Scientific Definition
Some tensions aren't problems to solve — they're polarities to manage (centralize vs decentralize, structure vs freedom).
Plain-English Definition
Some tensions aren't problems to solve — they're polarities to manage (centralize vs decentralize, structure vs freedom).
Feynman Explanation
Treat a polarity as a problem and you'll oscillate forever.
Core Principle
Some tensions aren't problems to solve — they're polarities to manage (centralize vs decentralize, structure vs freedom).
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Some tensions aren't problems to solve — they're polarities to manage (centralize vs decentralize, structure vs freedom).
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Most reorgs are a polarity being mistaken for a problem.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Treat a polarity as a problem and you'll oscillate forever.
Examples
- Barry Johnson's Polarity Management — both poles have upsides and downsides; the goal is the figure-8 between them.
- Most reorgs are a polarity being mistaken for a problem.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Before solving, ask: 'Is this a problem (one right answer) or a polarity (both sides needed forever)?'
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.
- Before solving, ask: 'Is this a problem (one right answer) or a polarity (both sides needed forever)?'
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.
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Inattention or forgetfulness caused by low attention, hyperfocus, or distraction.
Forgetting to compare an offer with the next-best alternative.
Outcomes that could have happened but did not.
Overthinking a situation so that decision-making stalls.
The first number on the table silently sets the range for every number after it.
Tversky & Kahneman's classic: identical outcomes flip from 'risk averse' to 'risk seeking' when framed as lives saved vs. lives lost.
Our perception is shaped by what we selectively pay attention to.
Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.
A color appears different depending on adjacent colors.
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
The ability to focus on one voice in a noisy environment.