Leverage Points in a Balancing Feedback Loop

When we explore systems, we notice several patterns and structures. One is the balancing feedback loop. This occurs when there is a balancing force holding the output of the system within a specific range.

This can be a good thing. The thermostat in your house keeps the output (temp in your home) consistent. Instead of fluctuating wildly, it remains a comfortable temperature.

In that system there are several leverage points. One of the most obvious leverage points is the thermostat. If we disable that, the whole system vanishes. It no longer keeps the temperature comfortable and consistent.

Anyone with a broken furnace in winter experienced another leverage point. It could be a busted heat exchanger, blown fuse, or any number of component failures within the furnace.

Any one of those can derail the system. But, as long as all factors are operating, the system remains effective.

But what if we want to change a balancing feedback loop? What if we want change or improvement in an area that is being controlled by one of these loops?

With the recent social unrest in the US, we see the difficulty in changing major systems. These systems are composed of many feedback loops that keep the status quo.

Those who crave change, are left frustrated. It seems like their voice is ignored. They feel powerless. They can’t seem to strike any improvement in the system.

We can start to explore some of the balancing feedback loops and leverage points in the system. Many who have power within the system want it to remain as it is. They don’t want change. This means that when shouts of change emerge, they will do everything possible to quell those.

In a typical balancing feedback loop, pushing harder against the balancing loop doesn’t usually work. It is like trying to push through a brick wall. The more you push, the more resistance you face.

In most balancing feedback loops, a better approach is to work to reduce the balancing force. It could be done in any number of ways. In the police structure, who are the powerful individuals or groups that hold the system in place? Is it a politician? Is it the unions? Is it the police chief?

This often gives us a better understanding of why the feedback loop balances. We can start to see that police chiefs want to protect their workers from unfair criticism. They have a personal relationship with the officers, so they don’t want to erode that trust. So, they give them the benefit of the doubt when criticism comes.

The police unions fight to protect officers being targeted or treated unfairly. This is great when they are being unjustly attacked. But what happens when the officer commits infractions? The unions tend to help that officer escape accountability.

The politicians often receive a great deal of financial and political support from the police unions. These are powerful groups that can sway an election. If a politician makes it a point to attack the police, the unions will likely withdrawal support and instead support an opponent. This gives them motivation to align with the police union, instead of pushing against it.

With these and many other balancing feedback loops in place, change is not likely. This is the reason there has been so many protests regarding police brutality over the past 50 years. The protesters see the system as malfunctioning. They become upset and want to publicly express their discontent. But the balancing feedback loops keep things in place. Forces keep the system functioning as it currently does.

Leverage points are the key to understanding why a system functions in the way it does. It helps to gain a clear picture of what is happening. If so many people are upset and protesting, why does it feel as if nothing changes? The key is to identify the balancing feedback loops and leverage points in the system. That will clue you in to why the system sustains in such a successful manner each time protests erupt.