Our Clients Navigate Complexity—Our Research Methods Can Too

Abstract

Social workers aim to improve the well-being of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and communities within complex systems. Yet, social work research has been slow to adopt methods that account for feedback loops inherent in these systems, despite advances in computational tools. This paper introduces community-based system dynamics, a computational modeling method rooted in system dynamics, and highlights its relevance for social work. We present a case study focused on urban education reform and its impact on children with unmet social and emotional needs, demonstrating how community-based system dynamics can be used in community-based research. A framework is provided for scaling community-based system dynamics within social work research, including a discussion of potential limitations and implementation challenges. We argue that innovations like community-based system dynamics align with the social work profession's values—particularly self-determination and empowerment—and can support research that better reflects the realities of complex social systems and promotes human flourishing.