OVERBURDENING
Charles François (2004). OVERBURDENING, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2452.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2452 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
The imposition of an excessive exigence or work on a system.
This notion is closely related to the overload one. It corresponds to the often cited proverb about “the last straw that broke the camel's back”. However, in many cases, the operator, decider or manager remains unaware that he is operating close to an instability threshold… or crossing it, and the back of the camel breaks.
One of the main causes of such an unawareness is the lack of perception and understanding of slow accumulation of small effects in systems at long or very long term. This situation is particularly dangerous in our time, when all processes are becoming interconnected and are accelerating.