Scientific Definition
The whole has properties that the individual parts do not.
Plain-English Definition
The whole has properties that the individual parts do not.
Feynman Explanation
No neuron is conscious, but the brain is.
Core Principle
The whole has properties that the individual parts do not.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
The whole has properties that the individual parts do not.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Culture and performance emerge from interactions, not individuals.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
No neuron is conscious, but the brain is.
Examples
- A team produces creativity that no single member predicted.
- Culture and performance emerge from interactions, not individuals.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Design interactions and feedback loops, not just individual roles.
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.
- Design interactions and feedback loops, not just individual roles.
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.
Map reinforcing (R) and balancing (B) feedback loops between variables to see system behavior.
A system with many interacting parts that learn and adapt.
Many interacting parts producing emergent behavior nobody designed.
Interdependent network of actors evolving together.
Systems maintain stability by self-regulating around a setpoint.
Outputs of a system are routed back as inputs, amplifying or dampening change.
Stocks are accumulations; flows are rates of change that affect them.
Behavior emerges from structure, not from individuals.
Old systems decline as new ones emerge in parallel; leaders steward both, not just kill the old or chase the new.
Systems that gain from disorder.
Approach motivation — pursuit of rewards and goals.
Avoidance motivation — sensitivity to punishment, uncertainty, and threat.