How Do We Know a Healthy System from a Failing System?
In systems theory, the clearest sign that a system is failing isn’t the size of its problems—it’s the loss of self-correction.
As Donella Meadows wrote, “The most damaging system problems arise when feedback is delayed, missing, or ignored.”
When signals of harm are silenced or dismissed, a system cannot adapt. Instead, it reinforces dysfunction.
What Healthy Systems Do
Healthy systems create positive, intentional outcomes for the majority of participants. They receive feedback, learn from it, and course-correct.
They ask: What’s working? What isn’t? What needs to change?
Healthy systems are rooted in values, not ideology. People within them can speak up for what is right without fear of being silenced. They support transparency, accountability, and growth.
What Unhealthy Systems Do
Unhealthy systems do the opposite. They prioritize some at the expense of others, resist feedback, and double down on old patterns. They silence those who point out cracks, normalize dysfunction, and gradually erode trust.
Eventually, the system collapses because it can no longer adjust to reality. Often, a false reality has been created to shield members from seeing the truth.
A Real-World Example
A painful example of this is the institutions that enabled the abuses of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Survivors have bravely spoken out—this time on the steps of the Capitol—calling for accountability. After decades of evasion, silencing, and denial, they are demanding that we confront the failures that allowed systemic abuse to persist.
The question is: Will we respond?
Will we act to prevent future harm to vulnerable girls—or will we remain in denial, forcing survivors to bear the weight of others’ wrongdoing?
Are we courageous enough to prioritize the safety of our children over politics, ideology, or loyalty—and act on the truth, no matter how uncomfortable?
Moving Toward Systemic Health
Moving a system toward health starts with acknowledgment:
seeing the harm, listening to those affected, and validating their experiences.
From there, the system can adapt its structures, policies, and behaviors to restore trust, strengthen resilience, and protect the vulnerable.
Every system has the capacity to respond—if it chooses to. The question is whether we will step up as the healthy part of the system.
Reflection for Leaders and Life
What outcomes are my systems producing—and are they intentional and healthy?
Do they align with my values?
Are my systems flexible enough to receive warning signs, acknowledge failures, and act to restore health?
Am I contributing to resilience—or normalizing dysfunction?
The difference is profound: a system that grows stronger over time, or one that collapses under the weight of its own denial.
A Closing Thought
A system’s ability to learn and adapt is the truest measure of its health. Silence, denial, or rigidity are its first signs of failure.
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Julie Bauch is a deep transformational coach who supports individuals, leaders, groups, and organizations. Her work draws from neuroscience, wisdom traditions, somatic healing practices, Integral Coaching®, the work of Thomas Hübl, and a deep commitment to inner and outer coherence.
