Boards examples of organizational assessments have a crucial responsibility to ensure that their organizations flourish. They have the legal obligation to protect and improve their organizations (as established by those who give them the status of a charter or tax exempt status). A board’s ineffective performance can damage the image of an organisation and cost them money. It is often due to a lack of clarity around the duties and responsibilities of the executive team and board.
Ineffectiveness issues for a board often arise due to an absence of clarity regarding the quantity and type of assessment the board should conduct. It could be because the board does not have internal structures for gathering and reporting data on performance or is not sure what it wants to observe in its assessments. It can also occur because the board doesn’t understand the importance of including specific behavioural elements when assessing the performance of employees.
Some boards get too involved in operational details and taking decisions that should to be made by the management. This is often the case due to an absence of clear communication between the executive team and board members, or when the root philosophical differences about the role of a board are not addressed in a direct manner.
The inability of a board to meet its performance assessment responsibility could be a sign that it has lost focus on its mission. Several different reasons for this are at play, including dysfunctional group dynamics that inhibit collective decision-making and debate in the absence of effective communication, as well as the absence of a strategic plan.