Author: Y. Seo (@momotarou / Japan)Role: Metanist — Human × AI Understanding ArchitectAI Collaboration: AI Understanding SupportORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7669-0612 Abstract This paper introduces the framework of Understanding Coordination Friction, extending Understanding Incentive Distortion and Understanding Institutional Drift by analyzing how coordination failures emerge from coherence misalignment rather than purely conflicting interests. While classical coordination theory interprets friction as transactional inefficiency or strategic conflict, the proposed framework argues that advanced technological societies increasingly experience coordination breakdowns originating from interpretive divergence, context instability, and understanding-capacity asymmetries. Coordination does not fail only when incentives conflict. It may fail when coherence structures diverge. 1. Coordination Beyond Incentives Traditional coordination models emphasize: Incentive compatibility Contractual alignment Information exchange efficiency However, coherence stability is rarely treated as a variable. 2. Defining Coordination Friction Understanding Coordination Friction refers to: Systemic resistance emerging when agents operate under incompatible interpretive frames, divergent coherence structures, or asynchronous cognitive conditions. Friction becomes cognitive-structural. 3. Sources of Coherence Misalignment Misalignment may arise through: Context fragmentation Cognitive load asymmetries Temporal desynchronization Attention allocation conflicts Institutional abstraction gradients Coordination costs escalate nonlinearly. 4. Friction Without Conflict Coordination friction may persist even when agents: Share objectives Possess aligned incentives Exchange accurate information Breakdown emerges from interpretive instability. 5. AI Systems and Friction Amplification AI systems may modify coordination dynamics by: Accelerating decision environments Increasing signal density Altering context persistence Reshaping dependency structures Velocity may intensify misalignment effects. 6. Stability Implications Persistent coordination friction generates: Latent systemic instability through coherence degradation, synchronization failures, and trust erosion. Instability accumulates structurally. Conclusion Understanding Coordination Friction reframes coordination theory by recognizing coherence compatibility and interpretive synchronization as central stability conditions. Future organizational, economic, and technological systems may require designs minimizing coherence misalignment rather than solely optimizing transactional efficiency. ※ Series Declaration This work is part of the Understanding Capitalism series. The series explores value formation, cognitive mediation, and structural transformations of economic perception.