governance as leadership reframing the work of nonprofit boards

[...]... member of the Board of Directors of BoardSource and a trustee and member of the executive committee of the governing board of Wheaton College (MA) He was previously a trustee of Goucher College (MD) and Maryville College (TN) Chait has served as a consultant to the boards and executives of more than a hundred nonprofit organizations, particularly in education and the arts In 2004, he was named one of Harvard... constitute the second part, describe the three modes of governance which, taken together, constitute governance as leadership The first two of these four chapters cast familiar scenery in a new light as we discuss the fiduciary and strategic modes of governing The next two place the generative mode, a less familiar concept of trusteeship, at center stage In the final section of the book, we shift from ideas... to do so, the way 1 2 GOVERNANCE AS LEADERSHIP we worked and the sense we made of governance echo the leitmotif of this book The four principles summarized here distill recurrent themes and foreshadow arguments amplified in other chapters To return to the analogy of the Broadway musical, these synopses are a medley, not the score principle one: nonprofit managers have become leaders Nonprofit managers... 5 introduces the concept of generative work work that provides a new sense of the problems and opportunities at hand We discuss the power of generative work and three processes by which to do it The chapter makes the case that generative work, usually subsumed under the rubric of leadership, actually constitutes the essence of trusteeship work best performed by the board in concert with the CEO Chapter... become leaders, and leadership has enveloped core elements of governance, then a profound question arises: What have been 4 GOVERNANCE AS LEADERSHIP the consequences to boards as the most powerful levers of governing have migrated to the portfolio and purview of leaders? principle two: trustees are acting more like managers While nonprofit managers have gravitated toward the role of leadership, trustees... acknowledges the importance of governance, at least in theory.What is less clear is whether and how to make xv xvi PREFACE governing boards important in practice BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) has been at the forefront of these issues with a particular emphasis on feasible, valuable steps that trustees and CEOs can take to improve institutional governance. We were invited by BoardSource... President of BoardSource, there would have been no Governance Futures Project and no book entitled Governance as Leadership Judy recognized the need to infuse nonprofit governance with new concepts She assembled the project team, acquired the necessary resources, and offered invaluable advice and constant encouragement We were the beneficiaries of wise counsel from others as well, especially the Project... competing concepts of governance. While the concept of leadership has been illuminated, the concept of trusteeship has remained comparatively dim Given the very different epistemologies of leadership (and, by extension, organizations) on the one hand, and governance on the other hand, one might never guess that both stem from the same conceptual headwaters Leadership theory runs swift and deep, the river banks... (Oryx Press, 1993) She has also published numerous papers, book chapters, and case studies concerning governance, strategic planning, and institutional financial condition, including the Harvard Business Review articles,“Charting the Territory of Nonprofit Boards and The New Work of the Nonprofit Board.” She has consulted with more than 100 nonprofit organizations on issues of governance, board-CEO... significant measure of influence over the most potent facets of governance (for example, mission, values, beliefs, culture, agendas) However, the formulation of governance as leadership provides a more affirmative and constructive approach that expands the pie, provides more occasions and levers for leadership, and enhances the trustees’ value to the organization Just as significantly, governance as leadership . financial condition, including the Harvard Business Review articles,“Charting the Territory of Nonprofit Boards and The New Work of the Nonprofit Board.” She has consulted with more than 100 non- profit organizations. Review, The New Work of Nonprofit Boards (September/October, 1996) and “Charting the Territory of Nonprofit Boards (January/February, 1989). Chait also conducts research on faculty work life. xv governing boards important in practice. BoardSource (formerly the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) has been at the forefront of these issues with a particular emphasis on feasible, valuable