The dual nature of organizational policies

Organizational decisions are usually constrained by policies and rules, sometimes up to the point of completely automated decision making. Policies exist on multiple levels within the organization and require organizational power to be created. They are typically expressed in a policy document that has multiple practical functions. Drawing on and extending the UFO-L ontology on legal positions, we offer a critical analysis of the relationship between policy and policy document and make an argument for the dual nature of policies. We present four ontological patterns that we claim to be fundamental for organizations as social and economic phenomena. These patterns address: (1) organizational coordination and policy, (2) policy documents, (3) delegation, (4) community ruling. For an initial evaluation, the patterns are exemplified in the university domain.