Normal Accident Theory

If

In systems that are both interactively complex and tightly coupled, small independent failures interact in ways no designer anticipated and propagate faster than operators can intervene — so accidents become a property of the structure, not bad luck.

Then

“Reduce coupling — add buffers, timeouts, bulkheads, and circuit breakers — and cut complexity before adding more safety interlocks, which themselves add interactions.”

Unless

High-Reliability Organizations — culture, slack, and decoupling measurably beat fatalism