What is the “operational definition” approach to CEO interpretations?
An operational definition in research is a specific measurement that can justifiably stand for a broader concept. Say we want to know whether a good breakfast influences school performance. Before designing research, a scientist may define “good breakfast” as no fewer than X calories and “performance” as ranking on a specific test. (If these are not reasonable definitions, the research results will be disregarded.) In Policy Governance, the CEO interprets ends and executive limitations policies before setting out to achieve them. The range of potential interpretation depends on the level of detail in each policy. Therefore, the interpretation is an actual metric never just a dictionary definition that the board will later judge as reasonable or not.
