(noun) The tendency of systems to resist changes imposed upon them, returning to their original state when external pressure is removed.

When the engineering team tried to implement daily standups, the organization gradually reverted to its previous informal communication patterns within a few months.

John Gall adapted Le Châtelier’s Principle from chemistry to systems theory in his book “Systemantics.” In chemistry, the principle states that when a system at equilibrium is disturbed, it shifts to counteract the disturbance. Gall observed that human systems exhibit similar behavior - they actively resist changes and work to maintain their existing patterns of operation.

Examples:

• Software teams reverting to old processes after new methodologies are mandated
• Organizations that restructure but maintain the same informal power dynamics
• Legacy systems that resist modernization efforts through various forms of “technical debt”
• User interfaces that get customized back to familiar patterns despite design updates