Bounded Integrative Capacity: A Structural Theory of Coherence in Complex Systems

Abstract This paper advances a structural claim about complex systems that must sustain coordinated behavior under sustained load. Coherence in such systems is not a property of alignment. It is a function of bounded capacity to metabolize signal under sustained load. When that capacity is exceeded, coherence does not degrade gradually. It collapses through nonlinear threshold dynamics that can be structurally specified. This reframing reverses a common causal assumption: systems do not lose coherence because alignment fails; they lose coherence because the capacity to integrate signal has been exceeded. For leaders and designers of complex systems, this reframes a recurring failure mode: organizations that appear stable may be nearing collapse through the exhaustion of integrative capacity rather than the loss of performance, effort, or intent. The paper develops this claim across physical, biological, and social domains, demonstrating the recurrence of a shared structural condition without requiring identity of mechanism. It specifies coherence, capacity, and threshold as three views of the same constraint becoming visible under different conditions, and outlines a research program organized around three face-property papers that develop each view in turn. This paper does not extend prior work on organizations. It identifies a structural property of complex systems of which organizations are one instance. Keywords: bounded integrative capacity; metabolization; coherence under load; threshold dynamics; critical transitions; complex systems; complex adaptive systems; structural theory; signal integration; coordination failure; organizational coherence; nonlinear failure; punctuated equilibrium; endogenous collapse