System Archetype

The deeper assemblage configuration that defines every product line system. The choice of central platform-lever locks the archetype in; the archetype then determines the interplay with the business model, strategy, organizational structure, work methods, and day-to-day operations. The archetype induces a behavior pattern, and that pattern is fractal — the same behavior shows up at every scale of the line; tuning one scale leaves the others on the old pattern, while changing the archetype changes the pattern at every scale at once. Defined in Chapter 5 of Winning the Race. See also Archetype, Product Line Congruency Theory.