Florida A&M University

Board of Trustees RetreatMay 4, 2014

Carol Cartwright, Ph.D.

Alvin Schexnider, Ph.D.

Senior Consultants

Getting Started

Introductions

Agenda

Goals

Context

National Issues and Trends

Issues Specific to HBCUs

What is Culture?*

“A culture is a system of beliefs and actions that characterize a particular group. Culture is the unique whole—the shared ideas, customs, assumptions, expectations, philosophy, traditions, mores, and values—that determine how a group of people will behave.”

*from “Leading Change” by James O’Toole, 1995

Culture Matters*

The cultural dimension is central to organizational life.

Even if it is not explicit, it matters.

*from “Understanding Organizational Culture” (2nd ed.) By Mats Alvesson, 2013.

Do Shared Values Make a Difference?*

“Leaders need to understand explicitly what they stand for, because values provide a prism through which all behavior is ultimately viewed.

The leader’s values serve as the standards for others about what is important in the organization.”

*from “The Leadership Challenge: How to Get Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, 1987.

Values are important Because*

They form the bedrock of an organization’s culture.

*From Kouzes and Posner

Shared Values*

● foster strong feelings of personal effectiveness

● promote high levels of loyalty

● facilitate consensus about key goals

● encourage ethical behavior

● reduce levels of stress and tension

*from Kouzes and Posner

Common Characteristics of Effective Value Systems*

● clarity: know what the organization stands for

● consensus: understand the values, share and

agree with them

● intensity: feel strongly about the worthiness of

the values

*from Kouzes and Posner

Go Deep*

Significant beliefs are often under the surface. It is important to identify values, beliefs and priorities at all levels of the organization because they are the framework that determines performance.

*adapted from www.culturalresearch.com

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Changing Board Culture

Purpose of Identifying Beliefs*

Beliefs Create Decisions

Decisions Create Actions

Actions Create Results

*from www.culturalresearch.com

Broad View of Culture*

Culture is

● shared world of experiences, meanings, values

and understandings

● which inform people

AND

● lead to concrete actions

*adapted from Alvesson

Summary

How people THINK, FEEL, ACT, VALUE

Is guided by IDEAS, MEANINGS, BELIEFS

That are SHARED

Summary

SHARED Ideas

Beliefs

Meanings

LEAD TO

Coordinated Actions

Which Lead to Results

Defining the Culture of Your Board

What are the characteristics of your Board culture?

How do you know? What observable behaviors define the Board culture?

What resources do you have to achieve your ideal Board culture?

What strengths, talents, and networks do you have?

Public Trusteeship – Core Principles

• Respect the public trust.

• Ensure that public purposes of higher education are served.

• Be advocates for the value of public higher education.

• Reflect the best interests of the university even when there are competing forces.

• Engage in vigorous debate but speak publicly with one voice.

Effective Governing Boards*

Mission• Ensure that the institution’s mission is kept current and aligned with public purposes.

Chief Executive

• Select a chief executive to lead the institution.

• Support and periodically assess the performance of the chief executive and establish and review the executive’s compensation.

*From “Effective Governing Boards: A Guide for Members of Governing Boards of Public Colleges, Universities and Systems.” AGB, 2010

Effective Governing Boards (continued)

Strategic Planning

• Charge the chief executive to lead a strategic planning process and participate in the process.

• Approve the strategic plan.

• Monitor progress on implementing the plan.

Effective Governing Boards (continued)

Fiscal Integrity

• Ensure the institution’s fiscal integrity.

• Preserve and protect assets.

• Engage in fundraising and philanthropy.

Education Quality

• Ensure the educational quality of the institution and its academic programs.

Effective Governing Boards (continued)

Autonomy, Policies and Constituencies

• Preserve and protect institutional autonomy, academic freedom and the purposes of higher education.

• Ensure that institutional policies and processes are current and properly implemented.

• Working with senior administrators, engage with the institution’s major constituencies.

Effective Governing Boards (continued)

Conduct of the Board

• Conduct the board’s business in an exemplary fashion and with appropriate transparency, adhering to the highest ethical standards and complying with applicable open-meeting and public records laws.

• Ensure the currency of board governance policies and practices.

• Periodically assess the performance of the board, its committees and its members.

BOARD PERFORMANCE

Board and institutional performance are closely related.

Boards have major impact-positive or negative

Reputation Counts in Higher Education

Donors

Recruiting Faculty & Best Students

State Funding

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BOARD PERFORMANCE

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Boards have reputations of their own

mostly based on how they conduct

board business and themselves

Internal constituencies

External constituencies

Board meetings should be models

of good governance

Board Leadership Board Performance

Boards Must be Self Regulating

A president cannot police the board

Challenge: Governance is a team sport

but boards are mostly composed of

quarterbacks

A Team of Equals

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An Effective Board• Understands and respects the

difference between governing

and managing.

• Balances advocacy and

oversight

• In spite of differing views,

speaks with one voice

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• Observes the highest ethical

standards–no conflict of interest

• Balances the institution’s

interests with state needs

• Listens to all constituencies

without giving any veto power

An Effective Board

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• Monitors to ensure the quality of

the educational experience for

students

• Is committed to due process and

academic freedom for students and

faculty

An Effective Board

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An Effective Board

• Pursues board education

Is informed of national trends in

higher education; state and

regional needs

• Makes decisions that are data

driven

• Regularly assesses its own performance

and its governance capacity

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Board Process and

Organization

Committees, Meetings

and Agendas

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EFFECTIVE BOARD

MEETINGS

Key Issues

• Too many or not enough

• Too long or too short

• Stimulating and engaging,

or dull and non-participatory

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EFFECTIVE BOARD

MEETINGS

• Satisfied board members who feel

their time is well spent and their

contribution well used, make up more

effective boards.

