Robustness

Notes:

In his classic analysis of complex systems and risk assessment, Normal Accidents (1999), Professor Charles Perrow introduces the idea of “tight coupling,” which refers to the absence of slack or buffer that enables “loosely coupled” systems to incorporate shocks and failures without destabilization. He notes: "In complex (tightly coupled) systems, not only are unanticipated interdependencies more likely to emerge because of a failure of a part or a unit, but those operating the system (or managing it) are less likely, because of specialized roles and knowledge, to predict, note, or be able to diagnose the interdependency before the incident escalates into an accident."

another way of gauging the stability of systems is by the level of their “integrity.” The integrity of a system can be measured by the extent to which it satisfies four basic conditions: 1. wholeness, 2. coherence, 3. connectedness, and 4. adaptability. In other words, when a “system”—a biological system, a human being, an organization, an alliance, a community, or a network of communities —is internally connected, when one action bears a close and meaningful relationship to another, and where the system as a whole can respond vitally and creatively to any kind of stress or change, the system displays a high degree of integrity.