Creating effective relations between the board and the team

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Effective relations between the board and the staff and/or volunteers are essential. It's an area that is easy to get wrong. The board needs to strike a balance between meddling in matters best left to staff and being too distant to properly understand the organisation's affairs. The right balance is likely to be dynamic, changing over time, so it’s important to check regularly you have shared understanding of what your roles are and that relationships are working well.

You can help ensure effective relationships by:

• being clear about the respective roles of board and staff
• paying attention to communicating effectively
• investing time and effort in the chair CEO relationship.

Be clear about the respective roles of the board and the executive team

The board needs to be clear about what authority it has  delegated to the chief executive for example regarding expenditure limits, recruitment of staff. The board should be clear about which matters it reserves for itself. Once you have agreed your roles be respectful of the boundaries.

It is particularly important not to undermine the authority of the chief executive by making inappropriate requests of staff. Particular care is needed if trustees are working with staff members on a task group. It's a good idea to agree groundrules for board members who are contacting staff other than the chief executive.

Pay attention to communicating effectively

The chair and CEO are key gatekeepers of information. The chair needs to consider how to keep in touch with trustees between board meetings. What do they need to know and what is the best way to share that information? Some boards choose to have trustee only time prior to the start of the formal board meeting - this gives time for informal catch up. It also creates space should sensitive issues need to be discussed, for example, issues affecting the performance of the chair or CEO.

It’s also worth considering how the board relates to the executive team. Do the executive team attend board meetings?  Do they attend for the whole meeting or only for items on which they may be speaking? Do they get an opportunity to express their views?
It’s easy for a board to feel remote from the staff so it’s worth taking time to think about how to communicate.

In what circumstances do you want the board to communicate with the whole staff team?  What part does the board play in celebrating success?  Do the board ever socialise with staff? Are there opportunities for the board to hear staff views? You might like to consider including a presentation from a staff team as a regular part of your board agenda. You can hold an annual awayday for staff and trustees. You might want the chair to write to staff from time to time.

Make sure you take the advice of the CEO and any communication specialists you may have in the organisation to find the most appropriate ways for your circumstances. For example if the organisation is going through significant change especially if job roles are being restructured, it’s very important to communicate clearly and consistently.

Invest time and effort in the chair-CEO relationship

The  chair and chief executive together lead the organisation, therefore establishing an effective working relationship is very important. A dysfunctional relationship can disrupt the whole organisation and distract effort and energy, whilst  a successful relationship helps create the environment for the whole organisation to develop.

You can help ensure effective relationships by:

• being clear about roles
• communicating effectively
• providing feedback and support.

Being clear about roles

Difficulties between CEOs and chairs can occur because of a lack of shared understanding about their respective roles. Agreement on what it is and is not reasonable to expect of each other helps build an effective working partnership. It is important to have clear job descriptions and person specifications, and a written delegation policy. It can also be very helpful to conduct a role analysis. List key decisions the organisation will need to make over the coming months and discuss and clarify your respective roles, for example:

• Who is doing what on the strategic planning?
• What are your respective roles at the annual awayday
• Who is doing what on the board development review?
• Are there occasions when the Chair will need to represent the organisation externally e.g. speaking at a conference?

Whatever rules you make for yourselves remember to be flexible and be ready to  re-negotiate as circumstances change.

Communication

Clear effective communication builds trust and reduces misunderstanding. The chair and CEO should work together to agree what works best for them.  It helps to create opportunities for informal interaction, as well as formal time such as regular supervision sessions.

Feedback and support

It’s important that the chief executive’s work is appraised, and feedback given on what is going well and where there may be areas for improvement. This is an ideal opportunity to discuss development needs. The leadership role is demanding and sometimes a lonely one so it may be appropriate for your CEO to get support from peers, or from others such as a mentor or coach. External support can be particularly helpful if the chair and CEO are encountering difficulties in their relationship. The board should also ensure that the CEO is appropriately recognised and rewarded for their work.

Useful links

• Appraising the chief executive an essential guide to performance review 2002 ACEVO. This guide discusses different approaches to CEO appraisal and includes some case study examples.
• Good governance the Chair’s Role by Dorothy Dalton 2006 NCVO. This authoritative guide includes discussion of the chair/CEO role and provides guidance on conducting a role analysis.
• A polished performance: findings from NCVO’s leadership programme for Chief Executives and Chairs by Tesse Akpeki 2004 NCVO. This report looks at the perspectives of chairs and CEOs on their roles and organisational challenges. It provides a useful insight into the differences in outlook, depending on the role.

Have your say

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