[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-657437-105":59,"doc-detail-657437-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","guidelines-for-drawing-causal-loop-diagrams","Guidelines for Drawing Causal Loop Diagrams","","Guidelines for drawing causal loop diagrams (CLDs) explains how to express the dynamic, interconnected behavior of real-world systems using linked variables and signed causal arrows. It details how loops form from balancing (B) and reinforcing (R) processes, how arrow signs indicate same-direction versus opposite-direction effects, and how multiple loops can form a coherent system story. It also provides variable-naming rules and practical tips for handling unintended consequences, perceived versus actual states, and short- versus long-term effects.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/guidelines-for-drawing-causal-loop-diagrams/657437/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/guidelines-for-drawing-causal-loop-diagrams/657437.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Alexandar","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-26",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the purpose of a causal loop diagram (CLD)?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"A CLD provides a language for articulating how key variables interact causally in a dynamic system, using arrows to show feedback. By combining loops, it can describe a problem or issue as a coherent system story.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How do arrow signs in a CLD work?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Each arrow is labeled with “s” or “o”. “s” indicates a change in the same direction, while “o” indicates a causal change in the opposite direction between the connected variables.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What distinguishes balancing loops (B) from reinforcing loops (R)?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Balancing loops are goal-seeking and tend to keep the system steady around a goal. Reinforcing loops drive change in the same direction each time, producing rapid growth or collapse.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},657437,1792979064,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":8,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":129,"read_time":81},962090768658,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Guidelines for Drawing Causal Loop Diagrams  \nby Daniel H. Kim  \nCausal loop diagrams, or CLDs, provide a language for articulating our understanding of the dynamic, interconnected nature of our world. We can think of them as sentences that are constructed by linking together key variables and indicating the causal relationships between them. By stringing together several loops, we can create a coherent story about a particular problem or issue.  \nEach loop consists of variables connected by arrows that represent causal connections showing the movement of feedback throughout the system. Each arrow is labeled with a sign (“s”or “o”) that indicates how one variable affects another: “s” indicates a change in the same direction, and “o” a causal change in the opposite direction.  \nCausal loop diagrams are composed of a combination of balancing (“B”) and reinforcing (“R”) loops. A balancing process is goal-seeking in nature and tends to keep the system steady around a particular goal. A reinforcing loop, by contrast, produces either rapid growth or collapse by driving change in one direction with increasing change in the same direction each time you go around the loop. Balancing and reinforcing processes can be combined in an infinite number of combinations to describe the behavior of all kinds of systems, including the behavior of organizational systems.  \n\n|  | Guideline | Example |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Se lect ing Var iab le Names | 1. Use nouns when choosing a variable name. Avoid verbsand action phrases, because the action is conveyed in the loop’s arrows. For example,“Costs” is better than “Increasing Costs,”because a decrease in Increasing Costs is confusing. The sign of the arrow (“s” for same or “o” for opposite) indicates whether Costs increase or decrease relative to the other variable. | \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Costs\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Increasing Costs |  |\n|  | 2. Use variables that represent quantities that can vary overtime. It does not make sense to say that “State of Mind”increases or decreases. A term like “Happiness,” on the other hand, can vary. | \u003Cbr> Happiness State of Mind \u003Cbr>|  |\n|  | 3. Whenever possible, choose the more “positive” sense of a variable name. For example, the concept of “Growth” increasing or decreasing is clearer than an increase or decrease in“Contraction.” | \u003Cbr> Growth Contraction\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>|  |\n| | 4. Think of the possible unintended consequences as well asthe expected outcomes for every course of action included in the diagram. For example, an increase in “Production Pressure” may increase “Production Output,” but it may also increase “Stress” and decrease “Quality.” | s\u003Cbr>s\u003Cbr>Production Pressure \u003Cbr> o\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>| Production Output\u003Cbr>Stress\u003Cbr>Quality, etc. |\n\nPG03 Pegasus Communications, Inc., 319 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886-4133  \n\n|  | Guideline | Example |  |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| | 5. All balancing loops are goal-seeking processes. Try to make explicit the goals driving the loop. For example, Loop B1 may raise questions as to why increasing“Quality” would lead to a decrease in “Actions to Improve Quality.” By explicitly identifying “Desired Quality” as the goal in Loop B2, we see that the “Gap in Quality” is really driving improvement actions. | \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Desired Quality |  |\n|  | 6. Distinguish between perceived and actual states, such as “Perceived Quality” versus “Actual Quality.”Perceptions often change slower than reality does, and mistaking the perceived status for current reality can be misleading and create undesirable results. | \u003Cbr>Delay |  |\n|  | 7. If a variable has multiple consequences, start by lumping them into one term while completing the rest of the loop. For example,“Coping Strategies” can represent many different ways we respond to stress (exercise, meditation, alcohol use, etc. ). | \u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Stress |  |\n|  | 8. Actions almost always have different long-term and short-term consequences. Draw larger loops as they progress from short-to long-term processes. Loop B1 shows ","cbCaikIOCzzPS6xR","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikIOCzzPS6xR","pdf",83210,"English","# Selecting Variable Names\n# Guiding Rules for Loops and Links\n## Balancing vs. Reinforcing Loops\n## Tips for Meaningful Causal Links","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of a causal loop diagram (CLD)?\",\"answer\":\"A CLD provides a language for articulating how key variables interact causally in a dynamic system, using arrows to show feedback. By combining loops, it can describe a problem or issue as a coherent system story.\"},{\"question\":\"How do arrow signs in a CLD work?\",\"answer\":\"Each arrow is labeled with “s” or “o”. “s” indicates a change in the same direction, while “o” indicates a causal change in the opposite direction between the connected variables.\"},{\"question\":\"What distinguishes balancing loops (B) from reinforcing loops (R)?\",\"answer\":\"Balancing loops are goal-seeking and tend to keep the system steady around a goal. Reinforcing loops drive change in the same direction each time, producing rapid growth or collapse.\"}]","Guidelines for Drawing Causal Loop Diagrams | PDF"]