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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0589 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Role Clarity

Every person knows what they own and what they don't.

Organizational·Concept·Grade C·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Every person knows what they own and what they don't.

Plain-English Definition

Every person knows what they own and what they don't.

Feynman Explanation

Ambiguity is a tax paid in meetings.

Core Principle

Every person knows what they own and what they don't.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Ambiguity is a tax paid in meetings.

Examples

Everyday
  • New hires who can recite their decision rights ramp 2× faster.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Role ambiguity is the single biggest hidden drag on cross-functional work.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Publish decision rights; revisit them quarterly.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
C (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★☆☆☆
Intervention Confidence
2 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
AI rollouts fail when 'who decides' isn't redefined first.
Amplifying Incentives
Role ambiguity is the single biggest hidden drag on cross-functional work.
Org Failure Modes
Role ambiguity is the single biggest hidden drag on cross-functional work.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Publish decision rights; revisit them quarterly.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Publish decision rights; revisit them quarterly.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Publish decision rights; revisit them quarterly.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
AI rollouts fail when 'who decides' isn't redefined first.
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-COG-0589 · COG
Role Clarity
RCAcAccountabilityASAdverse SelectionAuAuthorityAwAweBLBalancing LoopBeBelongingCACollective Action Pr…CoCompetenceCOConflict of InterestCoContrast

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.