Which type of feedback leads to change within the system, with the goal of improving the system?

Which type of feedback leads to change within the system, with the goal of improving the system?

• A. Positive Feedback
• B. Negative Feedback
• C. Throughput
• D. Input and Output

Answer: (A)

Positive feedback is a loop where a change reinforces itself, causing the effect to grow and push the system toward a new state. When the goal is to improve the system, this amplification can drive rapid, cumulative improvements: a small win motivates more people to adopt the change, and those additional adopters create even more improvement, creating momentum that reshapes how the system operates. For example, seeing better patient outcomes from a safety initiative can encourage broader implementation and faster refinement, accelerating overall progress. In contrast, negative feedback tends to counter deviations and pull the system back toward its prior state, promoting stability rather than accelerating change. Throughput and input/output describe how work moves through a system, but they are not types of feedback themselves.

Positive feedback is a loop where a change reinforces itself, causing the effect to grow and push the system toward a new state. When the goal is to improve the system, this amplification can drive rapid, cumulative improvements: a small win motivates more people to adopt the change, and those additional adopters create even more improvement, creating momentum that reshapes how the system operates. For example, seeing better patient outcomes from a safety initiative can encourage broader implementation and faster refinement, accelerating overall progress.

In contrast, negative feedback tends to counter deviations and pull the system back toward its prior state, promoting stability rather than accelerating change. Throughput and input/output describe how work moves through a system, but they are not types of feedback themselves.