The Green Dashboard Trap: Why Institutions Lose Sight of Their Own Intent

This paper examines how performance indicators and dashboards can create an illusion of alignment while underlying interpretive drift progresses within institutional systems. It shows how stable or improving metrics can mask shifts in meaning embedded in decision criteria and allocation rules. The paper highlights how governance systems can reinforce this illusion by focusing on signal stability rather than interpretive coherence. It contributes a critical perspective on performance measurement in complex institutional environments. This paper is part of the Coherence Programme. Further materials and companion papers are available at: https://thecoherenceprogramme.org/