Operational Debt Behaves Differently Than Technical Debt

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 08/09/2026

Operational debt compounds through decisions, dependencies, and human workarounds, leaving organizations increasingly unstable as scale and execution pressure increase.

operational debttechnical debtadaptation capacityexecution frictionorganizational instabilityoperational complexityorganizational coordination

Some government friction is there on purpose

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 31/08/2026

What the U.S. constitutional system can teach us about coordination: why distributed authority, dependencies, and constraints can create necessary friction rather than dysfunction.

coordination systemsorganizational designdecision authorityconstraint visibilityfailure containmentchecks and balancesseparation of powersorganizational frictioncoordination contractsadaptation capacityU.S. governmentconstitutional designRecursive Coordination Theory

Operating model redesigns expose how organizations handle risk

Brett Ferguson

Published on: 07/08/2026

An operating model redesign changes more than structures and reporting lines. It creates a transition in which continuity, talent, and communication risks have to be managed while the organization is still expected to deliver. That makes the way an

adaptation capacityfailure containmentoperating model redesignproactive risk managementstate traceabilitysurvey evidencetransition risks