Diagnose
Gain Clarity on
the Issues
An independent take on how your board actually works — board structures, practices, behaviour — and a short list of what to change first.
What You See
The board is busy and there is lots to do, but you’re not sure the right things are happening.
Meetings run long and decisions don’t get made quickly. Board packages are filled with stakeholder reports that are interesting, but you don’t quite know what you’re supposed to do with it. There are sensitivities and certain things don’t get on the agenda. Red flags raised by someone inside or outside the organization.
What we Do
Naming the problem is the first step to solving it.
Most boards are made up of capable, well-intentioned people who want to do right by their organization. What often stands in the way is naming, precisely, where the real problem sits.
A board can feel that something is off long before anyone can describe what it is. And even when that sense is shared around the table, putting the actual question forward can feel like the harder, riskier move.
We see this pattern often, and believe it usually points to a structural or underlying issue — one creating symptoms that everyone feels and no one names. Naming it is usually the first real step forward.
EXAMPLES
Diagnose,
in practice
Diagnostic activities take many forms: from reviewing records, gathering board and stakeholder input, to crunching numbers, comparing to external benchmarks, and analyzing outcomes
1)
A governance review for a national professional credentialling body under increasing external pressure.
2)
A governance review performed on an insurance company whose long-tenured directors played an operating role for the business.
3)
An organizational and financial review for a private college at risk of losing its license.
4)
A policy review for a national registered charity on its training operations and network of leaders.
5)
A review of CEO succession plans and processes for an employee-owned engineering firm.
Some examples of our work
These project descriptions are intended to give you an idea of how we work – no confidential information is ever disclosed.
Diagnose - Non-profit organization, licensed and funded by government
Governance, Organizational and Financial Review
A comprehensive review of an organization licensed to deliver social services and funded by the province. Allegations against a senior leader had brought long-standing tensions about governance and operational effectiveness, to a critical moment.