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bthooper's review against another edition
3.0
A good introduction to current thinking about what non-profit boards should do - and how they should do it. If you serve on a non-profit, this book will help you understand your role as a board member in order to maximize your effectiveness as you work to lead your organization.
halkid2's review against another edition
4.0
Here is a readable introduction to successful non-profit governance, arguing skillfully in favor of the value of three different types of board work: fiduciary, strategic, and generative. The authors tells us that two many boards focus on the first, some on the first two, but very few on all three. And that is to the DISadvantage of the organization.
Ideal governance occurs when executives and trustees collaborate together to identify underlying organizational issues and jointly figure out solutions. It's not exactly a page-turner but, as someone interested in creating a well-functioning non-profit board, I found it full of helpful explanations, ideas and some practical how-tos.
Ideal governance occurs when executives and trustees collaborate together to identify underlying organizational issues and jointly figure out solutions. It's not exactly a page-turner but, as someone interested in creating a well-functioning non-profit board, I found it full of helpful explanations, ideas and some practical how-tos.
lisabage's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
5.0
I've been searching for some practical examples of how a board can behave more strategically. This definitely fits that bill. The authors describe how three different modes of behavior, thought, and agendas should be the flexible skill set of a good board. First is the fiduciary role that most boards now fulfill to a large extent. Second is the strategic side, and third is something they call "generative" but I've heard discussed more often as "sense-making". While the subtitle notes "nonprofit boards", I found the examples pretty well balance and the advice as applicable to for-profits as nonprofits.
p. 133
p. 133
boards should not mistake a high level of comfort with a high level of performance
This chapter discusses when to use generative, how to use it, and some great examples. Notes that often the board is brought in after the fuzzy front end, when decisions are already made and in progress. If the board instead is brought in on the problem, they can help with the problem, generating more interesting work for them and more value-driven benefit to the organization.
p. 97 (Generative governance)
features ambiguous or problematic situations rather than reports and routing motions. Instead of winning the board's confidence by masking all ambiguities and executive can earn the board's trust by exposing the ambiguities and then grappling together to make sense of the situation.
p. 70 (strategic governance)
Committees must mirror the organization's strategic imperatives, not the administration's org chart.
Exhibit 4.2 shows examples, like technology, marketing, staff development...
p. 49
Type I [fiduciary] governance is essential, but the Type I board is problematic.
adds value primarily to the technical core of the organization, not to the core purposes of the organization.
tedious and monotonous. Trustees become bored spectators at a dull event.
p. 34
financial discipline, informed oversight, mission fidelity, and primacy of organizational interest are recognized in the last as the board's duties of loyalty and care.
p. 21
a board can create legitimacy for an organization.
similarly, the board provides managers sense-making opportunities simply by meeting.
p. 19: Oversight is more looking than finding
banana_hutch's review against another edition
3.0
As textbooks go, this one was engaging and easy to follow. The authors articulate their points very well, and this book is great for the up-and-coming nonprofit leader.
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