1 Toward's Better Governance Editor's note: This is the first of a two ...

Toward’s Better GovernanceEditor's note: This is the first of a two-part look at the evolution of association governance. This articleillustrates the concerns involved in developing and sustaining a culture that supports the will to govern well.The second part, to be published in November's issue, will document experiences of several associations thathave begun to focus on improving knowledgeability, trust, and nimbleness and have achieved a degree ofsuccess in evolving governance.These articles and the book The Will to Govern Well: Knowledge, Trust, and Nimbleness are based on a studythat was funded by an "Endowing the Future" grant from the ASAE Foundation.As they strive to improve the delivery of member value, navigate increasingly complex issues that requiregovernance's attention, and maintain relevance to members, many associations have been working diligently toimprove their governance structures. Initiatives such as downsizing boards and delegate bodies, revisioningcomposition, adjusting to nomination and election processes, and using technology-assisted tools in decisionmaking have absorbed the attention of staff and member leaders. Although some associations have madesignificant improvements to governance by focusing on these specifics, others' progress has been slow andincremental and in some cases has not outlasted the leadership who initiated it.Through a study recently completed for the ASAE Foundation, we have found that many associations, with thebest of intentions, have dedicated much time, effort, and focus to incremental changes to governancemechanisms that often do not create the results needed to dramatically alter the way the association is governednor to deliver significant benefit to the association's members. What truly needs to change about associationgovernance are its processes for accomplishing work, its underlying culture, and the existence of leadershipbehaviors that sustain the will to govern well. Governing effectively in the 21st century is not just about usingWeb-based governance communication tools, creating new job descriptions for boards, or putting board minuteson CD-ROMs. In the associations we studied, dramatic improvements to governance have been achieved onlyby focusing on process, behavior, and culture and by creating and sustaining a leadership culture that supportsthe will to do things differently.Changing process, behavior, and cultureAssociations that have effected significant improvement understand governance not as a series of boxes on anorganization chart but as a cohesive set of interrelated dialogue and decision-making processes employed bygovernance to accomplish its work.What improves governance is not the definition of new roles and responsibilities or job descriptions. It is theuse of processes that promote more effective use of intellectual capital and better decisions and the sustaining ofthis through successive generations of leaders. What promotes success is not the addition of controls andmetrics; it is the creation of a culture that enables high levels of trust and flexibility in accomplishing work andmaking timely and responsive decisions.Changing the processes that governance uses to get its work done, across time, causes sustained changes inbehavior. And when behavior change is sustained, it creates a long-term impact on culture, therebyinstitutionalizing a new way of governance.Governance must evolveMany experts and association leaders understand the frustrating pace of incremental change that associationsexperience and, therefore, speak of "reinventing" governance. Usually this approach tends to focus on structuralsolutions that ultimately alter the balance of power. But the study suggests that there is no need to reinvent1

