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Presenter: Gwen DuBois-Wing Relationships to commercial interests:
Grants/Research Support: None
Speakers Bureau/Honoraria: None
Consulting Fees: None
Other: None
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Highlight findings from my 2016 research which explored what Board Chairs & CEOs/EDs perceive create and sustain a generative mode in the boardroom.
Identify how to optimize generative thinking in the boardroom.
Explore practical approaches to implement the generative
mode in your board and senior leadership dialogue, deliberations and decision making.
Research question: What do Board Chairs and CEOs perceive
as factors that create and sustain a generative mode of governance in a boardroom?
Qualitative, descriptive research.
Built on work of Governance as
Leadership (Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005) and Trower (2013).
4 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
The Board Chairs and CEO/EDs for this study were individuals who: Led a healthcare board located within Ontario;
Demonstrated constructive stakeholder relationships and/or are
working to actively engage with their internal and external community;
Maintained a constructive Board/CEO relationship as assessed by key governance leaders, experts or consultants;
Provided leadership to a board that demonstrates leading governance practices;
Provided leadership to a board identified as being stable to higher performing, as assessed by key governance leaders, experts or consultants.
15 Board Chairs and 15 CEOs/EDs 30 interviews
9 hospital Board Chairs and CEOs
4 CHC Board Chairs and CEOs/EDs
2 CCAC Board Chairs and CEOs
(Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005)
7
Micro-managing. Meddling. Questioning every issue or
recommendation. Procrastinating. Indecision. Shifting inquiry to an extreme,
unproductive level.
8 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Creating & Sustaining a Generative Mode in the Boardroom
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Harm reduction; safe injection sites Mergers with/taking on other
organizations Integration Back office integration Capital planning; redevelopment;
facilities planning Electronic health record Sustainability – funding, etc. Assisted suicide System leadership on some projects:
Health Links Assisting with system challenges Thinking of issues with a new lens –
“What’s possible?” 10 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Board/CEO Relationship
Culture of Inquiry
Board Engagement
Expertise/ Skills
Time
Leadership
Generative Mode
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Commitment to excellence. “Best board I have been on.” Healthcare governance:
View through Complex Adaptive System lens.
Challenge of understanding healthcare system.
Focus on broader healthcare system.
Being part of solution.
12 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Complex adaptive systems perspective: What is our piece in the puzzle of
person/client/patient centredness?
How can we make a difference?
How can we contribute to making the system better?
How can we be the “best” community hospital – in North America – and beyond?
How do we be the “best” academic health sciences centre in North America – and beyond?
How do we ensure we push the envelope – well beyond average? Average isn’t acceptable.
13 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
“As a CEO, I want to be challenged...You need to push me...My Board Chair and I are very aligned about this.”
“We know we can be part of the solution.” (Board Chair)
“We are often approached, by the Ministry and others, to be part of the solution. We see this as our responsibility. How do we keep up with this? We challenge ourselves – are we up for this? And yes, this may be a stretch – and we are up to this!” (ED)
“We have a lot of bright minds around our table. They have lived experiences. They’ve dealt with complex issues. They want to have their skills used.” (Board Chair)
“Our board members and senior team – they want to make a difference. It matters for many future generations.” (Board Chair)
14 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
CHAIR/CEO RELATIONSHIP Trust Respect
Support Critical to board success Healthy
relationship/healthy boundaries
Constructive challenge
BOARD/CEO RELATIONSHIP
Trust
Respect Rapport Support CEOs/EDs want to be
challenged Balanced relationship Implications of poor
relationship
15 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
“…and they’re a group, they’re a collective, they don’t see themselves as individuals. They really see where we’re going to be…we’re a collective making the best decisions we can as a group without getting into group think or micromanagement.” ~ CHC ED
16 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
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“Good strategic thinking and decision making often require a shift in perspective — particularly in environments characterized by significant uncertainty and change. What worked in the past simply may not apply in the future. Asking “what if” questions about the future may create discomfort, since answers are often not obvious. But asking such questions also forces you to step back and challenge current assumptions that prevent you from seeing breakthrough solutions.” ~ Shoemaker & Krupp, 2015
The Power of Asking Pivotal Questions
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“Leaders are often limited by selective perception and seek information that confirms what they wish to believe. Most don’t ask tough questions because they filter out weak signals that don’t fit their mental models.” ~ Shoemaker & Krupp, 2015
The Power of Asking Pivotal Questions
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“Exceptional boards embrace the qualities of a continuous learning organization, evaluating their own performance and assessing the value that they add to the organization” (BoardSource, 2005, p. x).
Various formats: retreats, provincial conferences, self-directed learning, governance sessions, etc.
Storytelling (i.e. Client stories).
Internal & external tours.
External experts
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Exploited various opportunities for learning (learning organization).
Dedicated resources for board development. Board information:
Reframing
Clear, concise, informative.
