Synergy Principle

When to use

"Use when combining elements and the combination's value should exceed the sum of parts. Look for complementarities where one element's strength offsets another's weakness. Not all combinations are synergistic; some are merely additive or even subtractive."

Example

"A phone plus a camera plus an internet browser are individually useful. Combined in a smartphone with an app ecosystem, the integrated value far exceeds the three separate devices — the synergy comes from the connections between them, not the components themselves."

Common misuse

"Claiming synergy without identifying the specific mechanism that makes the whole greater. Synergy is a hypothesis about interaction effects; without a mechanism, it is wishful thinking."

Also known as

Related models