The gradual spread of decision authority beyond defined structural boundaries under pressure.
Full Definition
Authority Diffusion occurs when decision rights extend informally beyond established boundaries.
It rarely begins as misconduct.
It begins as adaptation.
Under urgency, overload, or ambiguity, individuals absorb decisions that were not structurally assigned to them.
What starts as helpful intervention becomes boundary erosion.
As diffusion increases:
• Ownership blurs
• Escalation becomes inconsistent
• Accountability weakens
• Decision Integrity degrades
Authority Diffusion is not the expansion of competence.
It is the expansion of authority without structural clarity.
In stable systems, boundaries contain authority.
In unstable systems, authority leaks across layers.
Diffusion is one of the earliest indicators that structural constraints are failing.
Structural Role in NAP
Within NAP, Authority Diffusion functions as a diagnostic signal of boundary instability.
It directly reflects:
• Weak Decision Boundaries
• Undefined Activation Lines
• Overloaded Decision Nodes
• Eroded Strategic Decision Frames
Authority Diffusion does not immediately collapse execution.
It accumulates distortion.
When sustained, it produces:
• Behavioral Escalation
• Escalation Saturation
• Execution Instability
Engineering against diffusion requires strengthening structural containment before pressure amplifies adaptation.
Authority clarity is not cultural.
It is architectural.
