Systems Archetype Matching

Recurring system behaviors are not unique — they follow a small set of structural patterns that have known causes and known high-leverage responses. Senge's eight archetypes give names to these patterns. Matching the current situation to an archetype tells you what structure is producing the behavior and what intervention actually works, rather than re-discovering the same solution each cycle.

Your Process

Step 1: Describe the Recurring Behavior State what keeps happening. Include: what was tried, what temporarily worked, what came back. The more specific, the better the match.

Framing check: Confirm the specific system and its recurring behavior before continuing. State what you've identified — the system in question, the behavior that keeps repeating, and what has been tried — in one sentence, then use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "I'm reading this as: [your one-sentence framing of the system and recurring behavior]. Is that right?"
• Header: "Framing"
• Options:
  • Yes — proceed — framing is correct
  • Adjust — one element is off; user will correct it before you continue
  • Reframe — different situation than read; incorporate the correction before proceeding