How can we create what we need rather than simply work with what we were given? This thought-provoking blog post from the Ontario Non-Profit Network raises some interesting questions about the readiness of our governance models in the non-profit sector for chaging times.
“Research shows that there is a big opportunity for real transformation. So, where to start? One place to start could be reframing the questions we ask about governance to consider the broader governance system, not only the board. For example, instead of asking ‘How can we fix the board’, we could ask ‘What is the most effective way for us to fulfil our governance’? As one governance leader put it, “How can we start seeing the board as the host of governance, rather than the home of governance?” Or imagine, as Creating the Future has done with their “integrity board”, if all organizations started from a place of “what do we want the governance of this organization to make possible for accomplishing our mission?”