Failure Modes

This document describes structural failure modes of the Triadic Coordination Substrate.

Failure modes are not errors. They are conditions under which the substrate no longer preserves coherence.

Failure Mode 1 — Corridor Collapse#

Corridor boundaries become indistinct or ignored.

Result:

• premature convergence
• loss of exploratory diversity

Failure Mode 2 — Dominance Emergence#

One participant’s signals consistently override others.

Result:

• implicit hierarchy
• reduced challenge and correction

Failure Mode 3 — Audibility Loss#

Signals from one or more participants are no longer observed or acknowledged.

Result:

• silent divergence
• delayed misalignment detection

Failure Mode 4 — Unbounded Drift#

Corridors expand without constraint or explicit redefinition.

Result:

• interpretive ambiguity
• loss of structural alignment

Failure Mode 5 — Role Fixation#

Participants assume persistent functional roles.

Result:

• rigidity
• reduced adaptability

Interpretation#

Failure modes indicate structural degradation, not participant deficiency.

They inform redesign, not blame.