---
id: "prereq-c-suite-dynamics"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ Common Causes of False Alignment"]
tags: ["organizational-behavior"]
related: ["concept-change-hyperactivity", "concept-false-alignment"]
reason: "The article references executives protecting their own budgets, passive resistance, and 'initiatives for Joan,' assuming the reader understands corporate territoriality."
sources: ["governance"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-governance"
originDay: 7
articleStem: "hbr-cl-85-false-alignment-trap"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/07/the-false-alignment-trap"
sourceTitle: "The False Alignment Trap"
---
# C-Suite Political Dynamics

**Why it's needed:** The article references executives protecting their own budgets, passive resistance, and 'initiatives for Joan,' assuming the reader understands corporate territoriality.

The behavioral traps described — pretending to agree, papering over conflict — make the most sense when the reader understands the **political risks, ego, and resource competition** inherent in executive leadership teams. This context is essential for understanding [[concept-change-hyperactivity|change hyperactivity]] (shallow initiatives that exist 'for Joan') and why executives succumb to [[concept-affective-forecasting-error|affective forecasting error]] rather than confronting peers directly.