p.1 Folks who do systems analysis have a great belief in "leverage
points." These are places within a complex system... where a small shift in one thing can produce big changes
in everything... we want to know where they are and how to get our hands on them. Leverage points are points of power.
p.2 Leverage points are not intuitive. Or if they are, we intuitively use
them backward, systematically worsening whatever problems we are trying to solve.
The systems analysts I know have come up with no quick or easy
formulas for finding leverage points. When we study a system, we usually learn where leverage points are.
p.3 Places to Intervene in a System (in increasing order of effectiveness)
12. Constants, parameters, numbers... 11. The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows 10. The
structure of material stocks and flows... 9. The lengths of delays, relative to the rate of system change 8. The strength
of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against 7. The gain around driving positive
feedback loops 6. The structure of information flows... 5. The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishments, constraints)
4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure 3. The goals of the system 2. The mindset or paradigm
out of which the system - its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters - arises 1. The power to transcend paradigms
p.6 Parameters are the points of least leverage on my list of interventions.
Diddling with the details, arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Probably 90 - no 95 - no 99 percent of our attention
goes to parameters, but there's not a lot of leverage in them.
Not that parameters aren't important. They can be, especially
in the short term and to the individual who's standing directly in the flow. People care deeply about parameters and fight
fierce battles over them. But they rarely change behavior. If the system is chronically stagnant, parameter
changes rarely kick-start it. If it's wildly variable, they don't usually stabilize it. If it's growing out of control, they
don't brake it.
