Research has shown that much of the science produced does not make its way to the decision-making table. This leads to a gap between scientific and societal progress, which is problematic. This study tests a novel science-based negotiation simulation that integrates role-play simulations (RPSs) with a system dynamic model (SDM). In RPSs, stakeholders engage in a mock decision-making process (reflecting real-life institutional arrangements and scientific knowledge) for a set period. By playing an assigned role (different from the participant’s real-life role), participants have a safe space to learn about each other’s perspectives, develop shared understanding about a complex issue, and collaborate on solving that issue. System Dynamic Models (SDMs) are visual tools used to simulate the interactions and feedback with a complex system. We test the integration of the two approaches toward problem-solving with real stakeholders in New Hampshire and Rhode Island via a series of two consecutive workshops in each state. The workshops are intended to engage representatives from diverse groups who are interested in dam related issues to foster dialogue, learning, and creativity. Participants will discuss a hypothetical (yet realistic) dam-decision scenario to consider scientific information and explore dam management options that meet one another\u27s interests. In the first workshop participants will contribute to the design of the fictionalized dam decision scenario and the SDM, for which we have presented drafts based on a literature review, stakeholder interviews, and expert knowledge. In the second workshop, participants will assume another representative\u27s role and discuss dam management options for the fictionalized scenario. We will report results related to the effectiveness to which this new knowledge production process leads to more innovative and collaborative decision-making around New England dams

