HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/08/2016 00 Misc Distributed at the MeetingDistributed at the
Meeting -;?'�/ k-
Workshop on Board Governance
The general meaning of each Latin word is clear
Pluribus is related to the English word: "plural "
Unum is related to the English word- "unit "
EPluribus Unum describes an action Many uniting into one.
An accurate translation of the motto is "Out of many, one" — a phrase that
elegantly captures the symbolism on the shield.
SESSION WlAfEA . 'S►
Presented by
ALfA MESA GROUP_
A FL66c agency carnsrdParc� L
No man is good enough to govern
another man without the other's
consent.
Abraham Lincoln
Government is a trust, and the officers
of the government are trustees. And
both the trust and the trustees are
created for the benefit of the people.
Henry Clay
The government is us; we are the
government, you and I
Theodore Roosevelt
E Pluribus Unum
Governing Board Effectiveness
Presented by
ALTA MESA GROUP
A pubic constdwncy.
® 2016. Alta Mesa Group LLC All rights reserved No part of this publication
may be reproduced in any form or by any means :.vitheut prior written
permission of the copyright owner
William "Bill" Chiat
Bill Chiat is Dean of the California State Association of
Counties Institute for Excellence in County
Government and President of Alta Mesa Group, LLC
His expertise spans over AC years in local and state
governments He served as County Executive Officer
of Napa County and Director of Organizational
Effectiveness for Santa Barbara County, along with
executive positions in city and special district
governments At the state level, he served as
Executive Director of the Arizona Governor's Office
for Excellence in Government and served on the
Cabinet, and as executive director of the California
Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions
Bill provides organizational development, executive
development and facilitation services for local
governments throughout the West, and is an
instructor in the UC- Berkeley Goldman School of
Public Policy executive programs
Bill has a B S from the University of Minnesota, a
M S from the University of Michigan and is a
graduate of the Senior Executives in State and Local
Government Program from the Kennedy School of
Government at Harvard University He has research
and taught a wide range of courses in public agency
leadership, structure, governance and operations
Leadership — Agility — Resourcefulness
Bill works to expand leadership capacity and
capabilities of those in public service so they may
better serve their communities and advance their
personal and agency goals
www altamesagroup com Bill can be reached at bill @altamesagroup com
Moving from
to `one'
`out of Many'
Building Blocks of Effective Board Governance
1 Unity of Purpose
2. Role of the Board
3 Board Culture
4. Board Structure and Process
Effective Boards do Eight Things Well
Have a clear unity of purpose
Are focused on task and consistent
Operate with integrity and trust
Treat each other with dignity and respect
Govern within Board policies, standards and
ethics
Take collective responsibility for the Board's
performance
Ensure multiple voices from the community are
heard
Three Realities for Board Members
1. You campaigned as an individual but serve as a
member of a team
2. You do not have the authority as an individual
to fix the problems you campaigned to fix
3. Your success as a Board member is inextricably
tied to the success of your Board
A Unity of Purpose
* Finding common ground
41 How the Board wants to be known in the
community
What the Board believes, stands for as a
governance team
What the Board wants to accomplish
Building a Culture of Trust and Respect
The members shape the culture
1
"Exempiary
boards are
irobust, effective
social systems."
Jeffrey sonnenfeld
-33y
The members maintain the culture
The members may shift the culture
Trust is the result of understanding and
respect, it is not agreement
Crafting a Sustainable Culture of Trust and Respect
Based on beliefs, values and attitudes
How members want to act towards each other
to live the desired unity of purpose
How members want to communicate
The Ladder of Inference
What we see is colored by what we believe
Effective Board members understand how
assumptions affect beliefs
Question the Reflex Loop
Are actions based on all data?
Communication
*: Practice effective communication at all times
Listen actively, empathetically
Ask questions for clarification
4- Avoid imputing motive
Use '1' messages
Pay attention to non - verbal messages
2
Rttitades
3
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The Ladder of laferevae
The Ftth 1)* ,r4 1.&1dty 1
ii4alk,
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Board Governance
Working Together to Accomplish Good
Foundations of "Policy"
♦ Values
♦ Perspectives
Categories of Board Policy —A Model for Governance
♦ Ends to be Achieved
♦ Executive Limitations to Means
♦ Board - Executive Relationship
♦ Board Process of Governance
Focus on Results
♦ Reasons for organization's existence
♦ Clarifying and sustaining mission
♦ Results = Ends = Outcomes = Impacts
♦ Product Benefits to be produced
♦ Recipients For whom
♦ Efficiency At what cost
♦ What good is to be accomplished for which people at what cost?
