Task A6.2: Find the Policy Makers

What is Task A6.2?

Task A6.2 is part of the "Observe" phase in the Viability Canvas methodology, specifically within the "System Five: Identify the Policy Making" step (Step A6). This task instructs you to "Write the names of the people or departments responsible for policy making."

Purpose of Finding the Policy Makers

The purpose of this task is to identify who fulfills the System 5 function in your System-in-Focus - those responsible for establishing and maintaining the system's identity and policy framework. This serves several important functions:

1. Locating accountability: Determining who is ultimately responsible for the system's identity and direction
2. Understanding decision rights: Clarifying who has the authority to make fundamental policy decisions
3. Evaluating representation: Assessing whether policy-making includes appropriate stakeholder perspectives
4. Identifying power structures: Revealing how strategic decisions are actually made within the system
5. Preparing for engagement: Knowing who must be involved in any identity or policy-level changes

By finding the policy makers, you identify the individuals, groups, or mechanisms that serve the crucial System 5 function of defining what the system is and establishing its core principles.

Understanding Policy Makers in the VSM Context

In the Viable System Model, System 5 is responsible for the organization's identity, ultimate purpose, and high-level policies. The policy makers are those who:

• Define and evolve the system's identity
• Establish ground rules that affect everyone in the organization
• Set the "top-level ethos" that guides all decision-making
• Balance and resolve fundamental tensions between stability and change
• Ensure the organization maintains coherence and viability
• Intervene when necessary in System 3-4 conflicts

Policy makers may be formal (e.g., a board of directors) or informal (e.g., founding members whose values shape decisions), and their composition reflects how the system defines its governance structure.

How to Complete Task A6.2

To find the policy makers of the System-in-Focus:

1. Identify formal policy-making bodies:
   • Governance structures (boards, councils, committees)
   • Executive leadership positions
   • Legal authorities with decision rights
   • Formal policy-approval processes
2. Identify influential individuals:
   • Founders whose vision continues to shape the organization
   • Leaders with significant informal authority
   • Respected figures whose opinions strongly influence decisions
   • "Keepers of the culture" who maintain organizational values
3. Consider stakeholder representation:
   • Owners or shareholders (in a company)
   • Members (in a cooperative or association)
   • Community representatives (in a public organization)
   • Other groups with legitimate claims to shape identity and policy
4. Analyze actual decision patterns:
   • Who makes decisions about fundamental direction?
   • Whose approval is sought for major strategic shifts?
   • Who resolves conflicts between short-term operations and future planning?
   • Who defines "what we stand for" and "what we don't do"?
5. Document your findings with specific details:
   • Names and roles of key policy makers
   • Formal and informal policy-making mechanisms
   • Apparent effectiveness of these policy-making functions
   • Power dynamics or limitations observed

Example Application

In analyzing a regional healthcare nonprofit, the team might complete Task A6.2 as follows:

"The formal policy makers for Eastside Health Partners include:

• Board of Directors (12 members representing medical professionals, community leaders, and patient advocates)
• Executive Leadership Team (CEO, CMO, COO, CFO)
• Community Advisory Council (rotating membership from served communities)

In practice, we observe that the CEO (Dr. Sarah Johnson) and Board Chair (Thomas Wilson) have particularly strong influence on policy decisions. Major strategic decisions require Board approval, while the Community Advisory Council has input but limited formal authority. The founding mission established by Dr. Maria Rodriguez 30 years ago continues to be referenced in policy discussions despite her retirement."

Significance for VSM Analysis

Identifying the policy makers is crucial because:

1. It reveals who fulfills the essential System 5 function of maintaining identity
2. It shows how the organization balances different stakeholder perspectives
3. It provides insight into whether System 5 is appropriately designed for the organization's context
4. It identifies who must be engaged for any fundamental organizational changes
5. It allows assessment of whether System 5 is effectively moderating tensions between Systems 3 and 4

Understanding who makes policy helps evaluate whether the System-in-Focus has appropriate mechanisms for establishing and evolving its identity, and whether these mechanisms represent the relevant stakeholders in a way that ensures long-term viability.