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What principles govern agency Management?

There are five guiding principles agency Managers follow in order to successfully manage the internal eco system. First, agency Managers understand, accept, and support the mission of the agency, i.e. the purpose for which the agency exists. Only people who can and do strictly adhere to this principle function as agency Managers. No exceptions. No excuses.

Second, the Authorizers and Implementers, with or without the collaborative involvement of agency Management, establish policies, rules, and operating guidelines representing restrictions and expectations with which the agency must conform. It is the responsibility of agency Management to understand and fully implement those policies, assure agency operations are in compliance with the rules, and maintain the functioning of the internal eco system in accord with the guidelines. The policies, rules, and guidelines do not prescribe how agency Management will achieve these outcomes, only that the outcomes will be achieved. No exceptions. No excuses.

The third guiding principle requires agency Management to define and maintain a rational, flexible Organizational Structure and internal environment within which agency staff members function with a minimum of administrative or bureaucratic control or interference. Understanding and accepting this principle is fundamental to successfully managing the internal eco system. Staff members are autonomous organisms dynamically associating to form the internal eco system. Management control of or interference with their functioning are counterproductive with respect to the overall functioning of the internal eco system. Agency Management maintains the internal eco system with a minimum of administrative or bureaucratic control or interference. No exceptions. No excuses.

The fourth guiding principle requires agency Management to provide clear, consistent direction assuring each staff member knows and understands what is expected of him (or her) and what behavior and actions are acceptable and which are unacceptable. This requires Managers to understand and be clear about how the inclusion of each staff member contributes to the overall functioning of the internal eco system and to the outcomes it achieves. They understand and clearly expect only behavior and actions compatible with achieving those outcomes. Each staff member then functions consistently with those expectations. No exceptions. No excuses.

The fifth guiding principle requires agency Management to maximize Personal Control for each staff member over his (or her) activities and experience within the internal eco system. So long as the person’s functioning is consistently mission focused and outcome seeking, agency Management assures maximum personal control for him. It is important to emphasize that any Management imposed controls only serve to assure the functioning of the internal eco system is consistent with applicable governing policies, rules, and guidelines. Any controls not exclusively supporting those outcomes are unnecessary, counterproductive, and inappropriate. No exceptions. No excuses.

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