Core Board Products
♦ Linkage to Ownership
♦ Explicit Governing Policies
♦ Assurance of Executive Performance
E Pluribus Unum
♦ Pursuing Pluribus
♦ Achieving Unum
Adopted from Carver, J 1997 Boards That Make a Difference A new design for leadership in nonprofit �
AITA MESA GROUP
and public organizations Jossey -Bass Publishers, San Francisco.
3
Building Blocks of Effective Governance
1. Clear Sense and Unity of Purpose
2. Common Definition of Roles and Relationships
Culture of Team Success Based on Integrity, Trust and Respect
4. Structure and Process Focused on Ends
Sense and Unity
of Purpose
Reason to exist A common focus on the
value the organization brings to the
lives of its residents and businesses The
core values and key goals the board members hold
in common about the community and the services
the organization provides The clear sense and unity
of purpose helps members transcend their
differences to fulfill a greater purpose
The Reality
You campaigned or were appointed as an
individual, but serve as a member of a team.
You don't have authority as an individual to fix
the problems your campaigned or seek to fix
Your success as a governing board member is
inextricably tied to the success of your board
and your staff
Roles and
Relationships
The Board's responsibility for itself: A
common understanding of how the
Individuals will work together to
accomplish the unity of purpose Effective boards
have a well- defined definition of their function. The
performance of that role and the relationships
among members must be defined through
conversation, mutual definition of those behaviors
and practices expected of the chair and members,
and mutual responsibility for the board's
performance
Strong Boards need strong staff Recognition that
the role of the board and Its professional staff are
truly separate With the complexity of governance in
today's organizations, the balance is less one in
which there are firm boundaries to roles, and more
one in which community members, the board and
professional staff view themselves as mutually
0 2015. Aka Mesa Group, LLC All rights reserved No reproduction without pare ission.
www alamesagroup.com
supportive partners In the unity of purpose, problem
solving, and the delivery of organization services
Board's Focus on Ends
Coal setting — retreats
Exploration and analysis — study sessions
Disposition and policy — regular meetings
Community connection — stay in touch with the
community and bring members into processes
Resource stewardship — effective direction to staff
Culture of Team Success
How the Board leads as a team-
'1i �* How collectively and Individually
the board models and practices
behaviors which Inspire others, drives
performance, shares authority and responsibility and
demonstrates a caring about people, the community and
the unity of purpose. As a team, board members
va!!le differences whsle recogniz ;ng the Importance
of finding common ground. Trust is built around
understanding and respect, not necessarily
agreement Successful boards appreciate the
profound influence of Interpersonal practices on
governance and strive to develop expected norms
Focus on Ends
Bifocal vision — Board is forward
thinking both on Immediate ends and
creation of policies with a long -range
perspective on ends Immediate ends
are aligned with long term priorities Board has a
shared understanding of how It wants to be known
by the community, and shared values to achieve it
Strategic agility— Board manages diversions to avert
detours and focus its efforts and those of the staff
on the Immediate ends and collective goals It guides
these "means" through clear and consistent policies
and expectations of outcomes
Division of Responsibilities in
Board - Executive Local Government
ENDS Manager
Policy Policy
Advice
GOVERNING CHIEF
BOARD EXECUTIVE
Board
Oversight MEANS
Administration
Model of Governance in Local Government
Typical Tasks
Determine purpose of
organization,
establish long -term
vision, determine
services and service
levels, set strategic
goals and priorities
Pass ordinances,
approve projects and
programs, ratify
budget, identify ends
and outcomes,
establish values and
perspectives in policy
Make kev
implementation
decisions (i.e. siting),
handle complaints,
oversee
administration, set
decision boundaries,
review performance
measures
Suggest management
changes to manager,
approve labor and
other major contracts,
review performance of
organization in
manager review
B
Mission Vision
A
A
R
® •.
