Joseph Handley / 3-April-2021

Discussing Polycentric Leadership

Asia Leadership Development Network recently interviewed Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D. about polycentric leadership for its Unleash podcast. Here’s the video from that episode, and it’s a great introduction to PCL…

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Joseph Handley

Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D. (@jwhandley) is the president of A3. Previously, he was the founding director of Azusa Pacific University’s Office of World Mission and lead mission pastor at Rolling Hills Covenant Church. He also serves on the International Orality Network leadership team and on the advisory teams for the Nozomi Project, BiblicalTraining.org, and DualReach as well as the board for ReIgnite Hope.

Cambodian Bible College: Pilgrimage from Patronage to Partnership
At Cambodian Bible College, mission began within a familiar pattern of provision and dependence. Over time, that pattern was challenged, giving rise to a gradual, uneven shift toward shared leadership and polycentric partnership. This case study tells the story not of arrival, but of a continuing pilgrimage from patronage to partnership. [more…]
Shifting the Leadership Paradigm: How Polycentric Leadership Transformed Our Tea…
By JOSHUA NURCOMBE-PIKEGlobal Theological Educator based in the UK “So, any thoughts on this?” My enthusiastic pitch for a new [more…]
YWAM and the Emergence of a Polycentric Leadership Model
By JOSEPH W. HANDLEY, JR., PH.D. Circles, Circuits, Cycles Over the past two decades, Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has undergone one of the [more…]
Polycentric Leadership at All Nations United Methodist Church
By HUNN CHOI Introduction Polycentric leadership has emerged as one of the most effective approaches to addressing the complexity of [more…]
Models of Polycentric Leadership
by Joseph W. Handley, Jr., Ph.D. Missional Church Model J.R. Woodward presents a polycentric model in his book Creating a [more…]

Entrepreneurial as a Foundational Theme of Polycentric Leadership
Explore how entrepreneurial leadership strengthens polycentric systems by empowering distributed initiative, adaptive experimentation, and mission‑aligned risk‑taking that drive innovation and responsiveness across decentralized contexts. [more…]
Relational as a Foundational Theme of Polycentric Leadership
Relational leadership places trust, mutual accountability, and deep connection at the center of influence, making it essential for effective polycentric leadership. By prioritizing relationships over hierarchy, it strengthens collaboration across cultures and organizations, enabling decentralized networks to stay aligned, resilient, and missionally focused in complex global environments. [more…]
Communal as a Foundational Theme of Polycentric Leadership
Explore the Communal theme of Polycentric Leadership, showing how shared identity, mutual responsibility, and collective discernment shape trust, resilience, and long-term sustainability in decentralized leadership systems. [more…]
Collaborative as a Foundational Theme of Polycentric Leadership
Collaboration sits at the core of polycentric leadership, enabling authority, decision‑making, and accountability to be shared across interconnected centers. This paper explores how collaborative practices strengthen coherence, adaptability, and trust in complex, multi‑layered organizations. [more…]
Charisma as a Foundational Theme of Polycentric Leadership
This PCL white paper by Joseph W. Handley, Jr. on Charisma explores how character-based charisma strengthens polycentric leadership by inspiring shared vision, trust, and collaboration across decentralized, global networks. [more…]