Not all goals are amenable to linear change processes. Some prefer being nudged towards actualisation. While there is a range of possible strategic styles and methods, the two contrasted in this post involve linear (logframe) and non-linear (vector-based) theories of change (ToC). These are illustrated in the header image above as the straight line arrow… Continue reading Actors, Factors, and Vectors of Change
Tag: governance
Working with assumptions – risky but necessary
I presume that: Examining assumptions Good advice in one context may be poor advice in another. For example, the injunction to ‘never assume‘ may be sound advice when applied to making assumptions about people and their motivations. It is likely to be poor advice however, when applied to strategic planning and project management. Not that… Continue reading Working with assumptions – risky but necessary
How effective is your board? – Part 6
This post concludes the series on board effectiveness evaluation with a somewhat disparate collection of observations and reflections. Some of the ideas and charts included here might have been quite relevant in earlier parts of the series, but if they were not available at that time, their inclusion here acts as an amplification and reinforcement… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 6
How effective is your board? – Part 5
Board Effectiveness Diagnostics Notwithstanding the shortcomings of simple surveys (e.g. one size does not fit all, tick-the-box mentality, etc.), boards can use checklists as mechanisms to ‘take the pulse’ or to perform basic compliance checks. The most fundamental diagnostics your board could use relate to legal and governance compliance – both as regards board effectiveness,… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 5
How effective is your board? – Part 4
Reflective Governance Directors of most non-profit boards are volunteers who are time-poor. In my experience, some are reluctant to have their work evaluated, partly because they feel insulted that their honorary work is being opened to critical review (as they see it) as if they were remunerated. And yet, when given the opportunity to identify… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 4
How effective is your board? – Part 3
Part 1 of this series on the evaluation of board effectiveness described various characteristics of some different approaches. Part 2 described some of the subjects and foci of board effectiveness evaluation. Part 3 now turns to the selection of methods and measures according to the purpose and intended use of your evaluation. Evaluation Purposes and… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 3
How effective is your board? – Part 2
Part 1 of this series on board effectiveness noted that the evaluation of board effectiveness is just one aspect of your overall Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning Model (and that this in turn is just part of your MELD Governance Model). It also suggested that there are various dimensions of board effectiveness, each of which includes… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 2
How effective is your Board? – Part 1
Evaluating board effectiveness How do you know if your board is effective?Does your board share a common view as to the purpose/s of effectiveness evaluation?Is there agreement as to what effectiveness means for your organisation?Has your board agreed on an evaluation framework that supports meaningful evaluation of its own effectiveness?How effective is your evaluation of… Continue reading How effective is your Board? – Part 1
A question of skillful questioning
Asking the right questions in the right way One of the shorthand ways of explaining what governance focuses on is to say it’s about ‘Doing the right things in the right way’. This post offers a reflection on one essential aspect of governance, that is used by every director at every meeting. Skillful questioning is… Continue reading A question of skillful questioning
Prompts and algorithms for people (not just AI)
There has been a flood of material published lately on the many varied uses that can be made of AI tools like ChatGPT, Chatsonic, YouChat, and MidJourney. The more helpful material, I find, focuses on the intelligent framing of prompts to engineer optimal responses from the AI tool. The notion of prompt ‘engineering’ is not… Continue reading Prompts and algorithms for people (not just AI)