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EFFECTIVE MEETINGS:

SOME SUGGESTIONS

• Put important policy matters at the

beginning of the agenda.

• Consider a consent agenda for

routine matters.

• Occasionally include an item for

discussion only, which anticipates

a future challenge.

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• Have a yearly or biennial board

workshop where members can

critique meeting processes and

board arrangements and consider

trying on new practices.

EFFECTIVE MEETINGS:

SOME SUGGESTIONS

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Board Organization and

Process: Best Practices

• Ensure board time is efficiently

utilized

Agendas avoid management detail and focus on policy

Utilization of consent agendas where appropriate

Effective boards have effective committees

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THE DISTINCTIVE

REALITIES OF

PUBLIC TRUSTEES

• Their institutions are owned by the state

and are responsible to the state.

• Politics are often involved.

• Access is a mission priority.

High-Performing Boards

• Engaged and informed – understand and respect differences between governing and managing.

• Support presidential leadership – build a partnership around distinct roles of board and president.

• Balance oversight and advocacy – serve as ambassadors of the university and public higher education while ensuring institutional accountability.

High-Performing Boards (continued)

• Opportunities for meaningful deliberation.

• Forward looking and strategic.

• Understand value of informal and formal communication.

• Observe the highest ethical standards and avoid conflict of interest.

• Engage in robust debate and speak with one voice once decisions are made.

• Engage with important constituencies but reserve the authority for decisions.

Board Oversight and Delegation: Where is the Balance?

“While they cannot delegate their ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the academic quality and fiscal integrity of the institution, boards depend upon the president for institutional leadership, vision, and strategic planning, and they delegate to the president abundant authority to manage the operations of the institution. . . .A board must clearly convey the responsibilities it expects the president to fulfill and hold the president accountable, but it also must establish conditions that generate success for the president.”

From: “Board Responsibility for Institutional Governance” AGB, 2010.

Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities

• What belongs to the board?

• What belongs to the president?

• What belongs to the faculty?

“Clarity does not preclude overlapping areas of responsibility, but each group should understand whether its purview as well as that of others in the governance process is determinative, consultative, or informational.”

From: “Board Responsibility for Institutional Governance” AGB, 2010.

The Board-President Partnership

• Requires clear expectations.

• Based on shared vision.

• Mutual agreements about plans and priorities.

• Understand the roles of key stakeholders.

• Climate of trust and candor.

Components of Integral Leadership

• Strategic engagement of the board.

• Successful leadership of fully empowered president.

• Clear lines of responsibility, excellent communications, and shared commitment to mission by all university constituencies.

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BEST PRACTICE:

COLLEGIALITY

Willingness to listen to and understand

another’s point of view

Not the same as compromise or consensus

Spirited debate is good and healthy.

Central to the notion of deliberative

democracy is that everyone gets a chance

to be heard.

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THOUGHTS ON

COLLEGIALITY

Civil disagreements among board members are expected and healthy.

Collective thinking is smarter than individual opinions.

Respect the right of others to disagree.

Avoid impugning the motives or integrity of others with whom one disagrees.

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FURTHER THOUGHTS:

COLLEGIALITY

Willingness to live by majority rule

Willingness to let go of bad

feelings about past decisions

Civility and collegiality enhance the

board’s stature and influence.

The Role of the Board Chair

Job Description…• Serve as liaison between Board and President.

• Set agenda with President and Executive Committee.

• Turn Board goals into action plans.

• Lead orientation for new members.

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• Plan Board retreats and education.

• Lead in evaluating and setting compensation for the President.

• Attend meetings and events for the institution.

• Keep Board on policy and not management.

(Adapted from James Orlikoff’s “A Board as Good as It’s Chair”)

Job Description…

(continued)

Leadership

Strategies for

Board Chairs

“Governance is a Team Sport”Rick Legon, AGB President and CEO

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Before taking office confer with your

board colleagues on their priorities.

Ask the President’s view as well.

Poll the board members for their

committee preferences.

Board Chair Strategies

Board Chair Strategies

Understand how the Board works:

Policies

Procedures

By-laws

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Board Chair Strategies

Harness Board member talents and

interests.

Expose the Board to students when

possible.

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Board Chair Strategies

Share the credit.

Acknowledge the good work of the

president, staff and faculty when appropriate.

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Board Chair Strategies

Strive for Transparency

Mistrust abounds if legislators, alumni,

faculty, students, and taxpayers feel they

are out of the loop.

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Board Chair Strategies

Select the Right President

Insist on a Strategic Vision

Set Goals and Assess Performance

Develop Future Board Leaders

Embrace Board Education

Make Trusteeship Enjoyable

(Adapted from EB Wilson’s “It All Boils Down To This”)

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BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE BOARD

COMMITMENTS

• Commit to the Public Trust

• Seek First to Understand

• Attend and Engage

• Maintain Confidentiality

• Avoid Conflict of Interest

• Be Objective and Fair

• Avoid Personal Comments

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COMMITMENTS

• Respect the Final Decision

• Chair and President as Spokespersons

• Build Strong Relationships

• Seek Views of Others and Accept Criticism

• Trust Other Board Members and

Be Worthy of Their Trust

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TRUSTEESHIP… An art worth cultivating.

Thank you!

Alvin and Carol

Thanks also to Tom Meredith and Carolyn Long for permission to adapt some of their slides.