THE SIGNS OF AND CURES FOR BOARD DYSFUNCTION (Part 1)

Dysfunction in a board of trustees can cripple the institution – dysfunctional boards may have trouble making decisions, successfully implementing decisions, making decisions that consistently support the institution’s mission, or may have members that intentionally or unintentionally subvert the president.?

?Some of this may be due to poor recruitment, selection, and training of board members.??

Some may be due to reasons ranging from over-inflated egos to low self-esteem.?

?Some may be due to either a chair who is not “present” and/or an ineffective or missing governance committee.?

What follows are some examples of a dysfunctional board along with some steps you can take to turn things around and make the board more functional and effective for the sake of the institution.?

?MISSION AVOIDANCE?

The board members don’t know what the mission of the institution is – or they all have their own unique take on what the mission means – or they just ignore it which means their strategic decisions and direction are lacking focus.?

?How can you overcome this??

Make sure that a standardized introduction to the institution’s mission statement is part of the recruitment process so potential board members have a shared, clear understanding of what the institution is about.?

Make sure that same standardized introduction is part of the onboarding process for all new board members. Don’t be passive about it: I strongly urge boards to adopt some form of written agreement with individual trustees – that they sign – acknowledging they understand and will comply with the roles and responsibilities established by and for the board.?

Make sure the mission statement is evaluated in board meetings on a regular basis. ??

NO STRATEGIC PLAN?

No goals. No objectives. No budgets. No timelines. No tasks. No owners.? No milestones. No reason in the world this should be allowed to occur because the board exists to ensure the institution’s current and future prosperity by directing the institution’s affairs while meeting the appropriate interests of the institution’s stakeholders.?

Another problem:?a strategic plan that is neither strategic nor a plan – which is most common.? These tend to be beautifully designed multi-page documents with gorgeous images and design but little to no detailed content beyond “To be the best we can” and “Providing world-class education to our next generation of leaders”.??

How can you overcome this??

?Schedule time in board meetings for addressing the specifics on your strategic plan.? Measurable objectives.? Strategies tied to those objectives, and tactics with timelines and budgets and owners tied to the strategies.?

?

Bring in an experienced strategic planner that has worked in higher education and has helped presidents and boards develop detailed go-to-market strategic plans and have them lead a training or, better yet, strategic planning workshop.?

?RELUCTANCE TO CHANGE?

Tradition is held in high regard in higher education – but the world is changing (who could have predicted the impact of COVID?),?which means a reluctance to change can negatively impact the institution’s ability to offer a unique, valuable solution to its stakeholders.???

?How can you overcome this??

Include time in board meeting agendas for discussion about the market – the impact of government/law, the economy, the environment, society and technology on higher education and the institution.?

?Include time in the board meeting agenda for those discussions to include experts and stakeholders so that outside opinions and recommendations are explored.?

?Develop a diversity strategy for your board that supports various perspectives, wants, needs and expectations for the institution in the pursuit of its mission.?

?RUBBER STAMP?

Whatever the president asks for, the president gets.? There is no value add here, the board is just there making the president happy.? This typically occurs when the president or board chair have been in their current position for many years and have had time to recruit friends/colleagues as board members.?

How can you overcome this??

?Develop and manage a recruitment strategy that focuses on skills and enthusiasm for the institution. ?

Establish term limits for board members so there is a constant, orderly in-flow/out-flow of members.?

AGENDA-LESS MEETINGS?

The agenda is key to having an effective board – so ‘winging it’ is not an acceptable behavior for any board. “Boiler plate” agendas are as ineffective as no agenda.?

?Make sure the president and board chair know this is a shared responsibility and discuss what their process is for creating and distributing and following the agenda so that everyone is clear as to what to expect. Assuming the board has an executive committee (and it should), spread the responsibility for setting the agenda beyond just the chair and the president to that committee.?

?If the president and board chair require training on how to create an agenda (and run an effective meeting), make sure they receive that training.?(Never assume that anyone in a leadership position knows how to do these things.)?

?UNPREPARED ATTENDEES?

Regardless of the many different potential causes for showing up to board meetings completely unprepared, let’s just jump to the potential solutions.?

?Assign tasks in advance to all attendees on the agenda so they know there are expectations they must be prepared to meet.?

?Make certain there is time in the agenda for attendees to perform the task in the meeting – because asking them to be prepared and then failing to provide them the time will train them to stop investing the time to prepare.?

?NO INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE?

Many boards will recruit people outside of higher education with incredible talent in a variety of areas such as law, finance, accounting and beyond. And that is a good thing; it contributes to the cognitive diversity of the board.?

?These people know what they know – but they may not know how the institution operates, which places them at a disadvantage when it comes to drawing upon

their area of expertise.?

?How can you overcome this??

?Develop an introduction to the institution into your board recruitment efforts so they can see what the institution is all about before committing to serve on the board.?

?Develop a deeper dive into the institution for your new board member onboarding and training so that everyone starts with the same foundation of knowledge.?

?Create regularly occurring opportunities for the board members to interact with faculty and staff?within the institution.? If you have a board memberthat’s an expert in fundraising, make sure they have a close relationship with your vice president of advancement.?

?UNCLEAR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES?

A surprisingly common issue that can cripple a board in several ways – unclear roles and responsibilities.? This can lead to ignoring key tasks and issues as well as conflict and confusion when multiple board members attempt to tackle a key task or issue in their own unique ways.??In worst case scenarios, role ambiguity leads to board overreach and intrusion into administrative affairs.

?How can you overcome this??

?Written job descriptions for all board members.?

“Job training” for all new board members so they understand their roles and responsibilities, the roles and responsibilities of other board members and how everyone works together in a productive and efficient manner.?

Regular reviews/evaluations and additional training whenever required.?

Formal annual performance reviews along with the ability to negotiate new or additional roles and responsibilities.??

?Stay tuned for Part 2, coming shortly.

?

ABOUT CASAGRANDE CONSULTING??

Casagrande Consulting was founded in early 2009 to meet select needs of institutions ofhigher education and not-for-profit organizations. The mission of our firm is to establish simple, effective, and defensible programs andprocesses that allow institutions to align their resources with their mission.??

This independent, experienced, and focused consultancy is the partner of choice fordeveloping, implementing, and maintaining processes, philosophies, and programs that can both be supported by and withstand the scrutiny of all institutional stakeholders in the areas of:??

Board Effectiveness??

Leadership Effectiveness??

Compensation Effectiveness??

To learn more, visit our website or call us at 802.279.8125.?