Board Effectiveness Review

An effective board with high performing directors is crucial to an organisation's longevity and success.   

Using our extensive knowledge of co‑operative governance best practice, we provide comprehensive, expert Board Effectiveness Reviews to support boards to be the very best they can be.  

Conducted by our senior governance expert Zena King, a Board Effectiveness Review will give your Board confidence in its performance through an understanding of: 

• The effectiveness of its operations and decision making.
• Its areas of excellence and areas that need development to enhance performance.
• What you can do to improve or develop performance and board dynamics. 

How we conduct a Board Effectiveness Review 

Phase 1 – Diagnostics 
We begin with an initial scoping session with your Board Secretary to understand the need for the review and agree the evaluation criteria, processes and time scales. Based on this, we prepare an online questionnaire for your Board – and can also deliver an introductory session to them so they understand the process.  

Phase 2 – Delivery  
We issue the questionnaire to Board members, answer queries, monitor completion and chase outstanding responses. We can also offer optional telephone interviews with Board members, a review of Board papers and attend a Board meeting to observe boardroom dynamics. 

Phase 3 – Reporting 
After analysing the responses to the questionnaire and any optional extra activities, we produce a report for the Board Secretary, providing recommendations for improvement and/or development. We can also present our findings at a Board meeting, which can encourage the board to collaboratively agree a set of prioritised objectives/actions. 

Follow-up 
We encourage all members to keep focus on their governance journey and the small ongoing steps of continuous improvement. To support your organisation with this, we can schedule in a progress visit 6-12 months after the presentation of our findings.  

Testimonial – The Arcade Dewsbury

The Arcade Dewsbury was set up to manage the UK’s first community run shopping centre. To establish solid foundations prior to opening, they undertook a Board Effectiveness Review which produced 25 key recommendations.  

“It was a welcome knock into shape,” said Board Secretary and Development Director Chris Hill. “I knew there were loads of things I wasn’t doing. It was good to have it pointed out that it had to be done.”

To discuss booking a Board Effectiveness Review, email [email protected].