1) Charisma Drift

Problem
People optimize for belonging and approval rather than truth and system purpose. Authority becomes permission, and loyalty replaces verification.

Examples

• Bad news is suppressed to protect a leader’s narrative.
• Safeguards are bypassed because “leadership wants it.”

Control opportunity
Independent verification + dissent immunity + separation between influence and permission-setting.

Core question: What behavior does authority reward—even when evidence says otherwise?

Related: Narrative Capture, Information Suppression, Coordination Collapse Under Pressure

3) Dependency Capture

Problem
Systems become unable to function without a provider, platform, leader, or supply chain. Dependency becomes leverage.

Examples

• “We can’t switch vendors” becomes a strategic constraint.
• Single-provider infrastructure becomes a national risk.

Control opportunity
Exit paths, portability, redundancy, multi-provider optionality.

Core question: What breaks if this disappears tomorrow?

Related: Complexity Overload, Ownership Diffusion, Power Distance Expansion

5) Exception Normalization

Problem
Temporary exceptions become permanent behavior. Shortcuts harden into structure.

Examples

• “Temporary” emergency rules never sunset.
• Security exceptions quietly accumulate.

Control opportunity
Exception budgets + expiration/sunset rules + periodic review triggers.

Core question: Which temporary decisions became permanent?

Related: Incentive Drift, Short-Termism, Information Suppression

7) Ownership Diffusion

Problem
Responsibility spreads so widely that nobody owns outcomes. Failures become systemic rather than correctable.

Examples

• Multi-vendor incidents with no accountable owner.
• “It’s not my role” becomes the default response.

Control opportunity
Ownership mapping + decision accountability + correction routing.

Core question: Who owns correction?

Related: Dependency Capture, Information Suppression, Coordination Collapse Under Pressure

10) Short-Termism

Problem
Immediate reward beats long-term survival. Systems mortgage resilience for short-term wins.

Examples

• Infrastructure neglected for quarterly results.
• Technical debt grows until it becomes fragility.

Control opportunity
Long-term protections + delayed-reward structures + sustainability accounting.

Core question: Who pays later for today’s gains?

Related: Incentive Drift, Exception Normalization, Dependency Capture

2) Incentive Drift

Problem
People optimize what is rewarded, not what is intended. Metrics become targets; targets replace purpose.

Examples

• Sales targets drive unsafe behavior.
• Engagement metrics reward outrage over truth.

Control opportunity
Incentive alignment + long-term balancing mechanisms + metric audit loops.

Core question: What behavior does success reward?

Related: Exception Normalization, Short-Termism, Oversight Theater

4) Information Suppression

Problem
Bad news becomes socially unsafe to surface. Reality disappears until crisis restores it.

Examples

• Safety concerns never reach decision-makers.
• Public data is shaped to preserve legitimacy.

Control opportunity
Protected dissent + independent reporting paths + truth routing safeguards.

Core question: How safely can bad news travel upward?

Related: Charisma Drift, Oversight Theater, Coordination Collapse Under Pressure

6) Complexity Overload

Problem
Systems become too complex to understand, audit, or control. Humans revert to authority and heuristics.

Examples

• Model behavior can’t be reliably inspected.
• Financial or regulatory systems become opaque to insiders.

Control opportunity
Simplicity constraints + modularity + explainability/audit requirements.

Core question: Who actually understands this system end-to-end?

Related: Dependency Capture, Oversight Theater, Ownership Diffusion

8) Power Distance Expansion

Problem
Decision-makers become detached from consequences. Distance destroys feedback, and errors persist.

Examples

• Executives insulated from frontline reality.
• Platform leaders insulated from user harm signals.

Control opportunity
Consequence proximity loops + direct feedback channels + frontline exposure.

Core question: Who feels the consequences of decisions?

Related: Information Suppression, Ownership Diffusion, Charisma Drift

9) Narrative Capture

Problem
Stories replace evidence. Reality is filtered through ideology, brand, or inevitability framing.

Examples

• “The model is smarter” substitutes for proof.
• Institutional messaging replaces measurable outcomes.

Control opportunity
Narrative/evidence separation + falsifiability checks + independent validation.

Core question: What evidence could falsify this story?

Related: Charisma Drift, Platform Authority Substitution, Information Suppression

11) Coordination Collapse Under Pressure

Problem
Under stress, systems revert to dominance, secrecy, and shortcut authority. Rules become optional when pressure rises.

Examples

• Crisis governance bypasses safeguards “just this once.”
• Emergency powers expand and persist.

Control opportunity
Predefined crisis protocols + escalation paths + pressure-tested constraints.

Core question: What rules survive pressure?

Related: Charisma Drift, Information Suppression, Exception Normalization