x
:
s
E
Admi anon
Man ent V
s
E
Typical Tasks
Advise, options, past
practice, analyze
conditions and
trends, identify
constraints
Make recommen-
dations on all
decisions, formulate
budget, determine
service distribution
formulae, create
implementation
plans (means)
Establish practices
and procedures,
rake decisions for
implementing policy,
monitor performance
Control human,
financial, material,
and informational
resources of
organization to
support policy and
administrative
functions
Adopted from Svara, J.H., 1985 Dichotomy and Duality Reconceptuahzing the Relationship between Policy and Administration in
Council- Manager Cities In Public Administration Review 45 228, and Carver, J ,1997 Boards that Make a Difference A New
Design for Leadership in Nonprofit and Public Organizations. Jossey -Bass Publishers, San Francisco
6
Towards Board Governance
Effective governing boards are built on a framework to
guide their thoughts, actions, structure and relationships.
Ideal elements include:
1 "Cradle" vision Systematic encouragement to think the
unthinkable and to dream.
N
Explicitly address fundamental values The board is the
guardian of organizational values; it focuses on
deliberations and explicit pronouncements on those values
3 Force an external focus Be more concerned with external responsiveness than with the
internal issues of organizational mechanics
4 Enable an outcome - driven organizing system Establish an outcome -based mission and
procedurally enforce the mission as the central organizing focus.
S Separate large issues from small ones Spend time on the large issues.
6. Force forward thinking Strategic leadership demands the long -term viewpoint and the
majority of the board's thinking on the future.
7. Enable productivity Boards press towards leading and not reacting, more in creating than
in approving
8. Facilitate diversity and unity Optimize the richness of board composition and opinion, yet
still assimilate the variety into one voice.
9. Describe relationships to relevant constituencies Boards are both trustees and
accountable to constituencies and therefore must define how these accountabilities coexist
in their governance
10 Define a common basis for discipline How the board governs practices self - discipline; to
stick to its job description and rules of governance
11 Delineate the board's role in common topics The role of the board and the executive on
any topic is clear.
12 Determine what information is needed Precise distinctions about the amount of
information that is needed: not too much, too little, too late, or simply wrong.
13 Balance overcontrol and undercontrol Clarify those aspects of management which need
tight versus loose control; avoid being a "rubber- stamper" or a "micromanager."
14. Use board time effectively Sort out what really needs to be done to enable boards to use
the precious gift of time more productively
Adopted from Boards That Make A Difference, John Carver, 2006, Jossey -Bass, San Francisco
7
Worksheet for Creating Board Protocols
Structure and process agreements about how we operate and do business
Is this an issue Do we need a Rate 1 -3
or concern? Board protocol? 1 =1ow /3 =high priority
Developing the board meeting agenda
Structure of the board agenda
Placing Items on the board agenda
Agenda questions answered before a
meeting
Sticking to the agenda
Using meetings as political tools
Collaboration on single district issues
Informal board reports at board
meetings
Allowing majority vote to set the
direction
Preparation for meetings
Civility in discussions amongst board
members
Treating each other with respect
Treating staff with respect
Treating public with respect
Bringing agenda items back for further
discussion
Explaining 'no' votes
Board meeting management, length of
meetings
Sharing expertise
Bringing up new ideas or issues
Revoting on issues
Seating arrangement at the board table
Placement of CAO and staff in the board
room
Requesting information from staff by
the board
Is this an issue Do we need a Rate 1 -3
or concern? Board protocol? 1 =1ow /3 =high priority
Individual supervisors requests for
information
Individual supervisor requests for action
or directing staff
Handling complaints from the
community
Handling complaints from the staff
Addressing concerns of the community
Role of the chair
Use of committees
Use of study sessions; scheduling of
study sessions
Confidentiality of closed sessions
Board member role in the community
Board member engagement in other's
districts
Board /board communications
Board /CAO communications
Board /staff communications
Self- monitoring of governance team
effectiveness
Board member assignments to
commissions, advisory committees,
external agencies
Others
Rate your sense of the trust level amongst the board members.
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