Using assessment to accelerate
board performance
A
nonprofit’s board of directors is one of its most valuable resources.
Unfortunately, some organizational leaders take the board’s role for granted, allowing
board service to settle into a comfortable status quo. Executive directors,
alternately responding to major strategic challenges and absorbed in the
everyday business of the organization, can forget the board is a key asset that
must be developed, tended to and mobilized just like any other. Likewise, the board’s
executive committee may shy away from its own responsibility for keeping board
members engaged, involved and contributing to the important work of the
organization.
But
how to make board development a priority when there are so many other pressing
needs? Assessment is an efficient, effective way of helping boards understand
what optimum performance looks like, why it is important and how they can
achieve it.
Board
assessment is a three-in-one package. First and foremost, it is an educational
process that often helps to inform or remind boards of their roles and
responsibilities. Second, it is a diagnostic tool, helping the board identify
those areas where it is performing well and those where it may need to develop
capacity. Third, both the process and the findings it yields create an
opportunity for dialogue through which the board itself prioritizes what it
must do to become the board it wants to be.
There
are many different approaches to board assessment, ranging from a simple
worksheet or checklist boards can fill out and discuss on their own to a more
comprehensive facilitated tool or process. (Visit http://www.lapiana.org/downloads/La_Piana_Consulting_Benefits_of_Board_Assessment.pdf
for a resource.)
Not all approaches will address the same topics in the same level of
detail. Even so, any kind of
assessment has the potential to inform and even transform how board members
think about and approach their work on behalf of the organization and its
mission.
Here
are just a few of the benefits my colleagues and I have seen nonprofit boards gain
from assessment:
Clarification
of Roles
One
of the most common results of a board assessment is the discovery that greater
clarity is needed about the board’s role in one or more areas. Fund development
is a prime example. Many nonprofit leaders and board chairs lament the board is
not active in fundraising but have not been clear in defining what those expectations
really are. Instead, board members are left to interpret for themselves how
much engagement is acceptable. Assessments can surface conflicting or
incomplete understandings about the board’s role in an objective way and help
the organization create the clarity needed.
Discovery of
Blind Spots
At
times, assessment can simply confirm for board members they do in fact have a role in a particular area.
For example, most boards with which we have worked indicate little knowledge of
or involvement in the area of risk management. This is fairly remarkable, given
the nonprofit board is legally responsible for the organization’s activities. Often,
however, boards trust the organization has obtained the necessary insurance
coverage and turn their attention to other matters. But risk management is not
a one-and-done proposition and should be revisited on at least an annual basis.
Succession planning is another area where many boards have not yet actively
engaged, despite acknowledging they need to start the conversation. (Visit
http://www.lapiana.org/downloads/La_Piana_Consulting_Succession_Planning_Article.pdf
for a resource.)
Examination
of Relationships
The
relationship between the board and executive director or CEO is a critical
element of organizational health. By asking board members to reflect on their
role in hiring, supporting and monitoring the effectiveness of the executive,
assessment can surface tensions or gaps in that partnership. For example, it
may be the board leans too heavily on the executive, or there could be a lack
of trust inhibiting a good working relationship. Similarly, the rapport among
board members is often an indicator of board functioning. By eliciting candid
feedback from board members about various areas of board performance, assessment
can identify common and/or differing concerns, experiences, and preferences,
such as might exist between new board members and their more seasoned
counterparts. In each case, paying attention to individual responses as well as
the aggregate result helps to distinguish what may be isolated personal issues
from larger patterns of relationships.
Ability to Inform
Engagement
Many
boards engaging in assessment are in a growth stage and are navigating the
shift from an operationally focused (or “working”) board to the more
strategically focused policy board. In these cases, the assessment itself
serves as a catalyst, encouraging board members to think more broadly about
their role, their participation and their contributions to the organization.
This can be both challenging and energizing for boards. Even those that are not
transitioning to a policy governance focus often find the assessment has
stimulated their thinking about strategic issues or priorities for
organizational change. For this reason, a board assessment can be an excellent
tool when preparing for strategic planning, a leadership transition or a
similar transformation.
Assessment
is a relatively small investment, typically requiring a modest amount of each
board member’s time to fill out a form or survey and discuss the results. But
it can yield real benefits, provided the quality of the assessment tool and
discussion educates board members, surfaces actionable priorities and
identifies steps to address them.
Finally
and most heartening is the quite unexpected result we often see in the course
of facilitating board self-assessments. Shining a light on the board not only
helps identify opportunities for improvement, but also often elicits
affirmations from board members reflecting on why they are there in the first
place and how honored they are to be part of a dedicated board working with
talented staff to advance the organization’s mission. It is that very commitment
and willingness to serve that assessment can help energize and direct for
lasting results.
by Melissa Mendes Campos
