System-structure Models

These models and simulations have been tagged “System-structure”.

 The problem situation actually
prevailed for some time in Zaragoza, Spain, in 2010. Repeated accidents
occurred on a treacherous curve that gave the visual impression of being less
pronounced than it actually was. At the time I investigated the situation. After
considering various aspects of the pr

The problem situation actually prevailed for some time in Zaragoza, Spain, in 2010. Repeated accidents occurred on a treacherous curve that gave the visual impression of being less pronounced than it actually was. At the time I investigated the situation. After considering various aspects of the problem, it seemed the most likely cause of the repeat accidents was excessive speed, which caused many cars to crash into a lamp post on the side of the road. Despite putting up many warning signs, the accidents continued. I found that a simple archetype called "Shifting-The-Burden" illustrate and perfectly explained the probable cause of these repeated accidents. The situation suggested that a structural problem existed, and that a modification of the structure of the road was necessary to deal with the problem. This conclusion is supported by an old systems thinking adage that says: "if you want to change the behaviour of a system, then change its structure". That modification of the road structure was eventually carried out by the local authorities, and unsurprisingly, no further accidents occurred after that, which seems to have vindicated the findings of the investigation.