Tip #89 "The Board Speaks with One Voice." What Does This Really Mean?
The statement “The Board Speaks with One Voice” can be misleading since it can be open to different interpretations.
One interpretation of “speaking with one voice” is that a group that is “speaking with one voice” is a group in which all members have come to an agreement and that “one voice” reflects the unanimous agreement of the group. In other words, the deciding group has come to a consensus in its decision-making.
An alternative interpretation, the interpretation of this statement in the context of Policy Governance®, is quite different. The third principle of the Policy Governance® model which may be referred to as the “speaking with one voice” principle, the “board holism” principle or the “group authority” principle is presented as follows by John Carver and Miriam Carver: “The authority of the board is held as a body. The board speaks with one voice in that instructions are expressed by the board as a whole. Individual board members have no authority to instruct staff.” (“Ends and the Ownership.” The Carver Policy Governance® Guide Series, Jossey-Bass, 2009, p.3.) So, in the Policy Governance® context “speaking with one voice” does not include the expectation of consensus decision-making (though a board may choose to make decisions by consensus). Policy Governance® boards strive to achieve a diverse board membership and to engage with the broad variety of perspectives held by their organizations’ key stakeholders. (In Policy Governance®, these key stakeholders are called the organization’s ownership.) So, it is expected that board members will often disagree but that they will respect and support any decision officially made by the board. In other words those who are being instructed by the board hear the one clear authoritative voice of the board acting as a whole in its decision-making rather than multiple and sometimes conflicting seemingly authoritative voices coming from the board.
When I was a CEO reporting to a board making a transition to Policy Governance®, this is the Policy Governance® principle that impacted me most immediately and most dramatically in a positive way. Individual board members realized that they had no authority to tell me what to do. They had to work together as a group through formal board process to create clear directives for me. As you can imagine, having clear directives from the board as a whole avoids a lot of confusion and potential conflict.
In addition to “speaking with one voice” applying to the board in its authoritative communications to the chief executive, in Policy Governance® it is also seen as applying to the board’s relationship with individual board members and board committees. In this context, the board makes authoritative decisions as a whole. Individual board members and board committees do not make decisions in place of the board (unless the board has explicitly delegated such decision-making authority to its members or committees). In the Policy Governance® model, all board members are expected to become knowledgeable about the important matters before them and to participate in informed decision-making. When I was being oriented as a new board member many years ago for a board that did not practice Policy Governance®, I was told that the “real board work” occurred within the board committees and that the board generally accepted whatever the committees recommended. This is not the way a Policy Governance® board operates. In Policy Governance®, the board as a whole does the “real board work.” Board committees help the board with its decision-making. They may study particular issues and report to the board what they have learned including the pros and cons of a number of board decision options. Committees do not absolve board members from being duly informed by making decisions on their behalf but inform board members so that they are able to make responsible decisions about the crucial decision-making matters before them.
To learn more about the Policy Governance® model, please click https://www.BoardsOnCourse.com/policy-governance.