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The research explores how organizations experience gradual misalignment that leaders often notice too late.

June 14, 2026Open Access

The Coherence Advantage: Why Good Organizations Drift — and What Leaders See Too Late

Key Points

The research explores how organizations experience gradual misalignment that leaders often notice too late.
Analyses decision-making criteria and their evolution over time using the Operating Spine framework.
Examines the relationship between purpose, action, and governance layers in organizations.
Focuses on the implications for public institutions, capital allocation, and AI-mediated environments.
Misalignment is typically not recognized until it incurs significant costs.
The framework helps to visualize how decision rules influence institutional performance over time.
Identifies how translated criteria can deviate from original intent, leading to drift.

Abstract

Success can hide misalignment until correction becomes expensive. Well-run organisations do not fail early—they drift quietly. Because performance often improves while meaning shifts, leaders recognise misalignment only when it becomes costly to fix. This paper explains why: decisions are guided by translated criteria that gradually move away from original intent. Alignment is not lost suddenly—it is redefined over time. 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.org Version 1.00: First public release. Version 1.01: Terminology harmonisation and minor structural refinements to improve consistency across the Coherence Programme. No changes to the theoretical framework, constructs, or research design.Version 1.02: Minor conceptual clarifications, consistency improvements, reviewer-informed refinements, and editorial updates across the programme.

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