A green dashboard does not mean you are funding the right thingsOrganizations can be high-performing and systematically wrong. When strategic intent is translated into metrics, the metric often replaces the intent. From that point on, the decision system stops optimizing for its purpose and starts optimizing for its representation. This is the Translation Trap. Once money moves, this drift becomes structural. Resources build capabilities. Capabilities reinforce incentives. The organization doesn't just drift; it "learns" to succeed on a definition of success it never intended. This paper introduces a practical diagnostic and governance method to make this visible at the point of allocation. It can be applied in under an hour using existing artefacts—and extended into a repeatable system for maintaining alignment over time. The risk is not failure. It is succeeding on the wrong thing. About the Coherence ProgrammeThe Coherence Programme studies why institutions drift despite appearing aligned. It shows that decisions are made not on intent itself, but on how intent is translated into criteria, metrics, and allocation rules. Using the Operating Spine, the programme traces how purpose becomes action across governance layers, making drift and coherence directly observable within decision systems. The research applies to public institutions, capital allocation, and AI-mediated environments, where the durability of decision rules determines long-term institutional reliability.Programme citation: Mertens, R. E. U. (2026). The Coherence Programme: A Conceptual Overview and Entry Point to the Research Programme.Resources: Coherence Programme OSF repository and https://thecoherenceprogramme.orgVersion 1.00: First public release.
Robin Edgard Ulrik Mertens (Tue,) studied this question.