Structural
Nesting / Hierarchy
Things contained within larger things, levels or layers.
Atoms–molecules–cells–organs–organisms.
A growing collection of paradigms across three domains — the invisible frameworks
shaping every system, decision, and interaction we encounter.*
* Paradigms are not mutually exclusive. Many problems involve multiple overlapping paradigms.
How we perceive structure, flow, and pattern in the physical and natural world — from atoms to ecosystems.
Things contained within larger things, levels or layers.
Atoms–molecules–cells–organs–organisms.
Ordered in a line with before/after.
Timelines, assembly steps.
Processes as repeating loops or phases.
Seasons, life–death cycles, rituals.
Movement of matter, energy, or information.
Rivers, traffic, blood, data pipelines.
Entities as nodes connected by relationships.
Ecosystems, power grids, social links.
Loops where outputs influence inputs.
Thermostats, predator–prey dynamics.
Systems as machines with parts and functions.
Engines, tools, factories.
Wholes as living, adaptive systems.
Organisms, ecosystems, cities.
Similar patterns repeated across scales.
Coastlines, branching patterns.
Whole properties not visible in parts.
Ant colonies, economies.
Inside/outside physical or conceptual regions.
Rooms, territories, membranes.
Stacked physical or functional layers.
Geological strata, OSI layers in networks.
Competing forces that must be balanced.
Structural strength vs. weight, predator vs. prey.
Allocating finite physical resources.
Water, land, energy, materials.
The cognitive frameworks we use to organize thought, meaning, and the categories of experience.
Grouping things into discrete types.
Core to labeling and organizing concepts.
Using standout examples as templates for a category.
"Typical" case as mental anchor.
Organizing events as characters, conflict, and plot.
Dominant way humans make meaning.
Mapping abstract ideas onto space (high/low, close/far).
Underlies lots of intuitive thinking.
Conceiving things as inside or outside conceptual boxes.
Drives in-group/out-group thinking.
Seeing differences as positions on a continuous scale.
Useful when categories are fuzzy.
Understanding behavior via roles and expected scripts.
Social interactions, institutions.
Seeing order as governed by explicit or implicit rules.
Laws, etiquette, "how things are done."
Viewing wholes as living, adaptive systems.
Growth, health, self-maintenance metaphors.
Viewing systems as machines with parts and functions.
Predictable, controllable, "if X then Y."
Properties arise from many interactions, not parts alone.
Helps with complexity and surprises.
Similar patterns repeated across scales.
"Same structure, different level."
Stacked levels from concrete to abstract.
Details vs. "big picture."
The strategic and logical frameworks we use to approach challenges, make decisions, and design solutions.
A leads to B.
Core for diagnosis and intervention.
Find a configuration that satisfies rules.
Scheduling, puzzle-solving, design specs.
Improve toward a maximum or minimum.
Shortest path, minimal cost, maximal impact.
Optimize with probabilities and risk.
Portfolios, insurance, medical decisions.
Distinguish "best" from "good enough."
Heuristics, MVPs, bounded rationality.
Manage competing objectives.
Cost vs. quality, speed vs. accuracy.
Allocate limited time, money, materials.
Budgets, project plans, capacity planning.
Options as points in a multidimensional space.
Exploring feature choices, "dial" settings.
Break into parts that recombine.
Refactoring, architecture, curricula.
Work at the right level of detail.
API design, systems architecture.
Use loops to adjust and improve.
Iteration, experiments, control systems.
Interactions with others under rules and incentives.
Negotiations, competition, security.
Framing problems as stories with arcs.
Change management, stakeholder engagement.
Assigning responsibilities and expectations.
Team design, org structure.
Designing or changing rule sets.
Policy, governance, protocol design.
Paradigm Solutions LLC partners with leaders, teams, and organizations to identify root paradigms, reframe challenges, and architect solutions that actually stick.
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