Introducing Appreciative Governance – Part Two
What form of governance exists in your company or network? How do you think about governance? What is the role of governance and who is involved in carrying out that role? The answers depend on what we see as current reality.
My Nov. 8 blog on this topic (Part One) described Appreciative Governance (AG) at the intersection of shared contribution, collaborative innovation and the alignment of strengths. This examines governance in a manner that is much broader than what we might normally think. Lets explore.
Historically, governance has been seen as something carried out by a board of directors whose duties involve providing oversight, advice and counsel to management. Their focus is on ensuring the company is being managed legally and in the long-term interests of the shareholders.
By contrast Appreciative Governance (AG) is the set of all activities that guide the functioning of a human system within an environment of many interdependent parts .
These activities involve:
- Setting direction or purpose – not just for the system as a whole, but for each part of the system
- Making decisions – assuring the fulfillment of the purpose, and
- Setting the standards of relationship, behavior and accountability.
Important here is the notion that governance is already distributed throughout the organization. It is already “happening” on a daily basis throughout the organization by people at all levels. However, this distributed governance is probably based in some very traditional views of governance. Ask yourself, which of the following views prevail in my organization?
| Traditional View of Governance | Appreciative Governance |
| Emphasizes controlling or preventing behavior that is illegal, unethical, or detrimental to the interests of shareholders. | Emphasizes mobilizing or encouraging behavior that is legal, ethical and positive to the long-term interests of shareholders and stakeholders while maintaining a posture of deterrence of behavior antithetical to those interests. AG illuminates and more broadly accesses the organization’s strengths, resources and assets. |
| Views the board of directors as the key actors in governing | Acknowledges that governance is carried out by all the people in the organization—the board of directors, management and all employees. |
| Focuses on board activities of senior management selection and compensation, advising senior management, and reviewing accuracy of financial reporting and adequacy of compliance efforts. | Focuses on the range of behavior available from all employees, includes the four AGIL** functions of governance and operates with a social constructionist frame. |
| Begins with a problem-prevention point of view and is advocacy-driven. | Begins from a strength-based perspective and is inquiry-driven. |
** The acronym AGIL stands for the essential functions of any human system ie Adapting to emergent circumstances, Goal accomplishment, Integration of the many parts of the system, Long Term Development of the system’s potential
What’s next?
Future blogs on the topic of Appreciative Governance will cover principles and processes for collaborative redesign of an organization’s governance system.
In the meantime, if you would like to jump more deeply into this topic, the November 2011 issue of the Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner is also dedicated to this topic.
Join the Conversation
Creating organizations where individuals thrive and sustainable value is delivered as “the new normal” is our goal. Appreciative Governance, its creation and practice, is in its infancy. You are invited to be part of a worldwide conversation. Join the AG LinkedIn Dialogue led by Sallie Lee, Cheri Torres and myself.
NOTE:
1. Some of this material is excerpted from “What is Appreciative Governance? by Bernard J. Mohr, Patti Millar and Dan Saint
2. These concepts are based on work developed in collaboration with the team who produced the November 2011 AIP issue on this topic. That team is composed of Neil Samuels, Patti Millar, Joan Hoxsey, Bob Laliberte, Joep de Jong and Dan Saint along with Sallie Lee, Cheri Torres and I who were the co-editors of that issue.
Related articles
- Introducing Appreciative Governance – Part One (organizationalinnovationideas.com)
Dear Bernard, really like these ‘summaries’ of what was created for the November issue of the AI Practioner. They allow me to also have a fresh look at the work that was carried out. And I notice myself asking: And where do (company) values / principles fit in? The question emerged when I read the part on the activities mentioned in this blog. A blog that – as mentioned before – I really like, very helpful! Best regards, Joep
H Joep – great question, thanks! I have some initial ideas which will likely evolve in the course of developing this work through dialogue with you and others.
First, I think that there are very strong values already existing in both traditional and appreciative forms of governance – even though they may not be spelled out as such. Would you agree?
Second, my hope is that the design principles in their totality invite a process of reflection focused on what people see as the core values of their system which give life and should be retained as a new model or system of governance is designed.
Third, I am curious as to your own thinking about your question…can you talk about how you see believe company values and principles should be a part of the transition to AG?
warm regards, bernard
Add A Comment