The powers and duties of directors were the focus of some earlier posts, however these make quite narrow use of the concept of ‘power’ – which has many forms and applications. My previous post dealt with powers legally (and therefore legitimately) afforded non-profit boards and directors, and made reference to those powers being distinctly different… Continue reading Organisational power
Tag: control systems
Risk borders, boundaries, and bridges
Learning from Others’ Mistakes – Part 9: Ruby Princess The Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Ruby Princess (320 pp) offers numerous governance lessons for non-profit organisations as well as its target audiences in government. Notable among these is the heightened risk faced when multiple agencies and governance systems are involved. With… Continue reading Risk borders, boundaries, and bridges
Looking outward and inward
Non-profit directors are not usually spies. They do need to gather and analyse ‘intelligence’ however, to inform their governance activities. This includes monitoring the external environment and internal systems, processes and performance. Business intelligence software and dashboards are available commercially. While some non-profits will be able to afford these, most smaller entities will seek free… Continue reading Looking outward and inward
Your ‘ruling’ body
The history of leadership continues to be reflected in our language today. The board of directors is still sometimes referred to as the ‘ruling body’. Historically, the one who set the rules brought order to their community. Sometimes that order was imposed by force, and at other times by democratic processes, but either way, the… Continue reading Your ‘ruling’ body
The shared purpose mirror: Ideal decision and execution triangles
It has been widely recognised that good governance decisions involve identification of the ‘sweet spot’ where cost, risk, and benefit trade-offs can be achieved. A ‘mirror’ set of balancing factors is involved however when management is charged with implementation of those decisions – as illustrated above. Best practice strategy execution requires management to identify the… Continue reading The shared purpose mirror: Ideal decision and execution triangles