Board Self-Assessment is a single of the fundamental leadership practices top-performing boards of nonprofits employ to ensure long-term excellence in governance. It requires board members to look back and honestly evaluate their performance. This allows board members to resolve issues that might otherwise cause frustration and conflict.
There are a variety of ways to conduct a self-assessment of a board, from interviews and surveys to facilitated discussions. The best method depends on the size of the board, available resources and the depth you wish to go into the assessment.
Once you decide on the method, be sure you clearly define what you want to accomplish with the assessment. Do you want to enhance accountability, improve governance, or align the governance of your organization with its goals? Once you’ve decided this, you can pick an evaluation tool.
Certain tools allow you to evaluate your results against other health systems or hospitals, while others are focused solely on the governance practices of your company. It is important to ensure that the tools you select are impartial and do not discriminate against directors. This will create a safe environment for honest feedback.
Many boards use a peer-review process, which asks directors to assess each other. This can be a beneficial and productive process, but it is essential that the process stays secret. Some directors may be hesitant to criticize a member of the board for fear of consequences. In this scenario it’s generally better to have the facilitator look over all of the responses and decide what ideas are important to discuss with the board.