Resource Library

Board EvaluationAvoiding Groupthink in the BoardroomStriving for excellence in board self-assessmentBy Barbara Lorsbach"The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic,” management scholar Peter Drucker wrote in 1980.

Using an effective, well-developed board self-assessment process can enhance governance performance.

These documents are based on CHP’s core values, the CHP board’s roles and responsibilities, and the expectations established for CHP’s board members. They may or may not fit other boards’ situations. Each board should adopt its own individual competencies and evaluation instrument. Reviewing others’ efforts is a helpful reference point, but no sample should be used without modification.

Board self‐evaluation is an important process. Surveys by The Governance Institute have shown that making self‐assessment a board priority is associated with high performing boards. Yet, amidst seemingly more important board business, it’s easy for self‐assessment to become a rote exercise.

While most organizations conduct annual board self-assessments, it seems that few boards actually use the results of those assessments to develop specific plans for improvement. According to PriceWaterhouseCooper’s 2017 Annual Corporate Directors Survey, board members’ dissatisfaction with their fellow trustees has reached an all-time high.

As the drumbeat of attention to governance effectiveness intensifies, the evaluation of individual directors is off-limits no more. Indeed, the New York Stock Exchange, Business Roundtable and National Association of Corporate Directors all recommend that corporate boards institute individual director assessment.

As health care organizations become more complex and diverse, their governance requires individuals with a range of knowledge, skills and behaviors that can address the needs and challenges of these evolving enterprises.

The dashboard or “balanced scorecard” has become a staple of effective governance. Charts and numerical data provide a comprehensive picture of organizational performance. Here are some questions to assess whether your board’s dashboard is as good as it could be.

Regular board self-evaluation is integral to effective governance. Use the questions in the attachment to assess whether your board is getting maximum mileage from its self-evaluation process.

When trustees are appointed to the board of Manatee Memorial Hospital, they have a steep learning curve as they settle into this new role. Providing an orientation program and performing frequent performance evaluations help to ensure that trustees receive the training, resources and ongoing support they need to serve the organization.

Given the nature and challenges of small, elected boards, choosing to look inward and improve governance is no easy decision.

The role of a health care organization trustee is getting more complicated and more sophisticated every day. Pressures are increasing simultaneously for higher quality, lower cost, more transparency and accountability, and use of evolving and ever-more-expensive technology.

The role of a health care organization trustee gets more complicated and more sophisticated every day. Pressures are increasing simultaneously for higher quality, lower cost, more transparency and accountability, and use of evolving and evermore expensive technology.

This resource is intended to be an example that boards should adapt to meet their individual needs.

The following is intended to be an example that boards should adapt to meet their individual needs.

A board committed to continuous improvement realizes that the value of assessing its performance goes beyond meeting Joint Commission or other external requirements. It knows that regular self-evaluation gives it the information needed to understand and build on its strengths and identify and minimize its weaknesses.

The attached resource is intended to be an example that boards should adapt to meet their individual needs.