The Coherence Matrix

Mapping the dynamic interplay of our inner and outer world

The Coherence Matrix enables individuals and organisations to understand how they function internally, and how they shape and are shaped by the environments in which they operate. As such, it offers a universal and practical framework for leadership, transformation, and personal development.

A new kind of map for understanding human-environment interactions

Human experience is shaped by two intertwined dimensions: our inner world composed of seven core layers, and an outer environment structured through seven corresponding external layers. Together, these form a multidimensional grid in which perception, behaviour, meaning, decision making and development unfold.

The Coherence Matrix expands the Inner Human Architecture by mapping the dynamic interplay between the seven inner layers and the seven world layers. Rather than treating inner life and outer context as separate domains, the Matrix reveals how they continuously influence one another.

The big picture

Through a 7 × 7 relationship grid, the Coherence Matrix offers a structured way to understand how experience, capability, and behaviour arise at the intersection of inner and outer forces.

Figure 1: The Coherence Matrix with seven outer layers (left) and seven corresponding inner layers (right)

Inner layer	Outer layer	Dynamic
Physical	Objective	The body interacts with tangible conditions: infrastructure, environment, resources. Physical alignment supports health, safety, and capacity to act.
Energy	Emotional	Individual vitality and emotional tone resonate with the ambient group mood and relational climate. Emotional coherence fuels energy regulation and resilience.
Cognition	Information	Mental models and thinking are shaped by data, narratives, education, and shared knowledge. Accurate information supports sound decisions.
Ego	Positioning	The sense of self and agency aligns with social roles, status, and perceived stakes. Misalignment creates conflict, insecurity, or role confusion.
Intuition	Codes	Ethical discernment, perspective-taking, and insight interact with cultural norms, collective values, and moral frameworks. Alignment fosters wise, ethical action.
Essence	Archetype	Individual authenticity and intrinsic potential align with the system’s structural pattern and purpose. Alignment enables fulfillment, creativity, and high-leverage contributions.
Consciousness	Foundation	Awareness and grounding resonate with the underlying system stability and shared capacity to observe, adapt, and act coherently. Strong alignment reduces fragmentation and increases resilience.

 Key points

• Horizontal coherence: These pairings are the “first layer” of alignment: the most obvious and immediately actionable matches.

• Cross-layer interactions: Every inner layer can influence, and be influenced by, multiple outer layers beyond its direct pair. For example, Energy ↔ Information, Cognition ↔ Codes. These create complexity and emergent patterns.

• The Coherence Matrix can be used for system diagnostics and interventions.

  
  

The seven inner layers

Below are the seven inner layers that make up a functioning, evolving human being. The description includes a short explanation, and possible impact by outer layers.

1. Physical layer

The living body: senses, motor system, nervous system. It enables interaction with the world and defines our physical capacities and limits. Governed by the principles of homeostasis and adaptability.

When disturbed: illness, depletion, chronic stress, ignoring bodily signals, loss of grounding.

2. Energy layer

This layer regulates vitality, mood, resilience, and stress responses. It includes breath, affect, somatic memory, emotional reactivity, and the “weather system” that colours perception and behaviour. Calm internal conditions support clarity; turbulence distorts it. This layer reacts rapidly to environmental cues and is highly socially contagious.

When disturbed: emotional overflow, tension, energy leakage, burnout or disengagement, reactive behaviour.

3. Cognition layer

Thought, perception, memory, language and imagination. This layer builds internal models of the world. It enables planning and decision-making but is easily shaped by emotion, bias, assumptions, and selective attention.

When disturbed: distorted reality perception, reduced learning capacity, tunnel vision, overthinking, faulty assumptions, disconnection from intuition.

4. Ego layer

The I-perception: agency, self-story, boundaries, needs, and perceived stakes. It interprets experiences through self-interest and protection. Dynamic rather than fixed, it can be underdeveloped, inflated, reactive, or fragmented. A healthy ego coordinates the system; an unbalanced one distorts it.

When disturbed: insecurity, boundary issues, chronic conflict, identity confusion, anxiety-driven behaviour, excessive control, polarisation.

5. Intuition layer

The domain of inner-knowing, ethical discernment, courage, and human values. Here illusions dissolve, blind spots are reduced, and the larger picture becomes visible. Whereas ego operates in short-term self-preservation, this layer aligns behaviour with collective wellbeing and deeper values.

When disturbed: loss of discernment, behaviour driven by illusions or conditioning, ego dominance, ignoring intuitive signals, acting from inherited patterns rather than reality.

6. Essence layer

The intrinsic configuration of a person: core qualities, authentic being, meaning and self-love. This layer represents the archetype that underlies authenticity, creativity, and long-term fulfilment. It is stable yet often obscured. Alignment with this layer leads to vitality; misalignment leads to exhaustion and existential friction.

When obscured: lack of motivation, disconnection from meaning, identity emptiness, heightened susceptibility to addiction, status-seeking or chronic misalignment, burnout from existential dissonance.

