Inside the Black Box - Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

education and college. Understanding one’s strengths and building on these competencies is an important
organizational factor that has led to success for the organizations in this study.
Strong Leadership and Staff
A strong leadership team, an active board presence, and dedicated program staff are factors that are
essential to an organization’s success. The organizations in the study vary with regard to the size and
structure of their staff, yet the relationship between and within leadership teams, boards, and program
staff in each of these organizations is very similar. Strong, strategic leadership and committed, skilled
staff operate in conjunction with one another. Each is successful fulfilling its own role in organizations’
internal division of labor, but each also benefits greatly from interactions across the organizational
hierarchy. Leadership and staff both acknowledge the essential role the other serves in contributing to the
success of the organization.
Active Boards and Supportive Leadership Staff
Board composition is strategically important for the organization’s effectiveness, especially in terms of
the quality and number of employer relationships and community partnerships the organization is able to
preserve. Many maintain a large employer presence on their board, along with a mix of business, policy,
and community representatives. Because of this mix of interested partners from the organizations’
communities, involved and invested boards were the norm for the organizations in the study.
We have a very active and, I feel, supportive board. I feel very supported by my board.
Boards have the ability to be highly influential in the effectiveness of the organization and its adherence
to its mission.
There isn’t a lot of bureaucracy. There is a lot of process with those board members and so we’re in
the process to get things done quicker than what you find in other boards that are more managing
boards. This is a governing board that has a strong influence.
Strong leadership also exists in the organizations that participated in this study. Leadership continuity is
common among the organizations in the study, as evidenced by the length of directors’ employment at the
organizations. Staff members who were interviewed for this study averaged over 7 years with their
organization, with many reporting having been employed for upwards of 10 years. Further, one
organization reported that “most of the people running things were home grown,” citing the example that
the director of the program started out at the organization as a case manager years prior.
This continuity of involvement at the organization often exists at the founder level as well. Several
organizations provided examples of significant leadership presence by the organization’s founder long
after his or her official role with the organization ended. Strong founder and leadership direction was
Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 46