It’s a great system! (…shame about the people) The Human Element and Policy Governance Dr. Hartger Wassink

Key take-aways How can we hold each other accountable as board members? To be able to be accountable, we need to act responsibly A conversation on responsibility should be a dialogue Dialogue is ‘unnatural behavior’ that needs practice

Overview of the workshop Introduction Policy Governance in the Netherlands Governance and the human factor Possible vulnerabilities of Policy Governance Discipline Responsibility Accountability vs responsibility In order to be accountable, we have to act responsibly Policy Governance and the importance of dialogue: practices

Policy Governance in The Netherlands First introduced by Jan Maas around 2000 Mainly implemented by educational boards Privately run (foundations or assocations, publicly funded) Also: public housing, care Mainly two-tier boards ‘executive board’ functions as CEO ‘oversight board’ functions as ‘board’ Challenge for boards: who are our owners? What are their values that we should respect and defend?

Board members are humans too!

Governance and human failure Traditionally: the board as ’guardian’ of the organization Agency theory Stewardship theory Watchdog Coach Policy Governance: Board as leaders

And board members themselves? “Quis docebit ipsos doctores?” – Who teaches the teachers? No-one will, board members are on their own–or are they? Two possible domains of vulnerability–even if we use PG Discipline Responsibility

Discipline Strengths of PG Weaknesses Sharply defined criteria for performance ‘Cast-iron’-structure for assessing performance Comprehensive and logical system Weaknesses Keeping the criteria up-to-date – being alert Assessing monitoring reports with rigour – stick to the plan Keeping up with developments by ownership engagement – investing time

Responsibility vs accountability Policy Governance: (from: Boards That Make a Difference): Everyone is individually responsible Accountability is accumulated responsibility The higher up in the hierarchy, the more accountability is assembled The CEO bears the most accountability and is accountable to the board Board accountability and responsibility? Board only has authority as a whole Board is accountable to its owners–as a whole Board members are responsible, the board is accountable

What I’d like to explore in this workshop Accountability… Has to do with the task at hand Is for results Can be described and assessed Responsibility is more personal in nature For whom and what we personally think is important Could be difficult to describe How can be hold each other accountable as board members? To be able to be accountable, board members have to act responsibly

Pause for reflection When did you feel your personal responsibility was at stake, for a decision that the board made? Can you think of a moment where you felt hesitation? What happened? Can you describe the moment? Can you describe your thoughts? What personal values were at stake?

Responsibility versus accountability Take some personal notes: Apart from your owners’ values: …what do you want to achieve, for whom? …what situations do you want to avoid? Reflect: What does that reveal about the personal values do you hold? Could you envision a situation where your personal values would deviate from the values of the moral owners?

Dialogue and personal values PG as a ‘dialogue enhancing system’ E.g.: Ownership linkage One voice principle Any Reasonable Interpretation Dialogue as a bridge between responsibility and accountability of the board Source: Board Clarity Ltd, NZ

Some elements of dialogue Shared purpose Real life example: ‘data’ Personal engagement Mind what you say–and how you say it Empathy

Real life example, ‘data’ What is, in your organization, a beautiful little story of what it is that you want to achieve? Describe the moment as a story What happened? Who said what? What did you do or say? ‘Show, don’t tell’: do not explain yet! Make groups of 4 people Someone shares his/her story Others give a response, by saying just one word Teller chooses one word, and is asked one OPEN question on it Teller answers question Change roles

Empathy Choose a situation that you could use some help with Describe the situation to someone else What happened? Can you describe the moment? What is your hesitation? The other person helps you with your thoughts Summarize what the first person has said Describe your thoughts or feelings Ask open questions (what/when/how/who…) Ask for examples

Summary: dialogue is about… …constantly creating space in the conversation …postponing your personal judgment or conviction …taking the position of the other …’seek first to understand, then to be understood’ …finding the balance between shared purpose and values and individual differences

Back to the human element To be accountable, we need to act responsibly Our responsibilty is often linked to personal values and ideas We need to talk about the responsibility that we feel personally In dialogue, we can transfer personal responsibility to the accountability of the board as a whole Board members need each other, to overcome vulnerabilities of the system The human element is a weakness–and a strength!

Thank you! Hartger Wassink post@hartgerwassink.nl