Authority Without Friction

Power operates without meaningful challenge, review, or constraint.

What it looks like

• A leader or office can override process “because urgency”
• Dissent becomes costly or pointless
• Exceptions pile up around one authority node
• Accountability is downstream; permission is upstream

Failure mechanism

Authority accumulates faster than counterweights. The system loses effective checks—independent oversight, separation of duties, and appeal pathways.

Minimum viable controls

Verification

• Publish decision rationale for high-impact actions
• Require traceable authorization for overrides
• Track exceptions and override usage as first-class metrics

Counterweights

• Separation of duties for approvals, spend, hiring, and enforcement
• Independent review with real veto / pause power
• Protected channels for dissent and escalation

Correction Loops

• Regular “power audits”: who can do what, and why
• Sunset clauses on emergency powers
• Routine rotation / review of gatekeeper roles

Proof you’re controlling it

• Overrides are rare, documented, and reviewed
• Appeals are used and occasionally succeed
• Oversight can block decisions in practice
• Authority scopes are explicit and periodically reduced

Where it shows up

Often starts at Institutional + Organizational depths, then cascades into Civilizational legitimacy collapse.

Related patterns

Prestige → Dominance Shift • Gatekeeper Capture • Bad News Suppression