02When Strong Governance Still Produces Strategic Drift: Meaning Translation Failure in Institutional Decision Systems

Programme Context This preprint forms part of a research programme examining decision systems as longitudinal interpretive-learning architectures. The programme develops a coherent theoretical pipeline linking (1) formal decision-learning architecture, (2) translation drift as a structural mechanism of interpretive misalignment, (3) methodological pathways for making translation coherence empirically observable, and (4) design implications for governance in AI- and artefact-mediated environments. Together, the papers treat governance infrastructures as meaning infrastructures and position institutional learning as the maintenance of interpretive coherence over time. Conceptual research article introducing translation drift — the gradual loss of interpretive coherence as strategic intent is translated across layered governance systems under delayed feedback.The paper explains why capable institutions can experience strategic drift not despite strong governance, but because of it. It reframes organisations as interpretive learning systems and shifts the unit of analysis from decisions to the translations through which meaning moves.Relevant for organisational learning, governance design, portfolio management, long-horizon decision systems, and institutional strategy. Version 1.01 (Feb 2026)Minor theoretical positioning refinements, boundary clarification, formalisation schematic, and language precision updates. No change to core argument. This version supersedes V1.0 and introduces no change to the core theoretical claim. Version 1.02 update: This version adds an explicit cross-reference to the AI-Augmented Impact Frames architectural paper to clarify the conceptual positioning of this article within the broader research programme. No arguments, definitions, figures, or claims have been changed. The revision improves scholarly traceability and programme coherence only. Version 2.00: This release consolidates the manuscript within the full research programme structure. Cross-paper terminology has been harmonised, the unit-of-analysis statement has been standardised across the series, and reference architecture has been aligned. No changes have been made to the formal decision-learning architecture, measurement logic, boundary conditions, or theoretical claims.