Kris’ Story
Kris Wile is a founding partner at the Systems Thinking Collaborative. She is a facilitator, educator and consultant in the areas of systems thinking, system dynamics, and systems change. She has twenty years of experience working with a broad range of clients in public and private sectors to develop and use models to motivate and inform strategic planning and implementation. Kris received an MS degree in System Dynamics and Operations at the MIT Sloan School of Management in 1994. While there, her research focused on the dynamics of organizational change and business ethics. She also has a BS in Electronics and Computer Engineering, and seven years of experience in high tech as a systems engineer and project manager.
Highlights:
- More than 25 years of business experience in a range of industries (consumer and industrial electronics, consulting, education, oil production and transport, environment, and public health) and functional areas (engineering, manufacturing, consulting, operations, C-Suite, and marketing).
- Skilled facilitator with a well-developed methodology for collaborative systemic problem solving, strategy development, and scenario planning
- Collaborative problem solver with an emphasis on establishing widespread buy-in and supporting ongoing organizational learning.
- Project manager supporting teams to achieve goals and produce deliverables for long term projects in research, product development, and service delivery.
Kris has completed projects ranging from two-day training sessions to facilitation of management teams in problem solving and strategic planning, to large computer modeling and learning laboratory development and delivery projects. Clients have included the Ford Motor Company, MN Department of Transportation, MN Pollution Control Agency, MN Department of Natural Resource, Colonial Pipeline, Oregon Department of Education, DTE Energy, Centers for Disease Control, SmithKline Beecham, Shell Oil, Ford, Owens-Illinois, and The Sustainability Institute. Client engagements have addressed issues of drug development, strategic capacity building, business unit strategy building, IT management, chronic disease prevention, local health strategy development, pipeline management, and talent management. Recent projects include:
- Development, application, translation team for PRISM, a chronic disease prevention simulation model, Winner of 2011 System Dynamics Society Application Award, Winner of inaugural 2008 ASysT Systems Thinking Application Award,
- Facilitation of research scientists to identify relevant structures and data during group model building,
- Facilitation of numerous community groups to develop public health strategy using PRISM,
- Design and production of training and coaching videos and materials to support widespread use of simulation model,
- Development and delivery of hands-on systems thinking training program for 250 leaders in industrial manufacturing organization,
- Facilitation of national organ transplant surgeons and leaders to guide research agenda,
- Facilitation of CO2 emissions and climate change learning labs using C_ROADS simulation.
Publications:
Honeycutt A, Wile K, Dove, C, Hawkins J, Orenstein D. Strategic Planning For Chronic Disease in Rural America: Looking Through a PRISM Lens. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. 2014; 00(00), 1-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25084535
Loyo HK, Wile K, Batcher C, Huang P, Orenstein D, Milstein B. From Model to Action: Using a System Dynamics Model of Chronic Disease Risks to Align Community Action. Health Promotion Practice, 2012 Apr 9 [Epub]; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22491443. Accessed May 1, 2012.
Homer, J, Milstein, B, Wile, K, Trogdon, J, Huang, P, Labarthe, D & Orenstein, D (2010). Simulating and Evaluating Local Interventions to Improve Cardiovascular Health. Preventing Chronic Disease 7(1). Retrieved 2/8/2010 from http://www.cdc.gov/pcd//issues/2010/jan/08_0231.htm. Accessed May 1, 2012
Homer J, Milstein B, Wile K, Pratibhu P, Farris R, Orenstein D. Modeling the local dynamics of cardiovascular health: risk factors, context, and capacity. Preventing Chronic Disease 2008; 5(2). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2008/apr/07_0230.htm. Accessed May 1, 2012
Wile, K and Smith, P. Minnesota Takes The Long View of Its Solid Waste System, The Systems Thinker, Pegasus Communications, November, 2001
Slobodik, A and Wile, K. Taking the Teeth Out of Team Traps, The Systems Thinker, Pegasus Communications, November, 1999
Wile, K. Using Systemic Awareness to Unlock Productivity— Revealing Hidden Limits, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter (Issue 7, Volume 1, Article 3) May 2015.
Wile, K. Preparing for Global Pandemics: Lessons from Marshmallows, Boiled Frogs, And Bathtubs, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter (Issue 7, Volume 1, Article 2) May 2015.
Wile, K. Flourishing Enterprise: The New Spirit of Business, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter (Issue 8, Volume 1, Article 3) June 2015.
Niles R. and Wile, K. Dam Dynamics – A Systems Thinking Look, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter. (Volume 1, Issue 1, Article 2) October 2014.
Wile, K. A Systems Look at Professional Sports in the US, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter (Volume 1, Issue 6, Article 2) April 2015.
Neihaus, C and Wile, K. Honest Tea Applies Systemic Principles that Lead to Success in the Beverage Industry, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter, (Volume 1, Issue 7, Article 1) May 2015.
Bigman, M and Wile, K. Mid-West Company Uses System Dynamics to Beat Industry-wide Contraction, The New Systems Thinker Newsletter, (Volume 1, Issue 4, Article 1) February 2015.