Ashcraft, Catherine

Diessner, Natallia Leuchanka

Mo, Weiwei

Song, Cuihong

English

UNH Scholars' Repository

University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository New Hampshire EPSCoR Research Institutes, Centers and Programs 5-2019 Role-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England Natallia Leuchanka Diessner University of New Hampshire, nhe4@wildcats.unh.edu Cuihong Song University of New Hampshire, Durham Catherine Ashcraft University of New Hampshire, catherine.ashcraft@unh.edu Weiwei Mo University of New Hampshire, Durham, weiwei.mo@unh.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/nh_epscor Recommended Citation Leuchanka, N., Song, C., Ashcraft, C.M., Mo, W. 2019. System Dynamics and Role-Play Simulations for Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England. AEESP Research and Education Conference. May 14-16. Tempe, AZ. This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Research Institutes, Centers and Programs at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Hampshire EPSCoR by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu. 1. INTRODUCTION• Over 14,000 dams in New England - management decisions are complex and contentious• Traditional “hard-bargaining” approaches to water negotiations have limited capacity to address complex sustainability issues • Consensus building and other collaborative decision-making approaches can help communities find sustainable and innovative solutions to aging dams• We design and test a new approach that integrates role-play negotiation simulations with system dynamics modeling (Figure 1)Re-Imagining the Decision-Making Landscape by Acting and Modeling the Future of Dams4. RESULTS• 1st set of workshops completed Jan. 2019• Total # participants from first set of workshops: 39 (14 in RI and 25 in NH) • Participant feedback (Figure 9) from 1st set of workshops were used to improve model, web interface (Figure 8), and role-play • Total of 42 pre-intervention surveys and 37 pre-intervention concept maps (Figure 5)• Analysis to follow completion of 2nd set of workshopsRole-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New EnglandNatallia Leuchanka a, c, Cuihong Song b, c, Catherine M. Ashcraft a, c, Weiwei Mo b, c“Bringing together the players in such an exercise can inform players and non-players (interested citizens) and broaden their views. In [town], such an activity would have been useful at one of our early information gatherings… Even the use of averaged data would work in this situation. Using computers could quickly show trade-offs and the relative importance of specific factors.” – NH Workshop #1 Participant & Municipal Elected Officiala Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; c University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USANSF #IIA-1539071Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.Scan this QR codeto access the “Future of Dams” project websiteOr visit this link:https://www.newenglandsustainabilityconsortium.org/dams 2. METHODS1. Study site: New Hampshire & Rhode Island (Figure 2)2. Conduct literature review of participatory modeling & role-plays3. Conduct and analyze 36 stakeholder interviews to develop a Stakeholder Assessment (SA) to identify stakeholders, issues and interests (Figure 4), and decision context 4. Use SA, literature review, and expert knowledge to design role-play scenario instruments:• Confidential “role/character” instructions• General “shared context” instructions5. Use existing data, literature review, and expert knowledge to design system dynamics model and make it publicly available via a web user interface6. Conduct 2 workshops in each state• 1st set of workshops: gather feedback from stakeholders on model, user interface, and role-play; stakeholders play their actual role (January 2019)• 2nd set of workshops: apply stakeholder feedback to improve model, user-interface, and role-play; stakeholders play roles different from their real-life roles (May 2019)7. Evaluation: surveys, concept maps (Figure 5), interviews, debriefing sessions, feedback sheets (Figure 3)5. NEXT STEPS• Complete second set of workshops in NH and RI (late May 2019)• Conduct post-workshop interviews• Analyze surveys, concept maps, interviews, and debriefings for normative, relational, and cognitive learning• Make role-play and model package available as “off-the-shelf” tool for anyone to accessWe thank all the interview and workshop participants for sharing their experiences, knowledge, and time; the Future of Dams team researchers for their guidance; and the National Science Foundation for providing funding.@NatLeuchanka@eppslabSay “Hi” to us!Role-Play:Natallia Leuchanka nhe4@wildcats.unh.eduDr. Catherine AshcraftCatherine.Ashcraft@unh.eduModel:Cuihong Song:cs1093@wildcats.unh.eduDr. Weiwei MoWeiwei.Mo@unh.edu3. HYPOTHETICAL ROLE-PLAY SCENARIOWho is attending today’s meeting? Type of stakeholderFederal Agency of Natural Resources (FANR)Federal government.Department of Environment, Water Resources Division (WRD)State government.Historic Preservation Agency of the State (HPAS)State government.HydroEnergy, LLC. Hydropower developer and operator. Dam owner.Allen Pond Homeowner Association Property owners along Allen Pond.Rivers-R-Us Non-governmental, non-profit organization.Town of Allen Municipal Official Municipal government. Dam owner.Facilitation team to help run the meeting and assist the group in using the system dynamics modelNot a stakeholder. Neutral, third-party.FIGURES• Group negotiates 3 decisions:o Decision 1: Which dams should be included in the “Work Plan” and what alternatives should be considered for those dams? o Decision 2: Who leads implementation of the alternatives proposed in the “Work Plan”? o Decision 3: Who pays to implement alternatives in the “Work Plan”? • 7 roles (plus a facilitator) based on actual stakeholder types (Figure 7)ScenarioCoastal basin with 5 dams (Figure 6)State agency convened a Working Group to develop “Work Plan” for future of Dam A and other dams in the basinDam A has Notice of Public Safety that needs to be addressedTown wants decision process to be participatoryOther dams in basin have upcoming decisions need to be made about other dams in the basinMultiple stakeholders interested in participatingWorking Group excited to use a new system dynamics model (developed by a local University) to support decision-making Science-based role-play negotiationsSystem Dynamics Modeling (SDM)Image credit: Weiwei Mo and Cuihong SongCivil & Environmental Engineering Co-Authors: Cuihong Song, Dr. Weiwei Mo           Role-Play Simulation (RPS)Image credit: Natallia LeuchankaSocial Science & Policy Co-Authors: Natallia Leuchanka, Dr. Catherine AshcraftFigure 1. Integration of a system dynamics model with a role-play simulationFigure 2. Study site.Workshop EvaluationPost-intervention debriefing sessions (QL)Pre- and post-intervention concept maps (QL & QT)Pre- and post-intervention surveys (QL & QT)Post-intervention interviews (QL)Figure 3. Evaluation instruments. QL = qualitative data, QT = quantitative data.Figure 5. Example concept map from 1st workshop. Figure 6. Hypothetical Pearl River basin. Assist with permitting processCollaboration CostFish passage and habitatFlood controlGeneral ecosystem healthHistoric preservationHydroelectric generationParticipatory & transparent decision-making PrioritizationRecreational resourcesRegulatory processSafety Water quality Wildlife habitatProperty Values & Economic DevelopmentUse of Science/Data in DecisionsLocal community group representing homeowner interestsNo Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes NoState government representing safety interestsNo No Yes No No No No No No No No No Yes No No No YesState government representing ecosystem health interestsYes No No Yes No Yes No No No No No No Yes No No No YesState government representing fish and wildlife interests No Yes No Yes No Yes No No No No No No No Yes Yes No YesFederal government representing fish and wildlife interestsNo Yes No No Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes No No No No NoState and municipal government representing historic interestsYes No No No No Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No No No NoPrivate sector/business representing hydropower interestsNo No Yes No No No No Yes No No Yes Yes No No No No NoNational NGO representing ecosystem health interestsNo Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No No No No No No YesLocal/regional NGO representing ecosystem health interestsYes No No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No NoMunicipal government No Yes No No No No No No Yes No No No No No No No NoEngineering consulting firm No No No No Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No No NoFigure 4. Priority interests identified by interviewees (preliminary analysis).Figure 7. Character “roles” included in the role-play.Figure 9. Quote from workshop participant.Poster template inspired by Mike Morrison.Figure 8. Web user interface (developed by William Winslow, UNH Data Discovery Center).

