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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0357 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Hedgehog Concept (Collins)

Intersection of what you're best at, passionate about, and economically viable in.

Strategy·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Intersection of what you're best at, passionate about, and economically viable in.

Plain-English Definition

Intersection of what you're best at, passionate about, and economically viable in.

Feynman Explanation

The three circles. Live where they overlap.

Core Principle

Intersection of what you're best at, passionate about, and economically viable in.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Intersection of what you're best at, passionate about, and economically viable in.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Strategic focus framework.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

The three circles. Live where they overlap.

Examples

Everyday
  • Strategy clarity for individuals and orgs.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Strategic focus framework.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Re-test the three circles annually as conditions change.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Strategic focus framework.
Amplifying Incentives
Strategic focus framework.
Org Failure Modes
Strategic focus framework.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Re-test the three circles annually as conditions change.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Re-test the three circles annually as conditions change.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Re-test the three circles annually as conditions change.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0357 · COG
Hedgehog Concept (Collins)
HCWL3-Way Life Optimizat…ACAdaptive ChallengeADAdvantageous Diverge…APAgent ProvocateurAOArt of WarAWAsymmetric WarfareBaBackcastingCoCounterinsurgencyCoCounterpropagandaCFCynefin Framework

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.