Board Self-Assessment is among the most important leadership practices that well-performing nonprofit boards employ to ensure that they have a long-term, effective governance. It requires the board to step back from their day-to-day activities and examine its effectiveness. This allows the board members to address issues that might otherwise cause frustration and conflict.
There are many ways to conduct a self-assessment of your board including interviews and surveys to facilitation-based discussions. The best approach depends on the size of the board, the available resources and the amount you wish to go into the assessment.
When you choose the method be sure to establish the objectives of the evaluation. Do you wish to improve accountability or improve governance? Or match governance with organizational objectives? Once you have decided you can choose an evaluation tool.
Some tools let you compare your results with other hospitals or health systems some are focused exclusively on the governance practices of your company. It is important to ensure that the tools you select aren’t biased and don’t single out directors. This will create a space where honest feedback can be given.
Many boards also employ peer Virtual Data Room review processes that allows board members to review their fellow directors. This can be an extremely useful and efficient process, but it is crucial that the process remains secret. Some directors may be hesitant to criticize an individual director for fear of repercussions. In this instance it’s generally better to have the facilitator look over all the responses and decide which insights are pertinent to share with the board.