Unintended Consequences: Decision-Making and Economic Interconnectedness

Issue 151, March 14, 2024

We’re entering the fray in the debate on the economy. And central to this debate is a refresher focused on our inability to make connections, see patterns and anticipate how micro and macro trends can radically and consequentially compromise our approach to solving real or perceived problems.

In solving what we see as immediate problems (low wages, inflation, price-gouging, lack of skilled workers and migration as examples), there are often unintended consequences because we simply don’t see what we don’t see. We don’t connect the consequential lines across a myriad of factors and variables to understand the impacts, changes and influences across a system or set of systems.

Linear Focus

When there is real or perceived urgency to solve a problem (including responding to public opinion and sentiment), the solution often follows a linear focus. Point A identifies the problem sought to be solved and Point B describes the solution. “Great,” the leader exclaims, “Let’s…