LPC recently delivered in-person Systems Thinking Masterclasses at Premier League (PL) Headquarters in London. Attendees included PL heads of departments and Premier League club representatives. The two-day workshop equipped practitioners, performance leaders, and decision-makers with tools to address complex current and emerging challenges in football.
Day 1- Work Domain Analysis
Attendees learned how to model and analyse the functional structure of sports systems to enhance functioning, decision-making, and overall system performance using Work Domain Analysis (WDA)
Why WDA?
– Provides a holistic view of the system, from its goals to operational constraints
– Identifies the interactions between system components
– Identifies systemic conflicts, inefficiencies, and areas for optimisation
– Creates a foundation for developing strategic systemic interventions
Day 2- Casual Loop Diagrams
Attendees learned how to map dynamic interactions between sports system components to address underlying health issues in sport using Causal loop Diagrams (CLD)
Why CLD?
– Visualise how variables in sports systems interact and influence one another over time
– Identify reinforcing and balancing loops to predict and understand system behaviours
– Flexibility for application across multiple sports contexts- injury, performance, player transitions, among others
– Understand how the system structure is driving reoccurring sports health issues
– Learn to identify key leverage points to mitigate systemic issues
Across the two days, attendees applied their new systems modelling skills across a number of challenges they currently face. For example, heading exposure in youth football, injury prevention, athlete wellbeing, elite performance, multidisciplinary performance teams, and readiness to transition, among others. The structure of the Masterclasses enables learning as well as hands on application to real world problems. Attendees leave the Masterclasses with practical strategies to drive systems change across elite environments.
