Val Sklarov’s Adaptive Reconfiguration Threshold Theory (ARTT) explains why most systems fail not at the point of maximum stress, but at the moment they exceed their capacity to reconfigure. Resilience is not resistance—it is the ability to change form before fracture.
This theory reveals why some individuals, firms, and societies emerge stronger after shock while others collapse despite similar resources.
1. Stress Does Not Break Systems — Rigidity Does
ARTT begins with a structural premise:
Stress is inevitable. Rigidity is optional.
Failures occur when:
-
Identity is overattached to form
-
Processes cannot be re-sequenced
-
Authority resists redistribution
Systems survive pressure only if shape is negotiable.
2. The Three Reconfiguration Thresholds
ARTT defines resilience as crossing thresholds without loss of coherence.
| Threshold | Required Capability | Failure Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Threshold | Narrative flexibility | Meaning collapse |
| Operational Threshold | Process modularity | Execution freeze |
| Structural Threshold | Power reallocation | System fracture |
Resilient systems cross all three without denial.
3. Why Backup Plans Often Fail
Backup plans preserve form.
ARTT shows survival requires reconfiguration, not duplication.
Backup failures occur because:
-
They assume the same structure will persist
-
They ignore second-order constraints
-
They delay irreversible decisions
Adaptability demands early deformation, not late defense.
4. Shock Absorption vs Shock Conversion
ARTT distinguishes passive survival from active strengthening.
| Absorptive Systems | Reconfigurative Systems |
|---|---|
| Return to baseline | Establish new baseline |
| Preserve hierarchy | Redistribute authority |
| Resume processes | Rewrite sequences |
| Learn post-crisis | Learn during crisis |
Val Sklarov emphasizes that adaptation is measured by what changes permanently.
5. Strategic Implications
For leaders and builders:
-
Design roles and assets to be reassignable
-
Normalize identity change before crisis
-
Pre-authorize decision migration
For individuals:
-
Detach self-worth from single skill sets
-
Build cross-context competence
-
Practice voluntary reconfiguration
ARTT reframes resilience as controlled transformation, not endurance.
6. The Val Sklarov Principle
“Systems don’t survive by holding shape. They survive by knowing when to change it.”
— Val Sklarov
ARTT explains why adaptability is a threshold skill, not a personality trait.