When
addressing governance issues, we have found that many organizations struggle
with how they should be structured without first reaching agreement on what the
organization is trying to accomplish. Secondly, many boards often do not
involve all those who might be affected by the change. Failure to gain a shared
vision leads to dissention and resistance. Those issues notwithstanding, many
organizations fail to focus on execution. The best plans will fail without adequate
attention given to implementation issues.
There
is a better way. Our approach places organizational structure in context and
includes steps to ensure the process will be implemented. The old adage, “Form
follows function” certainly applies to governance. Organizations are systems. A systems approach to organizations involves designing a
structure that facilitates organizational performance that will lead to desired
outputs. Organizations that fail to understand the interaction among these
three elements – outcomes, performance, and structure -- will diminish their
effectiveness. Governance cannot be evaluated in isolation. Rather, it must be
assessed in the context of the organization’s desired ends. When viewing any
governance model, the organization must first ask “ How will the proposed model
assist the organization in achieving its desired ends?” In the absence of any
clear understanding of its desired ends, any model will do.
With
the organization’s strategic plan as the foundation, we assess the governance
structure using the following process:
1.
Interviews: We conduct interviews of key staff and leadership to
identify strengths and weaknesses of the current structure in the context of
the organization’s mission and objectives
2.
Performance
Requirements: The
purpose of specifying performance requirements is to help designers understand
the issues that must be addressed with a new structure. Assume we were
designing a house for a client. To know they want a new house is not to know
much. We would want to know what climate conditions the house should address –
how many people will live in the house, whether the people will have an office
in the house, etc. In a like manner, when designing a new governance structure,
the task force might identify design requirements such as: it must represent
the diversity of the membership, it should allow for democratic elections etc.
3. Gap analysis: Once the performance requirements are reviewed and approved by the board, we work with the organization to identify problems with the current structure. A problem is defined as a meaningful difference between “what is” and “what should be.” The performance requirements define what should be. We will assist you to compare the performance requirements (what should be) to the current structure (what is) and identify any significant gaps (problems) that exist. We will then present these identified problems to the board for its review and approval.
4.
Design
a new model. We
will work with the staff and leaders to design options to address the design
requirements and problems identified by the task force. A concept of systems
theory is the principle of equafinality. Said simply, the principle of
equafinality asserts that several acceptable methods can be used to reach the
same end. Consistent with this principle, we will work with you to develop
several options for meeting the performance requirements. The organization will
identify the advantages and disadvantages for each option.
5.
Board
selection: We will
assist the board in its review of the governance options as well as in making
its final selection,
6.
Execution
plan: As we have
noted, planning alone is not sufficient. The plan must be executed. We will
work with the organization to develop a implementation plan specifying what
steps will be taken to move toward the new governance model. The plan will
specify what will be done, when, by whom and at what cost. We anticipate the
plan will include steps for revising the bylaws and other governing documents,
as well as developing and implementing a communication plan aimed at key
audiences within the organization to gain buy-in. We will then work with the
organization to implement the plan of execution.
7.
Evaluation
plan: The purpose
of any governance model is to facilitate the organization’s achievement of its
mission and desired ends. Once changes are put into place, it will be important
to verify that those changes have, in fact, brought about an improvement in
performance.
We would welcome an opportunity to submit a
customized proposal outlining how we would work with you to meet you unique
needs at a fee tailored to meet your budget. Please contact at us at:
OPIS, LLC
630 Sugarloaf Ct.
Highland Village, TX, 75077
Phone: 972-317-9596