Legitimacy Diagnostic Protocol (LDP-1.0)

Definition

The Legitimacy Diagnostic Protocol (LDP-1.0) is the scientific diagnostic framework used to measure structural legitimacy in organizations through the proportional analysis of truth integrity, power alignment, structural coherence, and drift.
Grounded in Meaning System Science and Moral Physics, LDP-1.0 operationalizes the Legitimacy Equation and the Law of Moral Proportion into a practical diagnostic tool that identifies structural misalignment long before it becomes visible through burnout, confusion, withdrawal, or political distortion.

LDP-1.0 is the core diagnostic instrument of Transformation Management.

Purpose of LDP-1.0

LDP-1.0 exists to:

• assess legitimacy as a measurable structural condition

• identify where meaning loss and drift are accumulating

• detect proportional breakdown between truth, power, coherence, and drift

• forecast organizational instability before symptoms appear

• evaluate the structural viability of transformation efforts

• provide leaders with a precise, non-blaming understanding of dysfunction

• anchor diagnostic work in scientific, not anecdotal, assessment

It turns “organizational feel” into structural clarity.

Relationship to the Legitimacy Equation

LDP-1.0 directly operationalizes:

L = (T × P × C) ÷ D

Where:

• T = Truth Integrity

• P = Power Alignment

• C = Structural Coherence

• D = Drift

• L = Overall Legitimacy Score

LDP-1.0 is the practical method for measuring each component and calculating L.

Relationship to the Law of Moral Proportion

LDP-1.0 is the applied diagnostic protocol that tests whether a system is in proportion.

The Law of Moral Proportion states that legitimacy is determined by the proportional relationship of T, P, and C relative to D.

LDP-1.0 asks:

• Are these forces in proportion?

• Where is the proportional breakdown occurring?

• How quickly is drift overtaking truth, power, or coherence?

It is the proportion test for meaning systems.

Relationship to Meaning System Science

LDP-1.0 operationalizes all five MSS forces:

• Truth Fidelity — how accurately reality is recognized

• Signal/Power Alignment — how authority responds to truth

• Structural Coherence — how the architecture conducts meaning

• Thermodynamic Drift — entropy, overload, contradiction, and pressure

• Affective Regulation — emotional patterns that stabilize or destabilize meaning

LDP-1.0 translates these into observable diagnostic categories and structural indicators.

Relationship to Transformation Science & Transformation Management

Transformation Science explains why drift accumulates and how systems lose coherence.

Transformation Management uses LDP-1.0 to diagnose those patterns during transformation.

LDP-1.0 gives practitioners:

• a map of structural risk

• a clear reading of proportional imbalance

• a legitimacy score to anchor intervention

• early detection of meaning collapse

• a structured approach to repair

It is the primary diagnostic tool of the profession.

Components of LDP-1.0

LDP-1.0 includes:

1. Truth Integrity Assessment (T)

Evaluates truth fidelity, information accuracy, and signal consistency.

2. Power Alignment Assessment (P)

Measures how leadership signals, decisions, and behaviors align with verified truth.

3. Structural Coherence Assessment (C)

Assesses role clarity, decision pathways, accountability structures, and information flow.

4. Drift Index Assessment (D)

Measures entropy, overload, contradiction, emotional distortion, and meaning degradation.

5. Legitimacy Scoring (L)

Calculates proportional legitimacy using the Legitimacy Equation.

6. Drift Trajectory Forecasting

Projects how drift will evolve if uncorrected.

7. Proportional Breakdown Analysis

Identifies the exact force(s) that are out of proportion.

Applications

LDP-1.0 is used to assess:

• organizational alignment

• transformation viability

• structural risk

• governance integrity

• operating model clarity

• signal/decision inconsistencies

• cultural coherence

• AI-accelerated meaning breakdown

• burnout risk (structural, not personal)