A520.8.2.RB_PolyarchicPrinciples_LouBeldotti

A520.8.2.RB - Polyarchic Principles

Polyarchy can work well when eight principles are in place:

Implicit Purpose                                vs.                  Explicit Objectives

Freedom to act                                   vs.                  Boundaries

Ambiguity and uncertainty                vs.                  Unambiguous feedback

People's skill and will                        vs.                  A few simple rules

Examples of each principle abound, and there is a strong overlap with principles of success identified by earlier studies such as Built to Last and Good to Great.

These principles are inter-related and support each other. It is the dynamic which exists between these principles that is important, and enables each organization to find its own unique way of applying them.

            I enjoy comparison using “versus”.  It is a lot like pros and cons.  These eight principles apply well to my military experiences.  In the Army, it was less like versus but more like “and/or”.  There was always an implicit purpose and at times, an explicit objective needed to be achieved.  There was autonomy in the Army to a point but there were always boundaries established by regulations and the Commander’s orders.  Sometimes orders were unclear and required assumptions while other times they were clear as glass but more often somewhere in between.  As mentioned earlier, autonomy sometimes existed in the Army, especially the higher rank a Soldier held.  It was that individuals skills and will to accomplish a mission.  However, rules always came into play in the form of regulations.

            Applying these principles to my current position to work more effectively seems a bit challenging but not improbable.

            In secondary educations, purpose and objectives are essentially interchangeable.  The purpose and objective is to graduate students.  Same same.  Sadly, the freedom to act is constrained by political correctness.  Fortunately for me, I am able to enjoy some form of freedom because of the uniqueness of the JROTC class.  However, public education does place boundaries regardless of what I teach.  Ok, bad example.  In secondary education, sometimes things are as clear as mud.  Encouraging clear feedback is very important in my current role.  Teachers must have clear feedback from students, administrators and parents. 

            I would like to close with not all jobs allow for these recipes for improvement.  As a public school teacher, my hands are tied more often than not. 

Reference

Obolenski, N. (2010). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Getting Chaos and Complexity to work. [Chapter 7].