Role-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire 
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository 
New Hampshire EPSCoR Research Institutes, Centers and Programs 
5-2019 
Role-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for Sustainability 
Solutions around Dams in New England 
Natallia Leuchanka Diessner 
University of New Hampshire, nhe4@wildcats.unh.edu 
Cuihong Song 
University of New Hampshire, Durham 
Catherine Ashcraft 
University of New Hampshire, catherine.ashcraft@unh.edu 
Weiwei Mo 
University of New Hampshire, Durham, weiwei.mo@unh.edu 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/nh_epscor 
Recommended Citation 
Leuchanka, N., Song, C., Ashcraft, C.M., Mo, W. 2019. System Dynamics and Role-Play Simulations for 
Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England. AEESP Research and Education Conference. May 
14-16. Tempe, AZ. https://scholars.unh.edu/nh_epscor/7/ 
This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by the Research Institutes, Centers and Programs at 
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Hampshire EPSCoR 
by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please 
contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu. 
1. INTRODUCTION
• Over 14,000 dams in New England - management 
decisions are complex and contentious
• Traditional “hard-bargaining” approaches to water 
negotiations have limited capacity to address 
complex sustainability issues 
• Consensus building and other collaborative 
decision-making approaches can help 
communities find sustainable and innovative 
solutions to aging dams
• We design and test a new approach that 
integrates role-play negotiation simulations with 
system dynamics modeling (Figure 1)
Re-Imagining the Decision-Making 
Landscape by Acting and Modeling 
the Future of Dams
4. RESULTS
• 1st set of workshops completed Jan. 2019
• Total # participants from first set of workshops: 39 (14 in RI and 25 in NH) 
• Participant feedback (Figure 9) from 1st set of workshops were used to improve 
model, web interface (Figure 8), and role-play 
• Total of 42 pre-intervention surveys and 37 pre-intervention concept maps (Figure 5)
• Analysis to follow completion of 2nd set of workshops
Role-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for 
Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England
Natallia Leuchanka a, c, Cuihong Song b, c, Catherine M. Ashcraft a, c, Weiwei Mo b, c
“Bringing together the players in such an exercise can inform players and non-players (interested citizens) and broaden their 
views. In [town], such an activity would have been useful at one of our early information gatherings… Even the use of averaged 
data would work in this situation. Using computers could quickly show trade-offs and the relative importance of specific 
factors.” – NH Workshop #1 Participant & Municipal Elected Official
a Department of Natural Resources and the Environment; b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; c University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
NSF #IIA-1539071
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or 
recommendations expressed in this material are 
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect 
the views of the National Science Foundation.
Scan this QR code
to access the “Future of 
Dams” project website
Or visit this link:
https://www.newenglandsustainabilityconsortium.org/dams 
2. METHODS
1. Study site: New Hampshire & Rhode Island (Figure 2)
2. Conduct literature review of participatory modeling & role-plays
3. Conduct and analyze 36 stakeholder interviews to develop a Stakeholder Assessment 
(SA) to identify stakeholders, issues and interests (Figure 4), and decision context 
4. Use SA, literature review, and expert knowledge to design role-play scenario 
instruments:
• Confidential “role/character” instructions
• General “shared context” instructions
5. Use existing data, literature review, and expert knowledge to design system 
dynamics model and make it publicly available via a web user interface
6. Conduct 2 workshops in each state
• 1st set of workshops: gather feedback from stakeholders on model, user interface, 
and role-play; stakeholders play their actual role (January 2019)
• 2nd set of workshops: apply stakeholder feedback to improve model, user-
interface, and role-play; stakeholders play roles different from their real-life roles 
(May 2019)
7. Evaluation: surveys, concept maps (Figure 5), interviews, debriefing sessions, 
feedback sheets (Figure 3)
5. NEXT STEPS
• Complete second set of workshops in NH and RI (late May 2019)
• Conduct post-workshop interviews
• Analyze surveys, concept maps, interviews, and debriefings for normative, relational, 
and cognitive learning
• Make role-play and model package available as “off-the-shelf” tool for anyone to 
access
We thank all the interview and workshop 
participants for sharing their experiences, 
knowledge, and time; the Future of Dams team 
