Le Chatelier's Principle is the name given to the tendency of a system to adjust internally and return to its former state after a disturbance. It is taken from the field of physical chemistry and the study of equilibrium processes. In these processes, when a new reactant or condition of temperature or pressure is introduced into a closed system, it does not result in a different state or a new substance but in a return to the state existing before the new condition was introduced. Le Chatelier's Principle is applied to the way 'business as usual" returns after new procedures or reforms are introduced and to the resiliency of organizations to adapt and survive. When a system in operation is hit by a disturbance, the only result may be a shift its internal point of equilibrium. Whether this tendency is seen as an obstacle or a resource depends on the goals of the observer. # SOURCE the chemical process bearing the name of French chemist Henry Louis Le Chatelier # EXAMPLES • the way certain peoples, such as the Chinese, have absorbed and assimilated a series of invaders • the legitimization and institutionalization of protest and reform • the persistence of customs held over from the past • retaining previous compensatory activity after new technology which makes it unnecessary has been introduced • giving lip service to new directives from above while continuing to do business as usual # NON-EXAMPLES • a catastrophe (abrupt change) in the state of a system • entropic drift • autopoiesis • adaptation # PROBABLE ERROR • Underestimating the effort required to make a lasting change in the operation of a system, • Not utilizing the system's natural tendencies to adapt to change. # SEE Adaptation; Equilibrium; Ultrastability; Autopoiesis; Catastrophe