Anonymous case study In 2017 our organization decided to go from a single International Director to an International Director team. There were lots of questions about whether this would work. No one knew of a good example of this at a top level of an organization. In fact, one leader that we suggested the idea […]
leadership
Polycentrism in the Missio Dei
Kirk Franklin1, Nelus Niemandt1 Structures for mission have been under review as a result of many factors. In particular have been the widening influences of globalisation, and to a lesser degree, glocalisation. Various models of leadership praxis and structures have been proposed along the way. As Christianity moved farther away from the Christendom model of […]
A Case Study: A Journey of Leading in Polycentric Theory and Practice in Mission
Kirk Franklin OCMS, UK Abstract Leadership and governance structures for any organisations involved in God’s mission need to come under review because of the growing influences of the interconnected globalised world. As Christianity moved farther away from the Christendom model of centralised control to other models of leadership and governance, other paradigms have been proposed […]
A Case Study in Polycentric Leadership Structure for a Movement
R. Elliott Snuggs This case study is taken from an article titled “How Movements Organize” written by R. Elliott Snuggs. The article helps modalities and sodalities understand themselves as movements rather than organizations. It was written for the Asian Access movement and is adapted here to understand movement structure in relationship to polycentric leadership Core-Network-Cloud: […]
Accelerating the Great Commission
Where Do We Need More Research? By Josh Laxton This is part of an article series I wrote with Ed Stetzer. Question 4: Where is further research needed to accelerate the Great Commission? We live in a world that’s always conducting research. Because we are bombarded by various kinds of research every day, we tend […]
Polycentrism as the New Leadership Paradigm
SIX COMMON THEMES FOR A TRINITARIAN APPROACH TO LEADING MISSIONS By Joseph W. Handley, Jr. Polycentric—Why? And, what’s that?1 As the world grapples with ongoing tensions, polarities, and ever-growing challenges, I am convinced that we need a new approach to leadership. It was this concern that compelled me to study global leadership and see if […]
Entrepreneurial Trait
Polycentric Leadership exhibits a bold entrepreneurial spirit. Self-governance and freedom are crucial for local teams to operate effectively. ENTREPRENEURIAL FREEDOM engenders effective leadership. This is especially true for successful startups that thrive in a culture of risk-taking, entrepreneurship, experimentation, and innovation. Freedom means independence from overarching structures in terms of decision-making and agenda-setting. This includes teams’ […]
Relational Trait
Polycentric Leaders are relational leaders. RELATIONSHIP—spending time with one another, getting to know one another, and going beyond just working together—is imperative. Leading well involves a depth of relationship that goes beyond partnership or collaboration. It flows within the communal theme mentioned above but goes further pressing into deep personal ties.
Collaborative Trait
Polycentric Leaders lead in a collaborative way. COLLABORATION includes working together in a shared participative manner. Effective leaders must be collaborative in their approach, willing to work in team-centered paradigms where no one rises above the others and all work together toward the goals of their particular network.
Communal Trait
Polycentric Leadership is always communal in nature. Leading through COMMUNITY is integral to polycentric leadership. In the fellowship and family-like atmosphere of serving together, leaders gain perspective and insight from one another and are better able to function through checks and balances, holding each other to higher standards and modeling the collective behaviors they seek to engender […]
