The Shirky Principle
kk.org
The Shirky Principle
The Principle of Least Resistance: In a business setting, without clear feedback on the impact of various behaviors to the bottom line, we will tend toward behaviors that are easiest in the moment.
Cal Newport • Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
But not to worry, if we do not decentralize and distribute responsibility, it will happen by itself, the hard way: a system that doesn’t have a mechanism of skin in the game, with a buildup of imbalances, will eventually blow up and self-repair that way. If it survives.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb • Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life
What you have to understand is that bureaucracy is an organism, and the prime goal of every organism is self-protection. Bureaucracy exists to protect itself.”
Emily St. John Mandel • Sea of Tranquility: A novel
Law of Conservation of Complexity: Every application must have an inherent amount of irreducible complexity. The only question is: who will have to deal with it?
Giles Colborne • Simple and Usable Web, Mobile, and Interaction Design
The Principal-Agent Problem is everywhere.
A universal mental model for startups, business, politics, and life.
Here’s a breakdown of what it is (and why it matters):
Sahil Bloomx.com