.
How It Works (In 4 Simple Steps)
The modeling method relies on a mix of human brains and computer math:
List the Factors: A group of experts with lived experiences identifies the key pieces involved in a problem or opportunity.
Compare Them in Pairs: The team considers just two factors at a time and asks: “Does the first factor strongly influence the success of the second factor?” This is directional, so the same question is then asked in reverse order.
Let Math Do the Heavy Lifting: A computer program takes those pair-by-pair answers and translates them into an easily-read tree.
Build on the Model: The tree shows the situation as a system. This makes it easy to discuss ideas in terms of their influence on other ideas.
Why People Use It
It handles human opinions: It is perfect for situations where you don’t have hard mathematical data but you do have expert experience.
It forces through consideration: Doing pair-by-pair comparisons focuses discussion on the relationship between ideas more than on the merits of ideas in isolation.
It saves resources: It tells teams where to invest their efforts to get the biggest domino effect