If solutions are not around, start looking for them. If the problem has not yet appeared, start thinking about it and its solution. To push the equilibrium analogy further, engineers differentiate between stable and unstable systems. Unstable systems are those where small changes bring forces into existence that cause the system to change further in the same direction. Eventually the system changes to a point where even the strongest steering signals cannot prevent disaster.
Most social systems are stable, because the unstable ones self-destruct.
But not all are stable, and it is an open question of how well human societies will cope with their sorcerer s apprentice. One thing we do learn from the study of systems is that adding a properly designed feedback loop can make an unstable system stable. So the issue of stability is likely to require the design and implementation of appropriate feedback processes. The current focus on outcomes in education and healthcare provide a good example. Managers have, of course, long relied on the bottom line to provide the error signal that drives the feedback processes in business.