Fixing the Dysfunction: Failure to Decide
The third in a series of seven talking about 7 common dysfunctions of a board and how to fix them.
As we look at the various ways that boards can stymie the work of an organization, failure to make a decision on an important issue or to rehash issues once they seemingly got decided ranks right up there!
When the board continues to flip flop on an issue or seems to make a decision only to change their minds at subsequent meetings, it provides little guidance or confidence among the staff as they try to implement board decisions. As a result, either nothing gets done because such indecision paralyzes the staff, or they act despite the board, which makes any board input or decision – and the board itself – irrelevant. Neither condition points to a successful or healthy organization or organizational dynamic.
How can you help your board arrive at a decision – any decision! – and stick with it?
Ensure that they have the information needed to make the decision. Often boards – or anyone – who fails to decide hesitates because they do not feel like they have the information they need to make a sound decision. If your board delays making an important decision, ask them what other information they need and then provide it to them.
Not enough time to digest the information. Too often staff have thought about a problem or mulled over a solution long before they get the board involved, creating a situation where the board must rush through the decision-making process. Give the board as much time as you can to review the information provided, discuss it, and come up with a reasonable response. Sometimes this means tabling a decision to a future meeting or, if time will not allow that, calling a special board meeting to discuss it.
No follow-up. If you do table a decision or discussion to a future meeting, make sure that someone adds it to the agenda. Sounds obvious, but oftentimes I see topics get lost because they do not appear on future agendas. Make sure to track your “old business” and leave enough time to discuss it.
Boards do not have practice with discussion and debate. If your board only listens to reports during the board meeting, they may not have experience having discussions and debates with each other. Make sure that you develop an agenda that allows for ample opportunity for your board to discuss important strategic questions – and even less important ones. The better they know each other, the more comfortable they will feel disagreeing – respectfully – with each other.
Boards need time to mourn during times of change. We think about mourning someone who has passed away, but other types of loss can feel as overwhelming. When we make a decision that changes an organization – even for the better, we mourn what we left behind. When you have a big discussion and decision – like a merger or name change – give your board room, time, and space to express their feelings of loss before moving on. That does not mean re-litigating the decision but recognizing that even good decisions means a loss of the familiar, and people need time to process that.
Maximize board meeting attendance. Often decisions get rehashed because half your board did not attend the meeting when you discussed it and they want to get their say. Create a culture where you send the minutes out well in advance so board members know what you will discuss at the meeting, provide the background information, expect them to read it, decide, and move on. That respects everyone’s time and gives your staff much better direction.
Recruit a strong board chair who will not tolerate rehashing decisions or the side or after meeting discussions that occur when people do not feel heard. A strong board chair will run the meetings so that everyone has a chance to voice their opinions, calls for a vote when the discussion has run its course, will not entertain future motions to rehash these decisions, and privately talks to board members who try to do an end run around the board meeting process. While talking to fellow board members to collect their thoughts and opinions between meetings serves as a good and valid strategy, using these discussions to undermine a previous decision or discussion often undermines good board governance.
If your board struggles to make decisions or to stick with the decisions it makes, try some of these strategies to see if you can improve. However, if your inability or make a decision or stick to it comes from a few “bad apples,” you might have to thank them for their services and move on.
