Dominoes are a symbol of the power of one. They’re small but when placed together they can knock over things many times their size. Dominoes can also be a metaphor for the impact of a single event on the future of a business or organization. In this article we’ll explore how a domino effect works, and how to use the concept in your writing.

A domino is a flat, thumb-sized rectangular block with one face bearing an arrangement of dots, or pips, and the other blank or identically patterned. The value of a domino is determined by its number of pips, or the rank of the tile. A domino with a higher rank is “heavier” than a dominant with fewer pips, or even none at all.

The name “domino” is derived from the Spanish word for “flip.” In a domino game, players alternately play tiles to extend a chain of pips. Each tile must match another in both ends to be played, and the chain develops into a snake-line as the dominoes are stacked on top of each other. When playing to a double, the tile must be placed squarely across the end of the line; if played perpendicular to an existing double touching at its middle, it may only extend a little way before being blocked.

When the chain is completed, the winner is determined by the combined sum of all the pips on the player’s remaining tiles. Normally the game is won by a player who can play his or her last tile without blocking an adjacent one. However, some games require a player to “chip out” and pass the turn if he or she cannot make a play.

Dominoes are used to make art, and there are many ways they can be arranged and stacked to create intricate designs. They can be arranged to form curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. In some countries, domino shows are popular where builders compete to build the most complex designs, or to achieve the most impressive Dominoes effects before a live audience.

The success of a business or organization can be determined by how well it understands its market and customers. A company that listens to the concerns of its customers and acts on those concerns is more likely to succeed than one that ignores or dismisses them. The domino effect is a great metaphor for this type of business strategy.