Weak signals: what it is and what it means

Weak signals are the small facts that announce a problem before it shows up with a cost. The expression was introduced in 1975 in an article by Igor Ansoff in the California Management Review, where it refers to strategic market surprises; within the internal boundaries of an organization, the reading rests on four criteria applied to one fact at a time: the fact is below the complaint threshold and does not appear in any indicator, it has happened at least a second time, it is already known to whoever sees it up close, and it has no recipient whose job is to receive it. Almost no signal is weak for whoever sees it up close: it is weak only at the point where decisions are made.

Distinctive: below the complaint threshold
Distinctive: is weak only at the point where decisions are made
Essential: four criteria
Essential: has happened at least a second time
Essential: has no recipient
Constant: small facts
Constant: already known to whoever sees it up close

Glossary

Weak signals

Small facts, already known to someone, that announce a problem before it produces a complaint or shows up in an indicator.