SECTION 02 · 236 GUIDES

Explainers

Clear explanations of complex topics, built to answer four questions: how does this work, why does it matter, when do you meet it, and how do you apply it.

EVERY EXPLAINER ANSWERS

1. 01How does it work?The mechanism, not the metaphor
2. 02Why does it matter?What changes once you understand it
3. 03When do you meet it?Concrete, everyday situations
4. 04How do you apply it?What to do differently on Monday

EXPLAINER OF THE WEEK · 22 SEP 2026

How feedback loops work

A feedback loop is any arrangement where a system's output becomes its own input. Reinforcing loops amplify, compound interest, bank runs, viral growth. Balancing loops correct, thermostats, predator–prey cycles, inventory ordering. Most surprising behaviour in organisations and markets is two loops fighting, with a delay between them.

YOU MEET IT WHEN

A fix makes the problem worse a month later; a metric improves while the outcome doesn't.

WHAT TO DO

Draw the loop before you intervene, and look for the delay, that's where the surprise lives.

READ IT THREE WAYS

1. 01How Feedback Loops WorkHOW IT WORKS · 22 MIN
2. 02What Is Systems Thinking? A Beginner's GuideBEGINNER GUIDES · 29 MIN
3. 03Systems Thinking vs Linear ThinkingCOMPARISONS · 29 MIN

A bias where people with limited competence in a domain overestimate their ability. The less you know, the harder it is to see what you're missing; expertise brings awareness of the gaps.

The tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information that confirms existing beliefs. It creates blind spots: you see what you expect rather than what is there.

Outputs circle back as inputs. Positive loops amplify change toward growth or collapse; negative loops dampen it toward equilibrium.

Systematic deviations from rational judgement produced by mental shortcuts. They matter because they are predictable, pervasive, and invisible from the inside.

Overestimating the likelihood of events that are easy to recall. Plane crashes feel likelier than car accidents because they are more memorable.

Over-reliance on the first number encountered. In negotiation the first offer anchors every counteroffer that follows.

Continuing to invest because of what has already been spent. Past costs are irrelevant to future decisions, but we feel compelled to justify them.

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