System archetypes are recurring patterns of structure and behaviour in systems thinking and system dynamics, popularised through Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline and catalogued in William Braun’s widely cited paper “The System Archetypes” (2002). Examples include Limits to Growth, Shifting the Burden, Fixes that Fail, Tragedy of the Commons, Escalation, Eroding Goals and Success to the Successful. Each describes a generic family of problems driven by feedback loops and delays.
Used diagnostically, they reveal the underlying structure producing recurring events; used prospectively, they warn of likely unintended consequences.
Note: the original request listed “William Bronze” — the author of the 2002 paper is William Braun. There is no systems thinker by the name Bronze that I could find.