In an interdependent system with established rules, a player can disrupt it by consistently acting contrary to the rules. To the point where no one wins and the system breaks down.
I played my first game of Billionaire recently. I got the rules mixed up. Instead of collecting as large a portfolio as I could of the same industries, I was aiming for one of each, and actively getting rid of duplicates. (Hey, diversification is good right? Spread your risks and all that…)
After many rounds of trading, no one was getting anywhere. And we had to stop. Just one person getting the rules back to front meant no one else could win the game.
As creatures of community and relationships, we exist within many systems of mutual understanding. People who work against these systems can cause destructive ripples. Like the global financial crisis for example.
When deliberately triggering innovative disruptions, businesses often sandbox the change outside of the core day-to-day operations.
Well run organisations document and induct processes and rules. So everyone is at least trying very hard to work from the same set of understandings.
And when we experiment with disruptive changes to our lives - like a career change or moving house - we also cordon off time and emotional energy to help us cope.
