Association contrarian | Foresight practitioner | Governing designer | Stakeholder and Successor advocate | Stewardship catalyst
Fit-for-Purpose February [Post 35] How can associations build fit-for-purpose boards? THE FINAL TEN POSTS CONTINUE TODAY! This is the fifth of the final ten posts in #FitForPurposeFebruary. Over the last two days, I have shared four next practices that associations can use to help their boards become fit-for-purpose. I'm posting two more today before I wrap things up next Monday 2/27 and Tuesday 2/28. FYI, to easily locate any #FitForPurposeFebruary post, please check out this resource: https://lnkd.in/gmZefrey. What are Next Practices? As I wrote about the duty of foresight in September 2022, "[n]ext practices are forward-looking approaches and ideas designed to challenge and liberate our community from its orthodox beliefs while creating new habits of mind among association decision-makers." [You can read the full article at https://lnkd.in/e4vycgcQ.] Next Practice 5: Dissent as a Resource Many boards fear dissent because of concerns that it will be disruptive to their work and damage collegiality. As boards grapple with increasingly complex questions, however, dissent will emerge organically and must be harnessed to become a useful learning resource. Dissent as a resource is about helping directors and officers dissent productively by providing an agreed-upon structure of options for expressing their divergent views, including the following: ⏺ Dissent and commit—Dissent and commit is the choice to 1) express dissent with candor, especially when it is most challenging to do so, to enrich the board’s learning, and 2) committing not to be an obstacle to continued forward progress. ⏺ Dissent and listen—Dissent and listen is the choice to 1) express dissent with candor and 2) remain open to being persuaded to a different view through further conversation. ⏺ Dissent and counter—Dissent and counter is the choice to 1) express dissent with candor and 2) offer constructive alternative perspectives with the intention of shifting the conversation. The fit-for-purpose board can adopt a “dissent” agenda as part of its overall meeting agendas. The dissent agenda is a defined period within the larger meeting structure during which the board can address issues on which there is significant disagreement. Over time, the dissent agenda becomes a tracking mechanism for board’s handling of dissenting views and turns dissent into a learning resource that can help strengthen overall performance. What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Look for Fit-for-Purpose February Post 36 today at 2:30 pm EST. #associations #boards #FitForPurposeFebruary #stewardship #governing #foresight
I love this angle, Jeff. I agree that dissent is overlooked as a powerful tool for dialogue and future planning.
Kevin Smith
1y
I love how you present this, Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE . My bad metaphor for this is that you have to sand before you paint. It’s creative friction that gets the board to examine all angles carefully.
Association contrarian | Foresight practitioner | Governing designer | Stakeholder and Successor advocate | Stewardship catalyst
1yMatt, I saw your recent post on dissent. Here is mine. I’d love to know your thoughts!