Integration Guide

The Core Model defines the structural foundation of cooperation.
Extended Human Dynamics describes the human and political forces that shape how cooperation is experienced.
System Modes define how we act on the system over time.

The Diagnostics section — starting with this Integration Guide — explains how to use these three parts of HCS together in a coherent way.

It is not a new model.
It is a navigation pattern that keeps:

• the Core Model clean and universal, and
• Extended Dynamics grounded in structure rather than personality or vague “culture”,
• System Modes anchored in real observations rather than wishful thinking.

The goal is to make cooperation understandable and actionable without oversimplifying human systems.

The Integration Principle

At the highest level:

• Use the Core Model to diagnose structural gaps.
• Use Extended Human Dynamics to diagnose human and political distortions.
• Use System Modes to choose what kind of work is appropriate right now.

All three must be considered, but never confused.

If you treat a structural issue as a purely human one, you drift into blaming individuals for systemic design choices.
If you treat a human or political issue as purely structural, you redesign processes while leaving the real tension untouched.
If you ignore mode, you try to grow when you should stabilize, or stabilize what should be reset.

The Integration Principle keeps these dimensions separate but connected.

What Each Layer Is Responsible For

Core Model (Matrix + Pyramid)

Use the Core Model to reason about:

• What cooperation requires (conditions, needs, functions).
• How these requirements depend on each other (levels and Level Rule).
• Where in the system a breakdown is happening structurally.

Typical questions:

• Which conditions are missing or unstable (Common Purpose, Interdependence, Communication, Trust, Change/Uncertainty)?
• Which core needs are not being met (Shared Understanding, Mutual Commitment, Feedback Loops, Distribution of Roles, Autonomy & Agency)?
• Which functions from the Matrix are under strain (e.g., Problem Discovery, Coordination, Monitoring & Feedback)?
• At which level does instability first appear (Preconditions, Needs, Functions, Practices, Meta-Practices)?

Extended Human Dynamics (Conditions + Needs)

Use Extended Dynamics to reason about:

• How cooperation is felt and interpreted by individuals and groups.
• Which contextual, relational, structural, or developmental patterns are amplifying or suppressing cooperation.
• Which deeper needs (Purpose & Direction, Trust & Safety, Growth & Evolution, Recognition & Belonging, Autonomy & Coherence) are at play.

Typical questions:

• How do collective conditions (culture, incentives, decision norms) affect behavior?
• How do individual conditions (perceived safety, control, predictability) shape engagement?
• Which extended needs are most salient in this conflict or disengagement?
• How are political vectors (power, visibility, gatekeeping) and psychological vectors (fear, shame, identity, pride) interacting with the structure?

System Modes (Setup, Stabilization, Growth, Conflict, Reset)

Use System Modes to decide:

• What kind of work is appropriate now (design, repair, optimization, conflict handling, reset).
• What to prioritize and what to postpone at this moment.
• How far you can safely go at each level of the Pyramid without breaking the Level Rule.

Typical questions:

• Are we starting something that needs a deliberate shape? (Setup)
• Are we trying to repair recurring issues and restore reliability? (Stabilization)
• Are we extending autonomy and capability on a stable base? (Growth)
• Are we facing tensions and mistrust that must be addressed directly? (Conflict)
• Has the context or purpose changed so much that the old system no longer makes sense? (Reset)

Modes do not tell you what is true about the system.
They tell you what kind of response is appropriate once you understand what is true.

A Simple Integration Pattern

The Integration Guide describes a repeatable four-step pattern.

You can apply it within any System Mode, but it is especially powerful in Stabilization, Conflict, and Reset.

Step 1 – Start From Observation, Not Theory

Begin with what is actually happening:

• repeated friction between specific roles or teams
• confusion about priorities or success criteria
• stalled decisions, escalating conflict, or quiet disengagement
• a sense that “we’re working hard but not moving together”

Write down concrete examples, not just interpretations:

• “X said Y in meeting Z.”
• “Access ticket waited 14 days before anyone picked it up.”
• “Three people privately said they don’t trust the roadmap.”

This is your observable surface.
Diagnostics starts from evidence, not from favorite models.

Step 2 – Map to the Core Model

Ask:

“If I ignore personalities for a moment, what is structurally happening?”

Use the Matrix and Pyramid to identify:

• Which conditions might be weak or misaligned?
• Which core cooperative needs are clearly unmet?
• Which functions (Matrix cells) are failing or missing?
• At what level does the instability appear first?

Examples:

• Misaligned expectations → likely failure in Common Purpose × Shared Understanding (Alignment on why).
• Chronic rework across teams → likely problems in Interdependence × Distribution of Roles (Coordination).
• Fear of raising issues → likely fragility in Trust × Feedback Loops (Safety in feedback).

