Undertaking an integrated Board Review in the not-for-profit sector
A high performing housing association leverages additional talent from its Board Review
Business challenge
This not-for-profit board in the housing sector was an example of a highly regulated board where board members are drawn from the commercial, public and housing sectors. Like all housing boards there is also a solid representation of tenants in the form of Tenant Governors.
The strategic challenge was to conduct an efficient, 'paper lite', integrated review of whole Board performance and board sub committees, along with an individual review of selected board members. It needed to provide a helpful plan for succession. Additionally it was important to distil important learning that could be applied in other parts of the business, for example improved governance, particularly integrating the work of the board sub committees better along with adding value for future board member recruitment and development.
Echelon’s solution
Echelon designed a board competency framework against which both the board, board sub committees and individual board members could be reviewed and from which a board succession plan and a development plan for new tenant governors could be derived. It comprised a suite of:
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9 technical board competencies mapped to each board sub committee for easy cross reference
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a suite of board review questions mapped to each technical competence
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a suite of behavioural attributes with self review questions for board members
Key Benefits
The resulting feedback informed a review of board sub committee performance, a board member development plan and in particular:
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a detailed induction guide for new Tenant Governors
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a suite of assurance questions for key aspects of the board's strategy and responsibilities, this facilitated the rapid induction of new board members who were invariably experienced in business and corporate governance but not in the nature of this business, how it was regulated and conducted
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A succession plan for the board
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All materials were published via our CMS for easy access from the organisation's intranet and easy updating and re-versioning.
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Echelon’s solution
Research
Technical board competencies were researched via a series of conversations with relevant people and a review of key documents and processes in particular their relationship to board sub committees. From the research were developed
1. Technical Board Competencies with Review Questions and cross matching to Board Sub Committees
2. Board Member Attributes with Self Review Questions
3. A suite of assurance questions for board members to select from and use.
Buy in
Board members are busy people and the need was for an efficient and 'paper lite' review, that could be rapidly assimilated. Each interview with selected board members needed to be efficiently conducted in 45 minutes so we developed a series of ‘one-pagers’ to illustrate feedback, for example:
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The technical competencies, their questions and overall feedback on one page
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A review of overall behavioural competency with strengths and gaps on a one page model
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An induction guide for new tenant governors in '16 activities' each taking around 20 minutes.
Results
Twelve recommendations resulted in an:
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energetic focus on reinvigorating the brand but a clear understanding of how the organisation's values are the default position
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understanding of the perceived and actual value of the non executive challenge but with a clearer understanding [using assurance questions] of how best to challenge
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-how to connect the work of board sub committees to the board via a board calendar and two way agendas that fed the board with information and carried out delegated action from the board in an efficient manner
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effective succession plan that mapped the composite of Board competence to the future strategy not past performance
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appraisal of the non executive and executive views of the 'risk appetite' of the organisation much improved recruitment of non executive directors and a practical and helpful guide for tenants governors to better understand their role and quickly assimilate the effective verbal and non verbal tactics of a board member.
Echelon, Angles House, 210 Sheen Lane, London SW14 8LB; 020 8274 9965