Scientific Definition
The threshold at which a system becomes self-sustaining.
Plain-English Definition
The threshold at which a system becomes self-sustaining.
Feynman Explanation
Below the line, you push. Above the line, it pulls.
Core Principle
The threshold at which a system becomes self-sustaining.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
The threshold at which a system becomes self-sustaining.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Many strategies require getting past a threshold before they make sense.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Below the line, you push. Above the line, it pulls.
Examples
- Platform marketplaces — below critical mass, sellers leave; above it, they multiply.
- Many strategies require getting past a threshold before they make sense.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Identify and over-invest until critical mass; don't ramp evenly.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Identify and over-invest until critical mass; don't ramp evenly.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Combining substances to create a new material stronger than its parts.
A single constraint limits the throughput of an entire system.
A system's throughput is constrained by its single slowest step.
Small visible disorders signal that bigger ones will be tolerated.
Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
Adding people to a late project makes it later.
A substance that speeds up a reaction without being consumed.
Nonlinear systems are highly sensitive to initial conditions.
Inputs combine under conditions to produce new outputs — sometimes irreversibly.
Software architecture mirrors org structure.
Working together has a cost that scales with the number of people.
Designing systems for the lowest-capability user produces resilience for everyone.