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The Board's Song Sheet

and the reasons given for not using it
Fredric L. Laughlin, DBA | posted 11/02/2007
This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

We might say about a well-organized group that its members are "singing from the same song sheet." Wouldn't it be great if we could say that about most of our governing boards? Sadly, we probably can't—not for a lack of talent among the board members, but often for a lack of the song sheet itself. Why is that? Often because the "song sheet" for boards is a Board Policies Manual (BPM) and most of us have an aversion to "manuals." Yet when it comes to good governance, few actions have stronger endorsements from experts than the development and use of a BPM. Authorities like John Carver and Bob Andringa don't simply recommend comprehensive BPMs for organizations; they insist on them. Andringa points out that a good BPM provides:

• Efficiency of having on-going board policies in one place
• Ability to quickly orient new board members to current policies
• Elimination of redundant, or conflicting, policies over time
• Ease of reviewing current policy when considering new issues
• Clear, pro-active policies to guide the CEO and staff

See also:

 board policy manual, BPM, good governance, governing board, nonprofit board