What policy governence means to me as a DEC member

For those who have been following the President's Blog for some time you know that the DEC board has been undergoing a transformation. We have been moving to a new model of governance that focuses on actual governance rather than the multiple roles the board has previously taken on (see below).

So why the transformation? What does it mean to be a governing board? What were we if not a governing board?

According to Wikipedia (the source of all reliable knowledge - ) - "governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, processes and decision-rights for a given area of responsibility..."

As a point of comparison - here are descriptions of five different types of boards:

Five Ways to Function (Taken from Galvin, J. C. (December - 2003). The Great board debate. Christian Management Report.)

• Working boards not only do the work of the board, but also do the work of the CEO and volunteers. You will see this way of functioning most clearly with very small organizations or new start-ups. For example, you probably know of a group of people that got together and said, "Somebody ought to do something about this." So they started an organization and formed a working committee or board to coordinate the effort. A working board may or may not have staff or a paid director. In their informal board meetings, they do the work of the organization as well as manage the work.

• Managing boards have staff with an executive director or CEO. They have formal board meetings and hear reports and actively manage the organization. They make all the big decisions, set the budget, take responsibility for fund raising, and step in whenever problems arise. They like to keep their hands on the wheel. You can find managing boards in organizations of all sizes.

• Governing boards hire an executive director or CEO and delegate responsibility to her. They make a sharp distinction between staff work and board work and spend all of their energies on board work. They use policies as a highly-leveraged tool to shape the organization and help it move forward. They try to stay away from operational decisions and do not micromanage the CEO. These boards follow the Carver model or have been highly influenced by it.

• Ratifying boards essentially follow the lead of the CEO. The CEO will usually establish the agenda, develop policies to be adopted, and even select future board members. The board essentially functions as a rubber stamp. At times they may disagree or have questions, but they are basically hearing reports and reacting to agenda items the CEO brings before them. Ratifying boards sometimes look like governing boards except that they are not truly leading the organization or providing real accountability.

• Failing boards are characterized by arguments, strife, disharmony, and lack of effectiveness. This is sometimes accompanied with financial turmoil. Often the world is changing and these boards don't know how to transition their organization or adapt their ministry. A ratifying board can slowly ease into failing mode over a period of years. A managing board can quickly turn into a failing board if their decisions and actions backfire.

Basically, the first two boards are involved in a lot of the “doing” of the organization; the last two are really not “doing” anything. Governing boards “do” the work of the board, not the work of the Executive Office.

So to me, when I first joined the board, I was disappointed to find myself on what I now understand to be a working board, maybe even a managing board. In other words, I found myself spending time approving budgets, creating and implementing strategic plans, and helping engage in a series of day to day activities (e.g., writing position papers, helping with webinars, hosting a conference).

Basically, the DEC board was operating under a more traditional model where boards "developed their relationships largely inside the organization—that is, with staff. Policy Governance demands that boards' primary relationships be outside the organization—that is, with owners."

- Carver, J., (2001). Carver’s Policy Governance Model in Non-profit Organizations. The Canadian Journal Gouvernance – Revue internationale, 2, 30-48.

Over time, we realized board members were spending considerable time micromanaging the day to day operations of DEC, which is the responsibility of the Executive Director (ED), and much less time developing a relationship with our members to create the vision of DEC through policies, in other words, to govern. 

Now, the main purpose of the DEC board is to govern - and specifically to govern in a manner that is a downward extension of membership rather than an upward extension of management.

The role of the transformed DEC board is to

• Provide Leadership: Direct and protect the vision of DEC on behalf of owners/members
• Serve as a Steward: Ensure long term sustainability, monitor and evaluate organizational performance
• Be Accountable: Transparency, proactive, responsive to owners/members

The job of the transformed DEC board is to:

1)      Link with owners/members to share information and learn from members. This is known as “Ownership Linkages”

2)      Develop and revise policies that identify:

a)      Ends, or what is expected to be achieved, which specifies the results, recipients, and costs of results intended

b)      Executive Limitations, the parameters that limit the Executive Director’s authority about methods, practices, situations, and conduct when achieving those Ends

c)      Board Processes, that prescribe how the board itself will operate

d)     Board-Staff Connections, which delineate the manner in which governance is linked to management.

