The difference between philosophy and concept of policy

akinyemi-morenikeji-grace
The difference between philosophy and concept of policy
Pls quick response
Dinesh Divekar
Dear Akinyemi-Morenikeji-Grace,

I do not know in what way you would like to connect two independent terms like “philosophy” and “policy”. What is the context of your query? Is it from a business point of view or a political point of view?

Let us look at the definitions of the two words. The philosophy is defined as a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group whereas policy is defined as a plan of action adopted by an individual or a group.

Every organisation, whether commercial or non-commercial or political, needs to have a philosophy. The organisation’s policies are based on philosophy.

An organisation’s philosophy drives the organisation’s culture. Orientation of the action or decisions by the top management is based on the organisation’s philosophy. The organisation’s culture sums up the decisions or actions by the top leadership or the managers.

In contrast, policies are the guidelines on the execution of the work. To carry out the work some amount of delegation is necessary. The process delegation is achieved by the policies. Through policies, the top leadership guides the subordinates when to do, what to do, how to do, how much to do, who will do and what will happen if the work is not done. Policies need not be specific to the individual, but these are for the entire organisation or the department or employees cutting across the departments/hierarchy.

To sum up, the organisation’s philosophy has a far wider scope. Before execution, the top leadership is expected to contemplate whether the proposed action or decision fits within the purview of the organisation’s philosophy. A few organisations appoint whistleblowers so that they bring to the notice deviations from the organisation’s philosophy.

I hope the above explanation sufficiently brings the difference between the two.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar
Ed Llarena, Jr.
Hi!

I agree with this point of view. The mission & vision of a company should be able to state its core philosophy clearly. And from them, all policies must be developed consistently.

"Every organisation, whether commercial or non-commercial or political needs to have a philosophy. The organisation’s policies are based on philosophy.

An organisation’s philosophy drives the organisation’s culture. Orientation of the action or decisions by the top management is based on the organisation’s philosophy. The organisation’s culture sums up the decisions or actions by the top leadership or the managers.

In contrast, policies are the guidelines on the execution of the work. To carry out the work some amount of delegation is necessary. The process delegation is achieved by the policies. Through policies, the top leadership guides the subordinates when to do, what to do, how to do, how much to do, who will do and what will happen if the work is not done. Policies need not be specific to the individual but these are for the entire organisation or the department or employees cutting across the departments/hierarchy.

To sum up, the organisation’s philosophy has a far wider scope. Before execution, the top leadership is expected to contemplate whether the proposed action or decision fits within the purview of the organisation’s philosophy. A few organisations appoint whistleblowers so that they bring to the notice deviations from the organisation’s philosophy."
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