21 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Board Participation
• Active participation
• Preparation
• Attendance
Use of Board Capital
• Intellectual
• Social
• Political
• Reputational
Board Engagement
• Internal
• External
• View of broader health system
(c) G. DuBois-Wing 22
Purposeful, rigorous recruitment process
Use of skills matrix
Diversity.
Effective orientation & onboarding. Context matters
Current needs of organization
Environmental realities.
23 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
VID
EO
RISK
Leadership Role
SPEE
D
INTE
RN
ET
ON
BO
AR
DIN
G
PR
EPA
RA
TIO
N
ORIENTATION
COMMUTER
Learning Curve
RES
OU
RC
ES
VIDEO
INTENSE
INTE
RN
AL
EVEN
TS
YES
TRA
ININ
G
Emai
ls
INFORMATION OVERLOAD P
RIO
RIT
IES
Committee work
BOARD DEVELOPMENT
HOURS PER WEEK
Tim
e s
en
siti
ve
NETWORK
Social Media engaged
BLOG
TEX
T
BU
SY
INTE
RN
ET
Dat
a
REA
DIN
G
Just-in-Time
Technology-enabled
Media clippings
External engagement A
D H
OC
MEE
TIN
GS
Tim
e C
on
stra
ints
TRA
ININ
G
PR
IOR
ITIZ
E
LEA
D FOLLOW
DESIGN
IMP
RO
VE
Videoconference
Consent Agenda
Balance
ENG
AG
E
coo
rdin
ate
Task Groups
TIME
CLOCK
PHONE
EDUCATION
Folll
ow
-up
INFO
RM
ATI
ON
STU
DY
KN
OW
LED
GE
TIME BOARD MEETINGS
urgent
Self-directed learning
24 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Focus on consequential issues. Comfort with ambiguity. Generative mode:
Sensemaking Framing Discerning Learning.
Generative conversations: Engaged, robust dialogue Deliberation Constructive dissent Encourage different viewpoints Respectful challenge.
25 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Making it Happen in Your Boardroom
26
Different thinking: new ways of framing, making
sense, learning.
“Can’t draw lines in the sand.”
More engaged boards. Greater board effectiveness.
(c) G. DuBois-Wing 27
“We must resist the urge to assume that task and structure are the sum total of governance. We can more easily do this if we shift our thinking from “What is governing?” to “Toward what ends are we governing?”
(Trower, 2013)
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Set goals. Requires preparation and thinking prior to the meeting. Ensure the right amount and type of board information and
data: Highlights Executive summaries White papers Dashboards
Requires careful consideration and preparation by senior leadership.
Engage in dialogue and debate:
Frame specific questions for discussion and/or that require consideration. Stage a debate: 1/3 make case for; 1/3 make case against; 1/3 listen –
and reflect what they learned.
(Trower, 2014; DuBois-Wing, 2016)
Allocate time for deliberations, separate from decisions. Develop annual work plan for generative discussions. Seize opportunities for ‘just in time’ generative discussions. Highlight generative opportunities during routine fiduciary and
strategic discussions.
Use small groups to take deep dives on consequential issues (i.e. work groups, ad hoc committees, etc.).
Distribute leadership. Invite various board members to lead discussions, etc. Rotate board members who summarize each month’s meeting
highlights. Position various board members to be ‘devil’s advocate’.
(Trower, 2014; DuBois-Wing, 2016)
Additional Strategies & Thoughts
(c) G. DuBois-Wing 31
What one step can you take to promote a culture of inquiry in your boardroom?
Individually?
Collectively?
32 (c) G. DuBois-Wing
Based on your experience: What has exemplified – or come closest to a culture of
inquiry within your boardroom?
What did that look like?
Who were the key players involved?
What helped?
What could be done differently?
(c) G. DuBois-Wing
Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
BoardSource (2005). The source: Twelve principles of governance that power exceptional boards.
Washington DC: BoardSource. Chait, R.P., Ryan, W.P. & Taylor, B.E. (2005). Governance as leadership: Reframing the work of nonprofit
boards. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. De Bono, E. (1989). Six thinking hats. London, UK: Penguin. DuBois-Wing, G. (2016). Creating and sustaining a generative mode in the boardroom. Santa Barbara,
CA: Fielding Graduate University. Unpublished dissertation (In progress). Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. San Francisco, CA:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Schoemaker, P.J.H. & Krupp, S. (2015). The power of asking pivotal questions. MIT Sloan Management
Review, 56(2), 39. Trower, C. (2015). Flipping the boardroom for trustee engagement: Why and how. Trusteeship, 23(2).
Retrieved from http://agb.org/trusteeship/2015/marchapril/flipping-the-boardroom-for-trustee-engagement-why-and-how
Trower, C. (2012). Mental maps to a new governance model. Boards: Official publication of the
Governance Centre of Excellence 1. Toronto, ON: Ontario Hospital Association. Trower, C.A. (2013). The practitioner’s guide to governance as leadership: Building high-performing
nonprofit boards. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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Gwen DuBois-Wing DuBois-Wing + Associates
Email: [email protected] Twitter: @GDuBoisWing