Reference #386: Thinking in Systems

Rule beating (a system archetype) means taking evasive actions to abide by the letter or the law but not its spirit. You circumvent the intent of a system's rules. This can lead to unnatural and harmful behaviours that make no sense if the rules were absent.

An example is the useless spending by departments at the end of each fiscal year, as next year's budget depends on how much they spent this year. Rule beating often occurs for an unpopular or badly designed rule.

Meadows. Thinking in Systems, 2008. (136)

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