Scientific Definition
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system.
Plain-English Definition
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system.
Feynman Explanation
You cannot build complexity from scratch and expect it to work.
Core Principle
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
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Pending editorial review.
Big-bang launches of complex systems usually fail.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
You cannot build complexity from scratch and expect it to work.
Examples
- Successful platforms start simple and add complexity over time.
- Big-bang launches of complex systems usually fail.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Start with a simple, working system and grow it.
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.
- Start with a simple, working system and grow it.
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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.
The threshold at which a system becomes self-sustaining.