Remember Activation Energy and how it's hard to get started or overcome that ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quod est, ut dixi, habere ea, quae secundum naturam sint, vel omnia vel plurima et maxima. Quid enim est a Chrysippo praetermissum in Stoicis? Mihi vero, inquit, placet agi subtilius et, ut ipse dixisti, pressius. Quod idem cum vestri faciant, non satis magnam tribuunt inventoribus gratiam. Quid enim me prohiberet Epicureum esse, si probarem, quae ille diceret? Atqui, inquam, Cato, si istud optinueris, traducas me ad te totum licebit.
Sapiens autem semper beatus est et est aliquando in dolore; At iste non dolendi status non vocatur voluptas. Facile est hoc cernere in primis puerorum aetatulis. Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. Ergo opifex plus sibi proponet ad formarum quam civis excellens ad factorum pulchritudinem? Igitur neque stultorum quisquam beatus neque sapientium non beatus. Idem etiam dolorem saepe perpetiuntur, ne, si id non faciant, incidant in maiorem. Dolere malum est: in crucem qui agitur, beatus esse non potest.
Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Iis igitur est difficilius satis facere, qui se Latina scripta dicunt contemnere. Quae similitudo in genere etiam humano apparet. Illud quaero, quid ei, qui in voluptate summum bonum ponat, consentaneum sit dicere. Progredientibus autem aetatibus sensim tardeve potius quasi nosmet ipsos cognoscimus. Utrum igitur tibi litteram videor an totas paginas commovere? Nisi autem rerum natura perspecta erit, nullo modo poterimus sensuum iudicia defendere. Bonum negas esse divitias, praeposìtum esse dicis?
- Discover what Activation Energy levels get you started
For some people, the beginning of a prod ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Eam tum adesse, cum dolor omnis absit; Dicet pro me ipsa virtus nec dubitabit isti vestro beato M. Non dolere, inquam, istud quam vim habeat postea videro; Duo Reges: constructio interrete.
Facile est hoc cernere in primis puerorum aetatulis. Hoc Hieronymus summum bonum esse dixit. Qui potest igitur habitare in beata vita summi mali metus? Ut proverbia non nulla veriora sint quam vestra dogmata. Suo genere perveniant ad extremum; Scaevola tribunus plebis ferret ad plebem vellentne de ea re quaeri. Itaque his sapiens semper vacabit. Ut placet, inquit, etsi enim illud erat aptius, aequum cuique concedere.
Quia dolori non voluptas contraria est, sed doloris privatio. Quae contraria sunt his, malane? Non igitur de improbo, sed de callido improbo quaerimus, qualis Q. Quae quo sunt excelsiores, eo dant clariora indicia naturae. Ergo instituto veterum, quo etiam Stoici utuntur, hinc capiamus exordium. Eam si varietatem diceres, intellegerem, ut etiam non dicente te intellego; Iam illud quale tandem est, bona praeterita non effluere sapienti, mala meminisse non oportere? Verum hoc idem saepe faciamus.
Catalysts can help to transform a situation faster, but the ingredients for that change must already exist. A catalyst then can’t solve for inadequate preparation or misjudging the broader context.
Another challenge with catalysts is that while theoretically, they do not become reactants, they often will impact on a change, particularly in business and life applications. This needs to be considered when removing catalysts, which might not just slow a change process down, but transform the nature of what is happening.
Examples of economic Catalysts as a business model
The multi-sided platform strategy as described above is best represented by companies such as eBay, Uber and Airbnb. By nature, the development of these businesses often disrupts existing business models. They tend to represent some of the fastest-growing and largest businesses over the last decade.
Social movements.
Many social movements have had a catalyst, a particular event that triggers broader social protests and change. In 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give her front-row seat up for a white passenger it led to her arrest. This led to a bus boycott and was the ‘spark’ or catalyst for a broader civil rights movement. In more recent times, the tragic killing of George Flloyd by a white police officer was the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement to gain mainstream coverage and impact.
Catalytic converters in your car.
There are many chemistry examples of catalysts. Perhaps one that will be most familiar is how vehicles use catalytic converters to reduce toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from combustion engines into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction.
Catalysts as a mental model can apply to a broad range of domains that relate to change.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave catalysts into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- Activation energy: intrinsically tied to the conversation of catalysts.
- The scientific method: as a broader framework and backdrop to the field.
- Butterfly effect: a different model that has some conceptual similarities.
- Leverage: again, different, but similar in that it aims to create a bigger impact from a smaller action.
- Critical mass: as the point at which change happens.
Complementary models:
- Systems vs goals: catalysts can provide a critique of the ‘slow steady’ approach of systems.
- Inversion: consider what might act as a catalyst for change by asking what would prevent it.
- Overton window: events can act as catalysts to shift the Overton window.
The concept of a catalyst can be traced back to Ancient Greece, though the term itself was first used by Scottish chemist Elizabeth Fulhame in her 1794 publication of An Essay on Combustion. See more about her story in this Physics Today article.
See David Evans, Catalyst Code: The Strategies Behind the Most Dynamic Companies for an exploration of economic catalysts.
Oops, That’s Members’ Only!
Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.
ModelThinkers membership at a glance:
“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”