Safety features are designed into the system and few substitutions of equipment, supplies and personnel are possible. The inflexible nature of this tight system is illustrated by the tremendous ingenuity and luck required for the safe return of Apollo 13. Equipment is tightly packed in small spaces and interdependencies of functions are great. Customers have choices between different grades of fuel, viscosities of oil and brand names on repair parts. Backlogs occur at different times of the day with few ramifications.
Skills required are relatively few so employees can be readily replaced when problems occur.
Turnover of personnel has little effect to include summertime when high school kids are hired temporarily. Customers are served on a first come basis, but exceptions can be made easily. Few surprises occur because information sources are direct and firsthand. A college is a loose-complex organization. If textbook orders are not filled before the semester begins, alternates may be selected or photocopies made of existing texts.