Redesign stock and flow structures to fix poorly designed systems.

A bad enough design can only be helped with redesign, which is a slow and expensive choice. The best time to use this leverage point is at the inception of the system—after that, maximizing the design’s utility and avoiding exacerbating its bottlenecks. Traps like success to the successful may lead to this leverage point if most of the system must give up.rM3


  1. Donella H. Meadows and Diana Wright, Thinking in Systems: A Primer (White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Pub, 2008). (See notes.)