Failure Modes

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.