7. Consciousness layer

The foundational capacity for awareness itself: the stillness beneath experience. It allows observation without identification and provides psychological freedom, perspective, and stability. It is unchanging and not shaped by circumstance, but access to it is often lost amid noise in the lower layers.

When disconnected: restlessness, over-identification with thoughts and roles, loss of inner perspective, fragmentation, confusion between transient states and core identity.

The seven outer layers

Below are the seven outer layers that make up the totality of the environment a human being lives in. The description includes a short explanation, and possible impact and risks when unstable.

1. Objective layer: physical world

The tangible world of objects, bodies, infrastructure, ecology, and physical constraints. It shapes what is materially possible and imposes non-negotiable boundaries (gravity, resources, space, time, biological limits).

When unstable: safety issues, uncertainty, chronic stress on all inner layers.

Risks: environmental degradation, unsafe conditions, resource depletion, ignoring physical constraints.

2. Emotional layer: ambient atmosphere

The collective atmosphere: group mood, relational energy, emotional undercurrents, trust levels, and social contagion. This layer influences belonging, motivation, and psychological safety. It shifts quickly and is highly sensitive to leadership behaviour.

When unstable: distrust, reactivity, conflict escalation, reduced group performance.

Risks: toxic culture, emotional burnout in teams, instability through fear or apathy.

3. Information layer: knowledge structures

Shared ideas, knowledge, language, data, and information. It includes strategies, assumptions, mental models, and collective sense-making. This layer structures how groups understand reality.

When unstable: misinformation, misalignment, flawed strategies, cognitive overload.

Risks: false assumptions, strategic blindness, groupthink, poor decisions.

4. Positioning layer: identity structures

The social architecture of “who is who”: roles, hierarchies, status, identity groups, norms, expectations, and institutional boundaries. It defines belonging, power dynamics, and perceived stakes.

When unstable: polarisation, status conflict, breakdown of trust, loss of cohesion.

Risks: rigid silos, turf wars, identity clashes, domination or marginalisation.

5. Codes layer: collective undercurrent

The deeper structures that guide behaviour beneath conscious awareness: human values, principles, ethics, cultural conditioning, moral codes, hidden assumptions. These shape long-term coherence and determine whether a system evolves or decays.

When unstable: ethical drift, short-termism, moral blind spots, reactive decision-making.

Risks: moral erosion, incoherent policies, values-action gaps, systemic dysfunction.

6. Archetype layer: system blueprint

The reason of existence or vocation of a system: inherent mission, archetypes, creative potential, core qualities, and inherent strengths. It represents the system’s highest potential and differentiating energy.

When obscured: mission drift, loss of meaning, disengagement, strategic incoherence.

Risks: copying others, losing identity, misaligned growth, chronic lack of inspiration.

7. Foundation layer: ground of existence

The underlying structural layer that supports all other system dynamics. It represents the shared capacity of a group, organisation, or society to observe itself, maintain stability, and act coherently. This layer shapes perspective, adaptability, and long-term resilience.

When disconnected: societal fragmentation, noise, hyper-reactivity, loss of direction.

Risks: polarisation, collective anxiety, disorientation.

Layer interactions

The Coherence Matrix illustrates that human performance and societal functioning arise from the interplay between inner layers and outer layers. Coherence is not a property of a single layer; it emerges from horizontal alignment and cross-layer dynamics.

Figure 2: Layer interactions in the Coherence Matrix

Horizontal interactions

Horizontal interactions are the direct pairings between an inner layer and its corresponding outer layer. Each pair represents a domain where individual capacity, and environmental conditions must align. The seven horizontal interactions are listed below, where outer layers are mentioned in Italic script.

Layer pair	Dynamics	Impact when misaligned
Physical ↔ Objective	Body meets material context: ergonomics, safety, infrastructure, resources.	Fatigue, inefficiency, injury, stress cascades upward.
Energy ↔ Emotional	Personal affect resonates with group mood or ambient energy.	Emotional contagion, team tension, burnout, impaired collaboration.
Cognition ↔ Information	Individual thinking interacts with shared mental models, data, narratives.	Misunderstandings, flawed decisions, strategy misalignment.
Ego ↔ Positioning	Personal sense of self aligns with social roles, hierarchies, and expectations.	Role conflict, power struggles, silos, friction in teams.
Intuition ↔ Codes	Personal ethics, values, and discernment meet cultural norms, laws, traditions.	Ethical drift, systemic blind spots, values-action gaps.
Essence ↔ Archetype	Individual potential aligns with organisational / societal purpose or core mission.	Disengagement, mission drift, chronic misalignment, lost innovation.
Consciousness ↔ Foundation	Individual awareness resonates with collective attention, vision, or shared meaning.	Fragmentation, lack of perspective, rigidity, reactive behaviour.

Key takeaway: Horizontal coherence ensures alignment between the individual and their environment, forming the foundation for systemic effectiveness and sustainable performance.

Cross-layer interactions

Cross-layer dynamics capture non-corresponding interactions: how one layer affects another, either upward, downward, or diagonally. These are often the foundation of complexity and both positive and negative emergent patterns. There are 49 potential cross-layer interactions; the following table shows eight examples (outer layers in italic script).

