“Engineers speak of a “control loop,” in which the “man in the loop” is the problematical element. This is the human component in a series of sequentially interacting pieces of equipment that control or adjust a function. But when the pilot is suddenly and unexpectedly brought into the control loop (in other words, participates in decision making) as a result of (inevitable) equipment failure, he is disoriented. Long periods of passive monitoring make one unprepared to act in emergencies. The sudden appearance of several alarms, all there for safety reasons, leads to disorientation.”

Source: 1980s and later, Normal Accidents, 1984, p. 132

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Charles Perrow71

American sociologist 1925–2019

Robert E. Machol (1917–1998) American systems engineer

Source: Mathematicians are useful (1971), p. 1

“I think of every double-decker loop as another loop towards my death. And that is why I've always thought of the double-decker loop as - each loop as a continuous and individualized search for perfection.”

Timothy Levitch (1970) American actor

The Cruise (1998)

“In complex systems cause and effect are often not closely related in either time or space. The structure of a complex system is not a simple feedback loop where one system state dominates the behavior. The complex system has a multiplicity of interacting feedback loops. Its internal rates of flow are controlled by nonlinear relationships. The complex system is of high order, meaning that there are many system states (or levels). It usually contains positive-feedback loops describing growth processes as well as negative, goal-seeking loops. In the complex system the cause of a difficulty may lie far back in time from the symptoms, or in a completely different and remote part of the system. In fact, causes are usually found, not in prior events, but in the structure and policies of the system.”

Jay Wright Forrester (1918–2016) American operations researcher

Source: Urban dynamics (1969), p. 9

“[There is a] basic problem … of building a mathematical model of thought processes, and in particular of those aspects of thought which are concerned with information and decision processes. The perceptron is one type of model -- a set of memory devices connected in random fashion-- which has not yet achieved useful results but certainly seems to be a promising approach. The self-adaptive feedback control system which goes beyond the normal servo function of controlling its output, and in addition controls the parameters by which it controls its output is another which has already achieved pragmatic results in equipment control. It may be that the question of self-adaptation is a key to the whole question of how the human functions in a decisioning situation. For in many cases the ability of the human mind to adapt itself to a changing and complex environment is beyond our present aims in model construction.”

Robert E. Machol (1917–1998) American systems engineer

p ix-x
Information and Decision Processes (1960)

“When the give-and-take loop is interrupted for so long, one cannot expect that link to stay attached. This will result in separation or even divorce in the marriage.”

Mwanandeke Kindembo (1996) Congolese author

“When there are long delays in feedback loops, some sort of foresight is essential.”

Donella Meadows (1941–2001) American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer

Thinking in systems: A Primer (2008)

“Active loose coupling occurs when a subsystem of an organization is more tightly coupled to an environmental sector than other subsystems, and a feedback loop connects environmental conditions with organizational responses. A feedback loop is present when an organizational mechanism for monitoring the environment exists, and when the state of the environment (or intended target of the organization's action) is compared to some desired state by members of the organization.”

Howard E. Aldrich (1943) American sociologist

Source: Organizations and Environments, 1979, p. 85

“The organizing system merely provides placeholders for all your oprn loops and options so your mind can... make the necessary intuitive, moment-to-moment strategic decisions.”

David Allen book Getting Things Done

Source: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (2001), Ch. 7

“Policy-making, decision-taking, and control: These are the three functions of management that have intellectual content.”

Anthony Stafford Beer (1926–2002) British theorist, consultant, and professor

Source: Management Science (1968), Chapter 1, Processes and Policies, p. 10.

“In physical, exponentially growing systems, there must be at least one reinforcing loop driving growth and at least one balancing feedback loop constraining growth, because no system can grow forever in a finite environment.”

Donella Meadows (1941–2001) American environmental scientist, teacher, and writer

Thinking in Systems: A Primer (2008), Appendix (summary)

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Charles Perrow71

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