Helping the Decision-Impaired Board 

Is your board decision-impaired? You may recognize the symptoms:

• A sense that the board is spinning its wheels and rehashing old issues.

• A lot of heated discussion based on few facts but lots of opinions.

• A long and protracted discussion that ends when the board realizes it has lost track of the original topic.

• The frequent introduction of  “wildcard” issues which were not originally on the agenda.

• An inability to explain to members why the board made a certain decision.

• A decision is ostensibly agreed to by the entire board but in reality not supported by every board member.

• A nagging feeling that decisions, when they are finally made, do not represent the best thinking of the board.

Is it possible for the decision-impaired board to improve?  Take heart for the answer is yes. First, a little perspective on how to improve board performance. An article in the May issue of Association Management magazine entitled, “A Representative Sampling” (by Katherine Mandusic Finley, CAE) cites a study on the effectiveness of board training. The good news is that those boards employing developmental training improved their performance significantly and the competencies targeted for attention showed the most improvement.

With that in mind, let’s look at how to target a board’s competency in decision-making:  

Step 1 – Self-Assessment: 

In order to improve, the board will first need a framework for understanding its overall strengths and weaknesses in group decision-making. It needs to answer three basic questions:

• How do individuals in the group prefer to make decisions, process information and set priorities?  What are respective strengths and weaknesses of the individuals in the group?

• In what ways do these differences in individual styles lead to either to conflict or harmony among the board.

• What is the group’s overall strengths and weaknesses? Is there a balance of different decision-making styles or is the group top-heavy in one area but not another?

What is the best way to assess the board?  There are a number of assessment tools you can such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) tests.  Recently, I have had success using a new tool called the Leadership Spectrum Profile® (http://www.leadershipspectrum.com). The profile identifies six types of priorities a person is likely to favor and how that priority influences his or her decision-making process: 

Here is an example of how a decision-impaired board made use of the Leadership Spectrum profile:

We found that all the board members were challengers or inventors.  From the standpoint of developing strategy, this was a definite plus, as the association needed to position itself for future. Its survival was in jeopardy due to financial difficulties and there was almost desperate need for need ideas to generate revenue.

From an operational standpoint, however, the board was very weak and this was reflected in its chronic inability to make timely and sound decisions. The board learned it had no individuals who were strong as developers or performers. As a consequence, the board paid little attention was paid to metrics for or processes to improve its performance. With this realization, it became clear why decisions were hard to come by for this group. The board’s response was to say, “Okay, when it comes to issues of performance and board development, we have to slow down, take the time to ask the types of questions a developer or performer might ask. In that way we can compensate for our weaknesses in those areas.”

To recap, using the Leadership Spectrum Profile (or another assessment tool) should provide a framework so the board understands how to:

• Balance strategic and operational decisions

• Lead and implement change

• Develop credible and constructive communication practices

• Manage conflict and facilitate creative problem solving

Step Two – Establish Guidelines for Effective Decision Making:

Once a board understands its strengths and weaknesses in decision-making, it needs a practical set of guidelines and processes to help it move forward. By asking the following set of questions, which represents the steps to sound decision-making, a board can establish its own set of guidelines that will lead to improved performance:

© 2004 Ronin Marketing

Step Three – Practice!

It is not sufficient to ask the Board to read an article or provide a 15 minute presentation on decision-making skills. This rarely makes any difference in board performance. The fastest, most effective path to improved decision-making is hands-on training. In other words, the Board should set aside time so it can practice – go through the process of applying specific skills and guidelines so they understand the practical applications and benefits. I have seen Boards, as a result of a day of practice, make dramatic improvements.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate a point made at the beginning of this article: Those boards employing developmental training improved their performance significantly and the competencies targeted for attention showed the most improvement. If you want to improve the decision-making capabilities of your board, you need to invest the time for skills training and hands-on practice.    

Allen Liff is the founder of Ronin Marketing located in Washington, DC.  Phone: 202-232-1121.