Self-Assessment of Boards is among the essential leadership practices that high-performing nonprofit boards practice to ensure that they have a long-term, effective governance. It requires the board to step back from day-to-day business and candidly examine its effectiveness. This allows board members to resolve issues that could otherwise cause frustration and conflict.
There are a variety of ways to conduct a board self-assessment that range from interviews and surveys to discussion groups that are facilitated. The best method will depend on the size of your board, the resources you have available and the amount of depth you’d like to include in the assessment.
If you decide to go with the method ensure that you define the objectives of the assessment. For instance, do you desire to improve governance, match the goals of the organization to governance, or enhance accountability? Once you have determined this, you can select an evaluation tool.
Some tools let you examine your results in comparison to other hospitals or health systems, while others are focused solely on the governance practices of your organization. It is essential to ensure that the tools you select are unbiased and don’t single out directors. This will provide a safe environment for honest feedback.
Many boards also utilize peer review processes that asks board members to evaluate their co-directors. This can be a valuable and productive process, however it is essential that the process stays private. It isn’t easy for some directors to critique Discover More Here about full board self assessment checklist an individual director when they are afraid that it will be retaliated against them. In this situation it is typically better to let the facilitator look over the responses to determine what insights are relevant to share with the board.