Decision Drop: When Visible Authority Remains After Causal Authority Has Moved Deeper

This concept note defines Decision Drop as a condition in which visible authority remains active while causal authority has moved to a deeper layer of the system. It clarifies the distinction between formal authority and causal authority, introduces reversal power as the diagnostic boundary, and identifies risk-bearing, commitment-binding, and continuity-preserving layers as possible destinations of Decision Drop. The note is part of the ORDERING Framework and belongs to the Ordering Concepts Series. It is designed to support structural diagnosis under pressure, where decisions may still be announced, approved, or explained at the visible interface after the decisive weight of the outcome has already moved deeper. This Version 1.0 includes DOI-backed companion figure references:- DD-VS-01 Decision Drop Definition Map- DD-VS-02 Reversal Power Boundary Test- DD-VS-03 Where the Decision Drops Suggested Citation:Reed, Cornor. Decision Drop: When Visible Authority Remains After Causal Authority Has Moved Deeper. Ordering Concepts Series, No. 02. Version 1.0. 2026.