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Profiles in Operations Research pp 363–386Cite as

Jay Wright Forrester

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Part of the book series: International Series in Operations Research & Management Science ((ISOR,volume 147))

Abstract

Jay Wright Forrester’s distinguishedcareer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began with pioneering work in servomechanisms and digital computation. Drawing on that work, he then developed and founded the field of system dynamics. By integrating concepts of feedback control theory and digital computation, systems dynamics offered a new modeling approach for simulating the behavior of social systems. Such models provide insights into the behavior of complex systems and help the user to design effective policies to improve system performance. Jay established system dynamics as an academic discipline at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He led path-breaking research applying system dynamics to critical business and public policy problems, from high-tech start-ups to urban policy and global development. System dynamics is now one of the most widely used systems approaches in the world, with academics and practitioners on every continent pursuing work in diverse fields. His writings continue to inspire the field and he remains actively involved in its development.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. London School of Economics, London, UK

    David C. Lane

  2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    John D. Sterman

Authors
  1. David C. Lane
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  2. John D. Sterman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University, Jacobs Management Center 160, Buffalo, 14260-4000, New York, USA

    Arjang A. Assad

  2. Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, Van Munching Hall, College Park, 20742-1915, Maryland, USA

    Saul I. Gass

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Lane, D.C., Sterman, J.D. (2011). Jay Wright Forrester. In: Assad, A., Gass, S. (eds) Profiles in Operations Research. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 147. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6281-2_20

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