Why Institutions Forget
Authority, time, and the failure of governance reform. Why institutional memory is a structural problem, not a behavioural one.
The 60-Second Version
Institutions forget not because people fail to remember, but because authority is bound to officeholders rather than to enduring commitments.
Modern governance allocates decision-making power to positions—but does not bind that authority to what predecessors committed. Each new leader inherits power without inheriting obligation. The result is serial presentism: a continuous orientation to immediate concerns that structurally erases long-term purpose.
This paper introduces authority continuity and stewardship continuity schedulesas architectural alternatives that embed obligation across time rather than relying on individuals to remember.
How Institutions Forget
Institutional forgetting is not a failure of memory—it is a structural condition. Five mechanisms ensure that long-term commitments erode:
| Mechanism | Manifestation | Structural Cause |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership Turnover | New officeholders lack context for inherited commitments | Authority bound to persons, not positions |
| Priority Reset | Each cycle begins with fresh strategic planning | No continuity mechanism for long-term commitments |
| Institutional Drift | Gradual departure from founding purpose | Purpose not structurally embedded or governed |
| Document Burial | Past decisions become inaccessible or irrelevant | Memory stored in artefacts, not architecture |
| Serial Presentism | Continuous orientation to immediate concerns | Time horizons reset with each planning cycle |
Each mechanism is structural—no amount of individual effort or better document management can resolve them without architectural change.
The Core Problem: Authority Without Obligation
Current Architecture
Authority is allocated to officeholders. When leaders change, their authority transfers—but their commitments do not.
Authority Continuity
Authority is bound to commitments, not just positions. Successors inherit both power and obligation.
Stewardship Continuity Schedules
A Stewardship Continuity Schedule is an architectural mechanism that binds future authority to present commitments. Key features:
Non-Discretionary Obligations
Commitments that bind successors regardless of their preferences
Temporal Embedding
Purpose encoded in structure rather than documents or memory
Authority-Commitment Coupling
Decision-making power tied to inherited obligations
Part of the PPP Series
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