Board members play an important role in governance, creating accountability, and shaping the future of the organization. It can be challenging to manage a large number of people in all stages of career, especially when they are in a physical environment like an annual board meeting.
Boards are faced with a dilemma in finding ways to oversee management without micromanaging or interfering. To assist, it’s vital that board members know the distinction between high-level policy and lower-level management policy. It’s also helpful if the board has a good relationship with management and has clearly stated how it plans to share its decisions with management.
It is ideal to schedule regular updates via calling board members between seven and ten days prior to the next board meeting. This allows the board to examine issues that are on the agenda and ensures that no bad news will be discussed at the meeting.
A final point is to work on establishing policies that clarify responsibilities between the board, management and medical staff. Effectively implemented policies reduce the amount of “busy work” that must be completed at every board meeting, helping to free up valuable time to focus on more strategic activities.
It is crucial that the board includes members with a wide range of expertise in all aspects of the business. This includes finance, sales, marketing and operations. It can also be helpful to have some members with previous experience outside of the healthcare sector. This allows the board to get knowledge from different sources and make the best decision for the business.
