What We Mean by Definition Drift
Canonical Definition
The governance condition in which key terms used to exercise, evidence, or oversee authority lose consistent meaning across functions, frameworks, systems, workflows, or records.
How This Term Is Used
In technology-enabled enterprise risk, definition drift may occur when terms such as approval, oversight, validation, monitoring, escalation, accountability, human review, evidence, or risk acceptance are used consistently in documentation but interpreted differently in practice.
Definition drift creates governance risk because it can cause the organization to appear aligned while decision rights, escalation duties, accountability, and oversight evidence operate inconsistently across the enterprise.
Definition drift is not a communication problem. It is a governance architecture risk — because unstable definitions can separate governance language from decision rights, escalation duties, accountability structures, and defensible oversight evidence.
Framework Usage
Usage in CRGA™ Framework
When Praesidium publications refer to definition drift, they refer to this definition. The term is applied consistently across doctrines, governance notes, domain briefs, and white papers. Where a publication cites this term, this canonical page is the definitional source.
Institutions using the CRGA™ framework should apply this definition when assessing whether governance language in their organization holds stable meaning across the functions, systems, and records through which authority is exercised and evidenced.
Cross-References
Where This Term Appears
- Definition Drift as Governance Risk: Why boards need stable governance language for authority, escalation, accountability, and oversight evidence PD-NOTE-005
- What We Mean by Governance Architecture PD-DEF-001
- What We Mean by Structural Independence PD-DEF-002
Related Definitions
This reference publication is provided by Praesidium Governance, Inc. for governance education, institutional review, and category-architecture reference. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, technical, certification, assurance, attestation, or operational advice. Use of this reference publication is subject to Praesidium's published Legal Notice, Terms of Use, and Disclosures. CRGA™ and Cyber Risk Governance & Accountability™ are trademarks of Praesidium Governance, Inc.