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Table 3 Recommendations to run an online GMB workshop

From: Using group model building to frame the commercial determinants of dietary behaviour in adolescence – proposed methods for online system mapping workshops

Planning

1.Do a process mapping exercise to understand the overall GMB process, discuss the number of workshops, and select which and how many people would be involved in each one. Involve a manageable number of participants so that the online facilitator has capacity to monitor every participant videos simultaneously and engage with everyone, even with those that prefer to have their cameras off

2.Pilot the workshop with the modelling team (at least involve two people rather than just one, we suggest having at least one modeller/facilitator and a note-taker) and volunteers to fine-tune the timings of each activity and test the software/platforms (e.g. STICK-E, MS Teams, Zoom, Miro) you will use during the workshop

Facilitation and delivery

3.Ensure the facilitator can ensure participant’s engagement throughout the workshop(s) and the team is able to adapt to participants’ requirements

4.Guarantee a that the facilitator can create an inviting online environment for participants to share their thoughts as well as mediating conflicts that may arise between participants during the workshops

5.In an online environment, make sure the facilitator/modeller is able to supervise participants’ videos whilst running the activities and able to engage participants that decide to have their cameras off. This role requires experience not only in conducting in-person workshops but also requires familiarity with an online environment and the platform (s) used (e.g. STICK-E, MS Teams, Zoom, Miro)

6.To avoid screen fatigue, separate the GMB activities into multiple workshops, we suggest 60–90 min each

a.Have an introductory workshop with participants to build rapport with the researcher, get them familiarised with the platform/software, introduce them to “system mapping” concepts and the problem you will be discussing during the GMB workshop, and have a practice workshop to build a system map in real-time (i.e. STICK-E)

b.Doing workshops online allows to have follow-up sessions because participants do not need to travel. Having more than one online workshop allows to have time in-between (i.e. interlude). This enables participants to have some “reflective” time and incorporate the problem you discussed in the first workshop, expose themselves to their environment and think of any new variables or connections, which they can share in the following workshop

c.When running the GMB workshop online, you can have a “refresher” to remind them of the problem, the system thinking concepts, and encourage them to share any new variables they thought about

7.Once participants think there are enough variables and connections between variables during the GMB workshop, ask participants to examine the structure of the system map and add, change or correct any misrepresentation of variables or connections in the map. Since they will have time between workshops, this reflective time can allow them to be more critical when reviewing the system map in the following workshop

8.Once the map seems to be “finalised”, narrate the story that the map tells (i.e. how variables are interconnected and the direction they influence each other). You will have time to revisit the narrative during the validation workshop and modify if needed

9.Ask participants to confirm if the map reflects’ their thoughts of how they think the system behaves. Again, having an opportunity to revisit the map at a follow-up workshop can help participants to be critical when reviewing the system map

10.Have a final “validation workshop” where participants’ analyse the system map and agree that the map reflects’ their thoughts of how the system behaves

11.During the introductory workshop and the GMB, remind participants that at the end you will encourage them to think about policy ideas or interventions that target the causal structure of the system map (variables, connections, rules that govern the connections, goals in the system, mindset). This will allow them to reflect on the different policy ideas and share at the final workshop once the system map is finalised

Evaluation

12.Have an evaluation form where participants can share their experience of the workshop, evaluate the appropriateness of the method, and give feedback on how to improve in future workshops

Validation

13.Make sure you have validation methods in place (i.e. ensure internal consensus, validate the model with literature on the topic, mediation and structural equation modelling for more robust quantitative analysis)