A system rests at equilibrium because that is its most likely position. Any spare energy is used up by processes — feedback loops — that keep returning the part of the system to this state.
This applies in organisations as much as in chemical systems.
We may make what feels like a significant change. A new initiative. A new process. A new product. But if the original feedback loops aren’t altered, then over time, friction will rub away what is distinct and we return to the status quo.
If we want to create a new equilibrium — a new status quo — then we need to:
- rewire the feeeback loops to reinforce this change rather than continuously undermine it
- Imbue the new initiative with enough energy to resist the friction it causes while the system around it rearranges itself.
If the change is good enough, it will generate enough energy of its own to keep going. That’s how most solutions succeed, be they organisational, or chemical.
Related tool > Ambition Loops