3)      Assure effective operational performance by analyzing data provided by the Executive Director that evidence to what extent Ends have been achieved within the parameters set forth. This is known as “Monitoring.” 

Currently, the DEC board has created and are already revising policies, and are working on the monitoring. The next step is to begin the process of ownership linkages.

With the realization of these jobs within a governance model, this led to the question of who are DEC's owners?

The figure below illustrates how there are many who have a stake in DEC and benefit from the organization; however, we had to determine who the true owners were.

As noted in a February blog entry, we have come to see DEC's owners as our members and again, as the figure below illustrates, DEC's owners/members pay dues ($), hold an intangible value to being a member (©), and expect something in return from the organization. For many of us, prior to policy governance, we thought the DEC board would make those “somethings” a reality. Perhaps for others, it was believed that the executive office (under the leadership of the ED) would make the “somethings” happen and never were really sure what the board's role was.

Regardless of perspective, it was clear to everyone that a transformation of how the board governed was in order. In other words, how can we make a difference without knowing (a) why we exist as an organization, and (b) what our owners want from the organization? 

Many of us are coming to understand that DEC's exists so that young children with disabilities and other special needs participate as full members of families and communities and benefit from knowledgeable, competent, and informed professionals, families, and policy makers. This has become our main Ends policy that guides the work of the Executive Office. Our next major challenge is to truly understand what our members want from the organization through ownership linkages.

So What Does Policy Governance Mean to Me as a Member?

Members will have many opportunities to learn more about policy governance – through posts on Facebook, the President’s blog, YEC issues, and during the DEC conference. Overall, this transformation to policy governance means DEC members will:

·         Contribute to the vision of DEC and how that vision translates into specific Ends, or outcomes, for DEC to achieve. As stated above, understanding members’ perspectives is a main job of the board – ownership linkages. It is a reciprocal relationship where the board will share information as well as seek input from members. You may be asked for input depending the roles you play as a member of DEC – in subdivisions and/or SIGs, according to your professional perspectives, due to your relationship with other organizations – as well as being a member in general.

·         Continue to serve on various committees to achieve the Ends set forth in DEC policies. While the day to day work of DEC, and subsequently achieving the Ends, is the responsibility of the Executive Director, that does not mean the Executive Director, or the Executive Office, could or should do all the work. In fact, DEC’s new policies charge the Executive Director with “…seek[ing] out and utilize[ing] individuals…who have appropriate/needed expertise to match tasks to accomplish Ends” and “…utiliz[ing] members who have diverse perspectives to match task” (DEC Board Processes 2.12.2 and 2.12.3). DEC members’ knowledge and expertise is a strength of DEC that persists in policy governance in order to achieve its vision.

·         Not see the board members represented on SIGs and committees formed to achieve Ends as board liaisons. While board members can certainly participate on committees, and should be accessed according to individual expertise, the Board does not take on a leadership role within those committees. Board members participate as any other DEC member participates.

·         Respond to data collection requests of the Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for both ensuring that the Ends are achieved and achieved in a way that satisfies the Board and its owners, known as Executive Limitations. This includes responding to members’ concerns, considering members’ suggestions, and utilizing members’ compliments. The Executive Director demonstrates to the Board that she has indeed achieved the Ends within the Executive Limitations by providing specific data evidencing this, known as monitoring. Please take advantage of opportunities to share your concerns, compliments, and ideas with the Executive Director.

And finally, the DEC board is hoping this transformation to policy governance means that DEC members will see a more efficient and effective organization that provides a value added for members and focuses its resources on achieving the Ends our members want to see for young children with disabilities and other special needs, their families, and the professionals that support them.