Changes amplify themselves; success breeds more success.
The bank run, the arms race and the viral post are all reinforcing loops. The design consequence is that they must be bounded by something external, since nothing internal will stop them.
In practice
- A rumour about a supplier's solvency prompts buyers to demand shorter payment terms, which strains the cash the rumour was about.
- A hiring reputation that attracts strong candidates produces strong hires, which improves the reputation, and the initial advantage was small.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Design & Systems
- Essay
- Why systems behave against intuition