{"id":16555,"date":"2020-10-28T16:49:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-28T20:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=16555"},"modified":"2020-10-31T23:42:56","modified_gmt":"2020-11-01T03:42:56","slug":"system-traps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/system-traps\/","title":{"rendered":"System Traps: How to Avoid System Failures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are system traps? Why do we fall into system traps, and how can we avoid them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

System traps are the issues systems encounter that cause them to fail. Read more about the types of systems traps, and why they cause system failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about system traps below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

System Traps: How We Fail <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In previous chapters, we\u2019ve explored a range of system models and how they relate to real-life situations, such as restocking a car inventory lot and managing renewable resources. We\u2019ve explored how misbehaving in the system can cause poor system performance, whether that means wild oscillations in restocking the car lot or driving the fish population to extinction. And in the previous chapter, we covered our limitations in comprehending how systems work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taken altogether, it\u2019s little surprise that we can design systems that completely fail to achieve the purpose we desire. Furthermore, when problems appear, we can fail at designing the right solution for the problem, and our behavior can make the situation worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this chapter, we\u2019ll describe system archetypes<\/strong>, which are system structures that produce problematic patterns of behavior<\/strong> (the author also calls them \u201csystem traps\u201d). These archetypes are ubiquitous in the real world, explaining phenomena such as nuclear arms races, the war on drugs, and business monopolies. We regularly get mired in these problems, but by understanding how the system predictably produces the behavior, we can also find the right way to intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A theme to keep in mind: beyond fixing the problem, it\u2019s far better to avoid getting trapped in these problems in the first place<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Escalation<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the most common system traps. Also known as: Keeping up with the Joneses, arms race<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two or more competitors have individual stocks. Each competitor wants the biggest stock of all. If a competitor falls behind, they try hard to catch up and be the new winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a reinforcing loop\u2014the higher one stock gets, the higher all the other stocks aim to get, and so on. It can continue at great cost to all competitors until one or more parties bows out or collapses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A historical example was the Cold War, where the Soviet Union and the United States monitored each others\u2019 munitions and pushed to amass the larger arsenal, at trillions of dollars of expense. A more pedestrian example includes how advertising between competitors can get increasingly prevalent and obnoxious, to try to gain more attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addiction<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Also known as: dependence<\/a>, shifting the burden to the intervenor. These system traps are common as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An actor in a system has a problem. In isolation, the actor would need to solve the problem herself. However, a well-meaning intervenor gives the actor a helping hand, alleviating the problem with an intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This in itself isn\u2019t bad, but in addiction, the intervenor helps in such a way that it weakens the ability of the actor to solve the problem herself<\/strong>. Maybe the intervention stifles the development of the actor\u2019s abilities, or it solves a surface-level symptom rather than the root problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem might appear fixed temporarily, but soon enough, the problem appears again, and in an even more serious form, since the actor is now less capable of solving the problem. The intervenor has to step in and help again to a greater degree. Thus the reinforcing feedback loop is set up\u2014more intervention is required, which in turn further weakens the actor\u2019s ability to solve it, which in turn requires more intervention. Over time, the actor becomes totally dependent on\u2014addicted to\u2014the intervention. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An example is elder care in Western societies: families used to take care of their parents, until nursing homes and social security came along to relieve the burden. In response, people became dependent on these resources and became unable to care for their parents\u2014they bought smaller homes and lost the skills and desire to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More System<\/strong> Traps<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Read the full summary to learn more common system problems:<\/p>\n\n\n\n