Over the course of many engagements plus my years as an executive, I’ve addressed and been asked to address, the theme of effective governance, particularly at the Board level. To bring this topic into full context, one of my many “hats” that I wear (periodically), is as an advisor to graduate and post-graduate students working in the arena of health policy and healthcare management. One of my students currently, is researching this topic of governance especially as the same (effective v. not effective) correlates with organizational prosperity. Her area of concentration in this research is non-profit health care organizations, though for-profit organizations are included as a contrast subject.
Her research and our conversations, reviews, etc. are fascinating as the content leads me across my many experiences serving on boards (non-profit, for-profit and publicly traded) as well as my many client engagements working with and/or in conjunction with, senior executives and their boards. Upon further thought it thus occurred to me that I haven’t written anything as of late on this whole issue of governance – what it is, what it should be, where effective and ineffective collide in terms of organizational prosperity, etc. Of course as always, my episodic journey (fits and spurts over a few weeks where time permits) led me through tons of stuff from my notes on engagements to former lectures and presentations to other research I have gathered. Being brief: Wow. I have a collection; quite a bit deeper than I thought/remembered. The net of my review is that this topic of “governance” lends itself to a series of posts. This is the first and for simplistic sake, it covers the core duties and the counterbalance of liabilities, for any Board (non-profit or for-profit).
To start, the core duties of a board are completely separate and thus, different from the core duties of management. A board has a bifurcated role and responsibility. The first duty is the advise and consult responsibility with management concerning the strategic and operational direction of the company. The second and equally important duty is to monitor company performance at the macro level (financial, compliance, risk, etc.). Topically, the latter element includes but is not necessarily limited to (not in particular order);
- Approval of strategic plans and strategies.
- Testing of performance measurements and oversight of risk management.
- Succession planning for the top executive(s) and the process of selection, when required, thereof.
- Audit – assuring the completeness, compliance and integrity of financial statements
- Compliance – assurance that the company/organization complies with all federal, state and other related laws and regulations.
- Approval of major capital investments
- Protection of company assets and reputation, including tangible and intangible assets (intellectual property, trademarks, name, etc.)
- Assure adequacy of executive compensation packages and develop and implement, the same in order to assure the security of key executive(s).
- Represent the interest of shareholders and/or stakeholders (non-profits).
The key issue for a board is the concept of independence; the independent director. In this regard, the ideal is that a board is solely interested in the welfare of the organization and thus, each director is free of self-interest such that the same would compromise his/her judgment and/or render him/her unable to take positions opposite of management when required.
The board is headed by the Chair(man or woman) who is responsible for agenda, meeting schedules and structure, committee coordination and overall communication within and across the board. Boards make decisions on a majority rule basis unless specifically required otherwise (certain actions may require a super-majority) and such decisions are based on the information and input from management.
Board committees may exist in large numbers or in smaller numbers. In healthcare, the following committee functions/board committees require specific attention.
- Quality/Compliance: This is a major risk area and it is perhaps, the most critical oversight function for a healthcare board today.
- Governance: Boards need to address new member recruitment, director performance, board performance, board education, etc. This element also includes CEO performance and may/may not encompass compensation for the CEO. Some organizations split compensation into another committee. I have found both split and shared equally as effective if properly managed.
- Audit/Finance; Second only to compliance in terms of risk, boards need to engaged in the review of investments (capital, other), financial statements, the engagement of auditors, the review/approval of financial plans, budgets, forecasts, and where applicable, any organizational financing activities from feasibility through completion/non-completion. This function also encompasses financial risk management and review of public release information.
Board terms are all across the map today but the two best practice models I favor are one-year, annual election of members or staggered two or three-year terms. Each have merit and each have flaws. The true test of effectiveness of any “term” condition is how effective the governance function is in terms of director review, board review, etc. Boards that have effective director performance review, clear criteria and effective board performance review self-police and thus, make term conditions work regardless of length.
Finally and key for all boards and members to understand is that boards have specific legal duties, typically identified under their respective state laws or as embodied in case-law. These duties are typically identified as “fiduciary” in nature.
- Duty of Care: The requirement that decisions are made via deliberation and investigation/data.
- Duty of Loyalty: The requirement that directors act in the best interest of the corporation or enterprise. This duty has also been, in some case-law decisions and state laws, expanded to include the best interest of shareholders.
- Duty of Candor: This is more applicable to publicly traded companies but I have found it universally applicable. It essentially means that the Board provides all relevant and transparent information to any party where the organization solicits business, solicits investment, or is inclined to be or involved in transactional business. Effectively, this is the full and honest disclosure rule or as I like to call it, the “tell the truth” principle.
In my next post, I’ll explain how the implications of board duties, structures, etc. play out in real life and how public vs. private (non-profit vs. for-profit) situations compare and contrast.