researchers for their guidance; and the National 
Science Foundation for providing funding.
@NatLeuchanka
@eppslab
Say “Hi” to us!
Role-Play:
Natallia Leuchanka 
nhe4@wildcats.unh.edu
Dr. Catherine Ashcraft
Catherine.Ashcraft@unh.edu
Model:
Cuihong Song:
cs1093@wildcats.unh.edu
Dr. Weiwei Mo
Weiwei.Mo@unh.edu
3. HYPOTHETICAL ROLE-PLAY 
SCENARIO
Who is attending today’s meeting? Type of stakeholder
Federal Agency of Natural Resources 
(FANR)
Federal government.
Department of Environment, Water 
Resources Division (WRD)
State government.
Historic Preservation Agency of the 
State (HPAS)
State government.
HydroEnergy, LLC. Hydropower developer and 
operator. Dam owner.
Allen Pond Homeowner Association Property owners along Allen Pond.
Rivers-R-Us Non-governmental, non-profit 
organization.
Town of Allen Municipal Official Municipal government. Dam 
owner.
Facilitation team to help run the 
meeting and assist the group in using 
the system dynamics model
Not a stakeholder. Neutral, third-
party.
FIGURES
• Group negotiates 3 decisions:
o Decision 1: Which dams should be included in 
the “Work Plan” and what alternatives should 
be considered for those dams? 
o Decision 2: Who leads implementation of the 
alternatives proposed in the “Work Plan”? 
o Decision 3: Who pays to implement alternatives 
in the “Work Plan”? 
• 7 roles (plus a facilitator) based on actual 
stakeholder types (Figure 7)
Scenario
Coastal basin 
with 5 dams 
(Figure 6)
State agency convened a 
Working Group to develop “Work 
Plan” for future of Dam A and 
other dams in the basin
Dam A has 
Notice of Public 
Safety that 
needs to be 
addressed
Town wants 
decision 
process to be 
participatory
Other dams in basin 
have upcoming 
decisions need to be 
made about other 
dams in the basin
Multiple stakeholders 
interested in 
participating
Working Group excited to use a new system 
dynamics model (developed by a local 
University) to support decision-making 
Science-based 
role-play 
negotiations
System Dynamics Modeling 
(SDM)
Image credit: Weiwei Mo and Cuihong Song
Civil & Environmental Engineering Co-Authors: 
Cuihong Song, Dr. Weiwei Mo           
Role-Play Simulation 
(RPS)
Image credit: Natallia Leuchanka
Social Science & Policy Co-Authors: 
Natallia Leuchanka, Dr. Catherine Ashcraft
Figure 1. Integration of a system dynamics model with a role-play simulation
Figure 2. Study site.
Workshop 
Evaluation
Post-intervention 
debriefing 
sessions (QL)
Pre- and post-
intervention concept 
maps (QL & QT)
Pre- and post-
intervention surveys 
(QL & QT)
Post-intervention 
interviews (QL)
Figure 3. Evaluation instruments. 
QL = qualitative data, QT = quantitative data.
Figure 5. Example concept map from 1st workshop. Figure 6. Hypothetical Pearl River basin.
 Assist with 
permitting 
process
Collaboration Cost
Fish passage 
and habitat
Flood control
General 
ecosystem 
health
Historic 
preservation
Hydroelectric 
generation
Participatory & 
transparent 
decision-making 
Prioritization
Recreational 
resources
Regulatory 
process
Safety Water quality Wildlife habitat
Property Values 
& Economic 
Development
Use of 
Science/Data in 
Decisions
Local community group representing 
homeowner interests
No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No
State government representing safety 
interests
No No Yes No No No No No No No No No Yes No No No Yes
State government representing 
ecosystem health interests
Yes No No Yes No Yes No No No No No No Yes No No No Yes
State government representing fish 
and wildlife interests 
No Yes No Yes No Yes No No No No No No No Yes Yes No Yes
Federal government representing fish 
and wildlife interests
No Yes No No Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes No No No No No
State and municipal government 
representing historic interests
Yes No No No No Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No No No No
Private sector/business representing 
hydropower interests
No No Yes No No No No Yes No No Yes Yes No No No No No
National NGO representing ecosystem 
health interests
No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No No No No No No Yes
Local/regional NGO representing 
ecosystem health interests
Yes No No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No
Municipal government No Yes No No No No No No Yes No No No No No No No No
Engineering consulting firm No No No No Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No No No
Figure 4. Priority interests identified by interviewees (preliminary analysis).
Figure 7. Character “roles” included in the role-play.
Figure 9. Quote from workshop participant.
Poster template inspired by Mike Morrison.
Figure 8. Web user interface (developed by 
William Winslow, UNH Data Discovery Center).


https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&amp;context=nh_epscor

Role-Play Simulations and System Dynamics for Sustainability Solutions around Dams in New England

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