The Tacit Criterion

Within structures of power, there are decisions whose necessity is widely recognised, whether involving restructuring, replacement, or dissolution, yet which remain neither implemented nor announced. This is not due to ignorance or a lack of diagnosis, but to a conscious choice, anchored in political or executive convenience, that prolongs dysfunction and preserves invisible balances.

The most enduring form of power is often the one that remains invisible.

This tacit criterion consumes resources, extends inefficiency, and erodes the legitimacy of leadership. The OECD identifies the deliberate maintenance of obsolete structures as one of the most subtle ways of undermining institutions, creating an informal governance that operates without clear accountability. And, as March & Olsen demonstrate in The Logic of Appropriateness (2006), undeclared decisions shape action as much as formal ones but without the scrutiny that safeguards their legitimacy.

In systems where the law mandates the formal publication of such criteria, as in Norway or Denmark, failure is not eliminated, but the threshold for transparency is significantly raised, and the scope for decisions to remain invisible is drastically reduced.

The most resilient form of power is often the one that remains unseen.