Cascade Labs: Diagnosing Systemic Dysfunction

How this one works

You interview AI characters to diagnose a problem inside an organization, then brief a decision-maker on what you found.

What students practice

• Recognize that organizational problems are often symptoms of deeper structural patterns
• Resist the temptation to diagnose prematurely or propose solutions before understanding the system
• Hold multiple competing explanations simultaneously without collapsing to a single narrative
• Distinguish between interventions that address symptoms vs. structural drivers
• Notice how incentives, information flows, decision rights, and path dependence shape organizational behavior
• Reflect on your own sensemaking process — where you felt certain, where you were wrong, and what you missed