From	To	Effect	Potential impact
Objective	Cognition	Environmental constraints shape mental clarity and focus	Crowded, noisy workspace → reduced attention, slower problem-solving
Emotional	Cognition	Group emotional tone biases thinking and interpretation	High stress → tunnel vision, distorted judgment
Information	Intuition	Quality of shared knowledge influences ethical and long-term discernment	Biased reports → ethical blind spots, poor strategic decisions
Positioning	Essence	External roles can suppress or misalign intrinsic potential	Role pressures → burnout, loss of personal meaning
Codes	Essence	Shared norms influence authentic expression and vocation	Restrictive corporate culture → underutilized talent
Archetype	Intuition	Organisational purpose informs personal ethical decisions	Mission-driven company → encourages long-term thinking and courage
Essence	Positioning	Individual authenticity can reshape social roles and group norms	Purposeful leader → more flexible roles, trust, and collaboration
Consciousness	Codes	Elevated awareness influences culture and shared ethics	Mindful executive → ethical culture, improved collective decision-making

Systemic principles

The Coherence Matrix operates as a complex adaptive system. Changes in one layer ripple across both inner and outer layers, producing cascading effects. Alignment in one domain can amplify coherence elsewhere, while misalignment may create tension, inefficiency, or dysfunction. The Matrix highlights that no single intervention is sufficient: lasting transformation requires understanding and shaping both horizontal and cross-layer dynamics simultaneously. Leaders and practitioners can use it to anticipate unintended consequences, leverage positive feedback loops, and design environments that support holistic growth.

Guiding principles for intervention

Systemic interventions guided by the Coherence Matrix follow three principles:

1.     Align horizontally first: Ensure inner layers are compatible with their direct outer counterparts.

2.     Address cross-layer dynamics: Identify cascading effects between non-corresponding layers to prevent or resolve systemic tension.

3.     Iterate and evolve: Coherence is dynamic; ongoing observation, feedback, and adjustment are necessary as inner states and outer conditions change.

Practical applications

The Coherence Matrix is designed to be universally applicable across multiple domains. By mapping the interplay between inner layers and outer layers, it provides actionable insights for aligning human potential with environmental conditions, fostering coherence at multiple levels.

1. Business and organisational leadership

• Organisational design: Align identity structures, collective codes, and archetype layers with employees’ ego, intuition, and essence layers to create high-functioning teams and purpose-driven organisations.

• Culture and engagement: Monitor the emotional climate and energy layer to prevent burnout, enhance collaboration, and sustain motivation.

• Strategy and decision-making: Ensure cognition layers align with the information system and collective codes to reduce bias, avoid groupthink, and improve strategic coherence.

2. Personal development and wellbeing

• Self-awareness and alignment: Individuals can diagnose misalignments, e.g., between essence and role expectations or between intuition and collective codes, to restore balance.

• Stress and energy management: Observing the interaction between physical, energy, and outer environmental layers can guide lifestyle adjustments and resilience practices.

• Fulfilment and purpose: By connecting essence and consciousness layers with outer archetype and foundation layers, individuals can clarify vocation, life purpose, and authentic contribution.

3. Leadership and social influence

• Ethical leadership: Leaders can use insight from the intuition layer and collective codes to shape policies, norms, and behaviours that reinforce long-term societal wellbeing.

• Conflict resolution: Understanding cross-layer dynamics, e.g., how ego misalignment interacts with identity structures, can prevent polarisation and improve relational dynamics.

• Collective development: Elevating consciousness and aligning foundation layers within teams or communities supports shared vision, ethical behaviour, and collaborative intelligence.

4. Societal and community applications

• Policy and governance: Policymakers can use the Matrix to anticipate systemic effects, e.g., how environmental changes impact cognition, emotion, or social identity layers.

• Cultural transformation: Collective codes, archetype, and foundation layers can be cultivated to support values-driven societies, resilient communities, and ethical institutions.

• Education and social programs: Designing interventions that engage multiple inner layers - physical, cognitive, emotional - while considering outer conditions foster holistic development in learners.

5. Spiritual and contemplative practice

• Inner integration: Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, or self-inquiry can strengthen consciousness and intuition layers, which cascade into more coherent ego, emotional, and cognitive functioning.

• Embodied awareness: Aligning physical and energetic-emotional layers through yoga, breathwork, or somatic practices grounds higher-level insight in lived experience.

• Community and collective purpose: Spiritual practitioners can intentionally engage foundation and archetype layers to harmonize individual growth with collective wellbeing, fostering societal coherence.

Conclusion

The Coherence Matrix provides a holistic lens for understanding human and organisational functioning. By mapping the interplay of seven inner layers with seven outer layers, it enables practitioners to see where alignment fosters growth, and where misalignment creates risk. In a world of complexity, volatility, and multi-layered challenges, this framework offers a practical, integrative, and universal approach to leadership, transformation, and personal development.