Rescue becomes the system when organisations stop treating it as an emergency response and start depending on it as normal operation. The capable person becomes the bridge, the escalation point, and the informal guarantee that things will not fall apart.
Chapter 2 names the silent contract: the system remains imperfect, individuals compensate, and those individuals receive influence and recognition.
The contract feels fair
At first, the contract feels fair. The organisation gets stability. The individual gets trust. Stakeholders feel reassured because someone capable is watching.
But this agreement teaches the organisation to borrow capacity instead of building it.
From help to dependency
The problem is not one rescue. The problem is accumulated rescue. Complexity gathers around the person who can carry it. Knowledge concentrates. Decisions narrow. The organisation becomes stable only while certain individuals remain present.
A healthier system uses rescue as evidence. It asks what broke, why it required intervention, and how to prevent the same dependency next time.
System lesson: If rescue keeps repeating, it is no longer rescue. It is architecture.