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Limits to Suceess

What?

To improve performance of a system, more efforts are made, However, after some time the performance reaches a limit, leading to the performance levelling off, declining or even crashing.

Description of Behavioural traits

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In a "Limits to Success" scenario, growing actions initially lead to success, which encourages even more of those efforts. Over time, however, the success itself causes the system to encounter limits, which slows down improvements in results. As the success triggers the limiting action and performance declines, the tendency is to focus even more on the initial growth actions.

Guidelines

The archetype is most helpful when it is used well in advance of any problems, to see how the cumulative effects of continued success might lead to future problems.

Use the archetype to explore questions such as, "What kinds of pressures are building up in the organisation as a result of the growth?"

Look for ways to relieve pressures or remove limits before an organisational gasket blows.

To view more Organisational Behaviour, click here:

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