7 Rules of Board Engagement
By Dottie Schindlinger
For a hospital board to be effective, it must first be engaged. Specifically, board members must actively and productively participate in the work of governing. This is absolutely vital in today’s health care environment, which is full of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Within this setting, boards have a harder job than ever before. When trustee performance expectations are higher and the most desirable board candidates have the least time, engagement is crucial.
But what does true board engagement look like, and how do boards know when they achieve it? Board engagement is part art and part science. Board engagement never ends. Rather, it is a fluid process, but with discrete components and steps. This article offers frameworks and guidance (“7 Rules”) to aid board administrators, executives and directors in their efforts toward the elusive goal of engaging and elevating the effectiveness of hospital boards.