Mechanism
Successional Debt
TL;DR
Organizational debt accumulated by skipping capability-building stages, maintaining inappropriate-stage behaviors, or resisting necessary transitions.
Like technical debt, successional debt doesn't disappear. It accrues interest and eventually comes due in crisis.
When ecological succession is disrupted or accelerated artificially, systems may appear functional but lack the foundational development of natural succession. This creates fragility that manifests during stress.
Business Application of Successional Debt
Organizational debt accumulated by skipping capability-building stages, maintaining inappropriate-stage behaviors, or resisting necessary transitions. Like technical debt, it doesn't disappear - it accrues interest and eventually comes due, often in crisis.