Feedback Loops and Counterintuitive Constraints

00:18:37 — Feedback Loops and Counterintuitive Constraints

Larson explains that feedback loops are what make systems thinking so interesting for engineering management. We often think we understand where the core constraint is, but modeling with real data reveals surprises. His concrete example: he discovered that hiring was constrained by engineering manager hiring, not engineer hiring — a counterintuitive finding that fundamentally changed where he invested his time. Without the modeling, he would never have found the right leverage point.