In Dungeons & Dragons, alignment makes intentions clear; at work, they’re hidden. People often coast, poach credit, or operate under ambiguous motives, leaving organizations blind to true engagement. With Kaamfu’s data, these alignments can soon be calculated automatically, exposing personas like the “gravy train conductor” early. This is Phase 1 of building the autonomous organization: Alignment. Once intentionality is surfaced, companies can build truly aligned teams—forcing a reckoning for those who work for themselves, not the mission.

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As a child I always admired the alignment system in Dungeons & Dragons. In a simple two-axis grid it made something intangible feel clear: he was lawful or chaotic, and good or evil. A character’s intentions were as important as their abilities. You didn’t have to guess at their deeper motivations; they were mapped out.

At work, this clarity doesn’t exist. People’s intentions and alignments are often invisible. You may feel them intuitively, or pick up on subtle cues over time, but rarely does anyone articulate them. Most of the time, this layer remains unspoken, only surfacing after months—or years—of working alongside someone.

But what if alignment at work could be calculated, just as it is in Dungeons & Dragons?

From Archetype to Algorithm

This question struck me recently when I recognized the persona of the “gravy train conductor.” These are capable leaders who build a machine that runs smoothly, then coast on its momentum instead of reinvesting their energy into new growth. I avoided hiring one last year, but ended up hiring another this year.

The difference now is that Kaamfu gives us data. By surfacing this person’s work patterns, we quickly identified that their energy was aimed at preservation rather than creation. In the near future, we won’t even need to dig for such insights. With the right training and modeling, Kaamfu will be able to calculate work alignment automatically and surface it clearly to decision-makers.

The Next Phase: Organizational Alignment

This is the foundation of the autonomous organization. In Phase 1 “Alignment” we are building the ability to see not just whether goals are met, but whether the humans behind those goals are truly aligned with the company’s mission. For the first time, we will be able to measure intentionality, not just outcomes.

Kaamfu, prompted correctly, could have flagged our “gravy train conductor” from the outset. It could have recognized his pattern of engagement and warned us that his alignment didn’t match the needs of a high-growth company.

What Happens When the Cover is Removed?

This raises profound questions. There are many personas at work today that do not align with the organization’s goals:

• The coasters, who do just enough to earn their keep.
• The credit poachers, who survive by presenting others’ accomplishments as their own.
• The firefighting heroes, who perpetuate chaos just to solve it.
• And countless others, each driven by intentions that may not serve the collective mission.

Today, most of these personas operate under cover. They thrive in ambiguity, hidden by the difficulty of measuring intentionality. But Kaamfu and the broader movement toward alignment-driven organizations is about to rip that cover away.

What happens then?

A Coming Shift

I predict that the number of uncovered misalignments will mirror the number of jobs displaced by AI. Many workers will re-align with their organization’s mission once clarity is enforced. Others will not, and they will need to find new ways to survive outside organizations that demand alignment.

Either way, the shift is coming. For the first time in history, companies will have the tools to build not just efficient teams, but truly aligned ones. Intentionality will no longer be invisible. And once alignment is surfaced, organizations will be forced to confront a question they’ve long avoided: Who is really working for us and who is only working for themselves?

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