At this step, stay with structure, not personal motives.

This is also where the Level Rule applies most strongly:
stabilize lower levels before expecting higher-level practices or innovation to stick.

Step 3 – Add the Extended Lens

Once you have a structural hypothesis, ask:

“Given this structure, why might people be behaving this way?”

Use Extended Conditions and Extended Needs to explore:

• Contextual patterns: volatility, opaque decisions, shifting priorities.
• Relational patterns: alliances, avoidance, blame, emotional load.
• Structural patterns: gatekeepers, bottlenecks, invisible veto power.
• Developmental patterns: lack of learning rhythm, repeated unclosed loops.

Then consider:

• Which extended needs are driving the strongest reactions?
• Purpose & Direction?
• Trust & Safety?
• Growth & Evolution?
• Recognition & Belonging?
• Autonomy & Coherence?

This step explains why specific structural points are “hot” for people:

• why some functions meet resistance,
• why some agreements feel unfair,
• why some changes trigger disproportionate reactions.

The goal is understanding, not excuse-making:
human dynamics do not override structural issues, they explain how those issues are lived.

Step 4 – Choose the Right Mode and Intervention Channels

With both layers in view, decide:

1. Which System Mode fits the current situation best?

2. Are you mostly lacking a proper design? → Setup Mode

3. Are you trying to restore basic reliability? → Stabilization Mode
4. Are you trying to extend autonomy/capability on a stable base? → Growth Mode
5. Are you dealing with strong tension, mistrust, or harm? → Conflict Mode
6. Has the cooperation’s purpose or context fundamentally shifted? → Reset Mode

You can change modes later as you learn more.
The point is to avoid mixing conflicting intentions (e.g., trying to Grow while you should Reset).

1. Within that mode, choose appropriate intervention channels:

2. Structural interventions

   • Clarify purpose, boundaries, roles, decision paths.
   • Adjust dependencies, interfaces, or information flow.
   • Redesign practices or governance to better support key functions.

3. Collective agreements

   • Align expectations about behavior, feedback, and repair.
   • Make implicit norms explicit and renegotiate where needed.
   • Establish shared rules for escalation, conflict handling, or change.

4. Individual support

   • Coaching, mentoring, or guided reflection.
   • Support for people carrying disproportionate load or risk.
   • Space to process change, conflict, or identity shifts.

The key is alignment:

• Don’t use individual coaching to compensate for structural injustice.
• Don’t redesign process to fix what is fundamentally a trust or safety breakdown.
• Don’t treat political power plays as if they were only misunderstandings about process.
• Don’t choose a mode whose intent contradicts the system’s actual needs.

Using Practices and Tools Safely

Extended Human Dynamics naturally invites leadership tools:

• personality / style lenses (e.g., DiSC),
• social neuroscience models (e.g., SCARF),
• motivation and needs tools (e.g., Moving Motivators),
• feedback and mediation techniques.

Use such tools to:

• generate insight and shared vocabulary,
• surface perceptions, fears, and expectations,
• create space for reflection and dialogue,
• support personal and collective awareness.

Do not use them to:

• override or ignore structural problems identified in the Core Model,
• assign fixed identity labels or stereotypes,
• “fix” political issues solely through individual personality work,
• “fix” structural issues solely through emotional or motivational interventions.

The system dictates which tools are appropriate.
Tools do not dictate what the system is.

How This Guide Fits Within HCS

The Integration Guide is not an additional model.
It is a practical bridge that ensures:

• the Core Model stays clean and universal,
• Extended Dynamics do not dilute structural clarity,
• System Modes are chosen consciously, not implicitly,
• practitioners avoid misdiagnosis (blaming people for system design, or vice versa),
• leadership and coaching tools are used intentionally, not by reflex,
• interventions land at the correct systemic level and through the right channels.

Within System Modes:

• Setup Mode uses this guide to ensure initial design considers both structure and human reality.
• Stabilization Mode uses it to separate structural faults from emotional or political reactions.
• Growth Mode uses it to scale autonomy and learning without eroding safety or coherence.
• Conflict Mode uses it to name what hurts without losing sight of structural leverage points.
• Reset Mode uses it to design a new system (or end the old one) while honoring what people have lived through.

Subsequent files in the Diagnostics section build on this guide:

• Diagnostic Workflow – a step-by-step walk through the Matrix and Pyramid to locate structural instability.
• Diagnostic Dynamics – ways to layer Extended Conditions and Extended Needs onto that workflow.

Used consistently, the Integration Guide aligns human experience with structural design and mode choice,
helping cooperation become both stable and humane, both clear and adaptive.