Good board management encompasses the board’s culture, structure, and decision-making process as well as its members. The key elements of good management are appropriate behavior and a clear understanding of the board’s role and responsibility. Furthermore, boards that are effective can identify when they need new energy and focus their efforts.
An appropriate behavior includes not being shy to speak out and being respectful of the organization and its management and clinicians and taking board service as a responsibility of citizenship. It is important to distinguish between governance and management, and also to understand the impact of the board’s decisions on other members.
A well-designed policy process and a clear understanding of the function of the board are vital. To fulfill the three major roles of the board, that is, setting strategy, taking significant and strategic decisions and evaluating the company’s performance, a robust policy process is required. Effective policies can help focus discussions, prevent the need for duplication and ease the pressure on management to produce tangential or excessively detailed information for the board.
A well-organized agenda will significantly improve the efficiency of an executive meeting. The best way to organize an agenda is by separating items for information, action and strategic discussion. This helps the board know its responsibilities and reduces any concerns that it will have to consider voting on informational items. It is important that taskforces and committees are governed by clear guidelines and a procedure to avoid duplicate work of work. It is also beneficial to have a corporate secretary who can assist in arranging meetings and oversee the flow of information, and design an extensive set of board documents that include relevant background documents.