We have been exploring systems archetypes that describe common problems. Now, let’s look at a powerful, and often unfair, pattern called Success to the Successful. This archetype happens when a limited resource is given to one of two competing people or groups. That person or group succeeds because they have the resource. Then, because they were successful, they get even more of the resource. The other person or group is left with nothing and fails.
Imagine two employees, John and Jane, who are both applying for a special training program. The company can only send one person. The manager decides to send John because he has a slightly better track record. John takes the training, learns new skills, and becomes even more successful. Because of his new success, he gets to go to more trainings and is given more important projects. Jane, who didn’t get the training, falls further and further behind. This is the core idea of “Success to the Successful”—a reinforcing cycle that creates a big gap between two competing sides.
What is the “Success to the Successful” Archetype?
This archetype is a pattern where one side’s success fuels more success, while the other side is left behind. The key parts of this pattern are:
- Two Competing Sides: There are two or more people, groups, or things that are competing for a limited resource (e.g., two teams in a company, two products in a market).
- The Limited Resource: This is the key thing that both sides need to succeed (e.g., money, time, skilled people, good projects).
- Reinforcing Loops: The archetype is made of two reinforcing loops that are linked. The success of one side leads to it getting more of the limited resource. That resource then leads to more success, which leads to even more resources. The other side gets less of the resource and therefore has less chance to succeed.
The trap is that the system rewards success, but it doesn’t see that the success was not just from skill; it was also from having a better share of the limited resources.
Important: The core lesson of “Success to the Successful” is that in a fair competition, the best person wins. In this archetype, the best person often wins because they were given an advantage at the beginning. This creates a cycle where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
A Common Example: Corporate Departments
This archetype is often seen in big companies with different departments.
- Two Competing Sides: The Marketing department and the R&D (Research and Development) department are both asking for more money for their projects in the next budget.
- The Limited Resource: The company has a limited amount of extra money to give out.
- Reinforcing Loops: The company decides to give more money to the R&D department because its last project was a success. R&D uses the money to build another successful project. Because of this success, they get even more money next year. The Marketing department, with less money, can’t launch any big, successful projects, so they get less money year after year.
The Practice Example from the Ebook: The Two Children
The ebook gives an example of two children. One child, named Jim, is very good at reading. The other child, named Sara, is not as good.
- Two Competing Sides: Jim and Sara are competing for their parent’s time and help with reading.
- The Limited Resource: The parent has a limited amount of time to help their children read.
- Reinforcing Loops: The parent notices that Jim is very good at reading, so they spend more time with him to help him get even better. Jim’s skills improve quickly. The parent then has less time to help Sara. Because Sara gets less help, her reading skills do not improve as much, which makes her seem less successful. The parent then feels that giving more time to Jim is the best use of their limited time. The gap between the children gets bigger over time.
How to Find a Lasting Solution
To solve this archetype, you must break the reinforcing loop and create a more equal system.
- See the System, Not Just the People: The problem is not that one side is “better” than the other. The problem is the system that keeps giving all the resources to one side. You have to see the problem as a system issue, not a personal one.
- Give Resources Based on Need, Not Just Past Success: Change the rules for giving out resources. Instead of only giving resources to the side that has been successful, give them based on need or potential. For the two employees, this might mean giving the training to Jane so she has a chance to improve.
- Use a Common Purpose: Bring the two competing sides together under a larger, shared purpose. When they see that they are both part of the same team, they will be less likely to compete and more likely to help each other.
- Create a New Rule: Create a new rule that forces resources to be shared more equally or in a way that helps the whole system, not just one part of it.
Conclusion
The “Success to the Successful” archetype teaches us that success can create a powerful cycle that leaves some people behind. It reminds us that what looks like a fair competition is often a system where one side has an unfair advantage. By learning to recognize this pattern, we can break the cycle by changing how we give out resources. This allows us to build a more fair and effective system where everyone has a chance to succeed.
