Bending the Chimney and Moving the Fuel
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-31
CORE DEFINITION
Someone suggested that the host bend the chimney and move the firewood away to prevent fire, but the host did not listen. Later a fire broke out, and everyone got their scalps scorched before putting it out. The host rewarded the firefighters handsomely but forgot the person who suggested bending the chimney and moving the fuel.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
Reward preventers. Organizations tend to reward 'firefighting heroes' (explicit merit) while ignoring those who eliminate hidden dangers in the bud ('fire preventers', implicit merit). This encourages people to sit back and wait for problems to erupt and then save the day themselves. The incentive mechanism must be changed to heavily reward unsung heroes.
Anchor fast decisions
In the anecdote, someone saw firewood piled beside a straight chimney at a neighbor's house and advised bending the chimney and moving the firewood to prevent fire. The owner did not listen and eventually a fire broke out. It metaphorically illustrates that eliminating hidden dangers beforehand is better than remedying after the fact. The mechanism is proactive prevention to eliminate root causes.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/3Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- baike.baidu.comhttps://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%9B%B2%E7%AA%81%E5%BE%99%E8%96%AAverified
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