Why is critical thinking important at the board level and what are the impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking?
Text Books
- The Board Book: An Insider’s Guide for Directors and Trustees
William G. Bowen
- The Practitioner’s Guide to Governance as Leadership: Building High-Performing Nonprofit Boards
Cathy A. Trower
Assignment 2a: Critical Thinking in the Boardroom Discussion
Introduction
We all understand the important work done by the governing board of an organization. However, according to the text, boards are passive 67% of the time in a board meeting. In that environment, it can be challenging to engage in critical thinking. In this discussion, we want to talk about this and other impediments to the ability of boards to think critically.
Questions
- Why is critical thinking important at the board level and what are the impediments to boards engaging in critical thinking?
Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
Assignment 2b: Gaps Between Current Practice and Effective Governance Discussion
Introduction
As discussed in the video, one issue that makes board ineffective is a gap between current practice and effective governance. These gaps can manifest in various ways. One example is there can be a gap between the demands of an organization at a particular point in its lifecycle and the composition of its board, leadership structures, and governing approaches. This often is a result of an organization growing and maturing and the board remaining in a ‘start-up’ mode. Another example is a gap between mental maps (assumptions, beliefs, convictions, hypotheses that help us make sense of the organization we lead) of organizations and the governing modes board members use. Addressing these gaps will lead to the three modes of effective governance.
Questions
- How can a governing board, recognizing the gaps mentioned here, address problems associated with these gaps via principles of tri-modal governance as leadership?
Instructions
- Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
Assignment 3a: Scale of Governance Health Discussion
Introduction
All boards must settle on a process for leading the organizations they serve from where they are to the accomplishment of their vision (their preferred future) guided by their core values while staying true to their mission. To lead the strategic planning process, boards must figure out issues surrounding questions about what the preferred future is and how best to get there!
The reality is not all boards are healthy and high functioning. One of the first things a board needs to do in order to accomplish its vision is to assess its own health and address issues that are causing it to be unhealthy. The scale of governance health is designed to assist the board in identifying issues that are causing it to be unhealthy. There are three levels identified in the scale of governance.
- Dysfunctional:In most dysfunctional organizations, board members settle these issues through raw power! This looks like political maneuvering (competition for power and $$) and raw power contests.
- Passive:Important issues are dictated entirely by outsiders: funders, government policymakers, accreditors, consumers or competitors.
- Healthy (strong):Gifted leaders work collaboratively to facilitate agreement on key issues, and a GREAT way to do this is to practice governance as leadership by working in the 3 modes of governance as leadership!
Questions
- What, specifically, does an unhealthy board look like (either dysfunctional or passive traits)? How can applying principles of governance as leadership help a board move from dysfunction or passivity to a place of effectiveness and greater organizational health? Give specific examples from your experience.
Instructions
- Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
Assignment 4a: Five Themes and Eight Functions Discussion
Introduction
In the Bowen text, the five themes and eight functions of a board are discussed.
The themes are:
- Understanding the centrality of the partnership between the board and its CEO/President, and finding ways to strengthen this relationship.
- Recruiting board members who possess the key attributes needed for effective board leadership—especially courage and the will to act.
- Making an up-front investment of time and resources in mechanisms that can promote good governance.
- Distinguishing ways in which governance in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors should and should not converge.
Recognizing the reward of board service in both sectors.
The functions are:
- Select, encourage, advise, evaluate compensate and, if need be, replace CEO.
- Discuss, review and approve strategic directions.
- Monitor performance.
- Ensure that the organization operates responsibly as well as effectively.
- Act on specific policy recommendations and mobilize support for decisions taken.
- Provide a buffer for the president or CEO—in the vernacular “take the heat.”
- Ensure that the necessary resources, both human and financial, will be available to pursue the organization’s strategies and achieve its objectives.
Questions
- Briefly describe one theme and one function citing the importance of each. How do they contribute to effective governance?
Instructions
- Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
- regarding the selected organization and tailor the plan to that organization.
- Remember that a title page, abstract, running header, and references page (in APA format) are required with your submission. These do not count toward the total page count.
Below is an example of a CEO scorecard. You are to develop one related to board evaluation of a CEO. I suggest the categories of the scorecard align with the main initiatives with the strategic plan of the organization. The scorecard then measures how well (red, orange, yellow or green) the CEO is doing to achieve the main aspects of the organization’s agreed up plan and overarching vision (the preferred future everyone is working together to create). Remember, effective evaluation is formative and summarize AND formal and informal.
Assignment 6a: Board Machinery Discussion
Introduction
Assignment 6b: Leading Robust Board Discussions
Introduction
You are the CEO of a nonprofit organization, and you are preparing for your monthly appointment with your board chair to discuss the upcoming monthly board meeting. You have both noticed a lack of robust discussion over the last few meetings and a disturbing tendency toward “groupthink.” Describe techniques for leading energizing and productive fiduciary, strategic and especially generative discussions that will serve as a way to eliminate groupthink and move the board to more robust discussions.
Questions
- What is “groupthink”? Refer to the video lecture for this unit, and describe ways to minimize groupthink and instead embrace specific techniques for robust and effective discussions. Describe these techniques in detail and connect them to principles of tri-modal governance as leadership.
Instructions
- Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
Assignment 7a: Four Types of Capital Discussion
Introduction
Board members and organizational leaders need to learn to recognize, appreciate and capture the value of four forms of capital beyond $$ that board members can provide:
1) Intellectual
2) reputational
3) political
4) social
Questions
- Based on what you have read and your personal experience, what do you see as the most important type of capital needed to be a successful and effective member of a board?
Instructions
- Write a 300-500 word post addressing the questions above. Be sure to include information from the text and cite them appropriately.
CITATION
