SYSTEMS ARCHETYPES


Do you keep grappling with the same stubborn problems in your organization? If so, perhaps there's a systems archetype lurking in the background. Systems archetypes are a class of systems thinking tools that capture common challenges that occur in all kinds of industries and organizations.

The archetypes themselves consist of causal loop diagrams depicting typical and problematic systemic structures. From "Fixes That Fail" (in which your "solutions" seem to backfire) to "Tragedy of the Commons" (in which people "overgraze" a limited resource, such as admin support), the archetypes give you an inside look at these structures and reveal high-leverage actions you can take to manage them.

Besides "Fixes That Fail" and "Tragedy of the Commons," the systems archetypes include: "Drifting Goals," "Limits to Success," "Growth and Underinvestment," "Escalation," "Success to the Successful," and "Shifting the Burden."

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