governance, nor is it advisable, because in reinvention, the very nature of what makes an association unique asan enterprise is at stake.A scientific metaphor illustrates our thinking. Human DNA has two strands. But the organizational DNA of anassociation can be thought of as an entity with three strands--a triple helix--and the presence of each of theseand their interrelationships is what makes an association unique. Associations are differentiated from otherkinds of organizations in that the same populations are the owners, the customers, and the workforce. Each ofthese dimensions represents a strand in the triple helix, and there is a unique relationship among the three.Unraveling this organizational DNA by "reinventing" governance would put at great risk key competitiveadvantages that associations have had for the past 200 years--the aggregate intellectual capital of theirmembership, their energy as a community with common purpose, and their credibility as voluntary institutions.Because of associations' unique DNA, governance cannot be reinvented, but it must evolve.Knowledge, trust, and nimbleness--three leverage pointsDeveloping and sustaining the will to govern well is facilitated by a focus on three things: integrating usefulknowledge into your decision-making processes, sustaining a culture of trust, and becoming more nimble.Throughout our study with associations that view themselves and are viewed by others as having successfulgovernance systems in place, these critical leverage points emerged as keys to the evolution toward the will togovern well.Knowledge. Knowledge typically applies to facts or ideas acquired by study, investigation, observation, orexperience. It facilitates the ability to apply those facts and to turn ideas into action. Knowledge about issues iscritical to good governance. In associations that view themselves and are viewed by others as having the will togovern well, knowledge informs dialogue and decision making with a constant stream of relevant insight abouta) member needs, wants, and preferences; b) the capacity and strategic position of the organization; c) dynamicsof the industry, profession, or cause; and d) ethical implications of strategic choices.Trust. Trust can be defined as the alignment of what is promised by the association with what is ultimatelydelivered to stakeholder groups such as members, volunteer leaders, staff, legislators, and the general public. Itoften is manifested in a set of values or expectations, perceived as credible through the organization'swillingness to act on those values. Creating and sustaining a culture of trust that provides a) clarity andconsensus about what will constitute success; b) open access to common information; and c) increasedconfidence in the competence of the leadership partners becomes imperative for success in leadership cultureand the evolution toward good governance.Nimbleness. Nimbleness is the ability of the organization to seize opportunities. It is work done in the rightamount of time and in the right way, which is not necessarily just about doing things quickly. Nimbleassociations are able to achieve clarity and consensus about success, to define strategic principles andboundaries, and then to empower work and decision-making groups to innovate within those boundaries. Theyare assisted by the presence of core values that enable people to understand without having to inquire whetherwhat they are doing is compatible with the way the organization wants to behave and be perceived. Nimblenessalso is enabled by strategic principles that allow thoughtful groups to determine whether what they areproposing fits within the parameters of strategic direction, without having to constantly go to higher levels ofauthority to seek permission before acting.2

The will to govern wellOur study examined both associations that were successful and those that were unsuccessful in their efforts tochange governance. We discovered that the barriers to successful evolution have more to do with thewillingness of people to do things differently than with knowing what to do differently.In a number of associations we studied, knowledge about effective process and mechanisms was made availableand even repeatedly incorporated into board retreats, orientations, and background readings. The major obstaclewe observed in associations with failed or flawed governance initiatives was that there was insufficient will onthe part of leadership to commit to internalizing these factors in the process, behavior, and culture of theorganization. In the unsuccessful organizations, insufficient dollars, insufficient time, and insufficient energywere committed to the change effort. While leadership "talked the talk," they were unwilling to alter the realitiesof their interactions with the organization because it would require them to do things differently on a consistentbasis.Our study identified a number of common factors among associations that view themselves and are viewed byothers as having the will to govern well. Two of the most critical pertain to what governance chooses to focusits attention on and how governance chooses to get its work done. The will to govern well is about doingwhatever needs to be done to get the board and senior staff to talk openly, honestly, and knowledgeablyabout the real issues confronting the membership; the industry, profession, or cause; and theorganization. If this is not achieved, long-term changes to the process, behavior, and culture of governancecannot be sustained.A knowledge-based governance strategyOne change mechanism employed by many associations we studied integrates all these elements to achieve andsustain the will to govern well. A knowledge-based governance strategy is a process and a philosophy ofgovernance and decision making. It is a mechanism for consultative leadership that recognizes strategy as thenecessary and appropriate link between the board's role in governance and the staff's role in management andimplementation. It promotes greater knowledge of issues before governance bodies formulate choices anddeliberate actions. It promotes higher levels of trust because where there is clear agreement about whatconstitutes success, there is greater understanding and awareness of the contributions of each of the leadershippartners. And with the definition of parameters and boundaries through guiding principles, those who worktoward goals can act without seeking permission. Associations employing a knowledge-based governancestrategy have found it to be a critical mechanism for focusing governance on the right things, executed in theright way.Key findings--implications for changeWhat kinds of things must change in an association to sustain the will to govern well? In the course of ourstudy, we have identified a number of key findings that confront myths, fantasies, and false promises aboutgovernance change that result from a focus on structure and mechanisms alone. Among our findings:1. Board process is more important than composition or structure. Changes in process--what the boardtalks about and how they talk about it--improve the quality of decisions and the enjoyment of the leadershipexperience and have greater impact than changes in composition or structure.Both large and small boards have been observed to be both effective and ineffective. Both constituency-basedboards and competency-based boards have been observed to be both satisfied and unsatisfied with theirperformance. Issues of size and composition cannot be viewed independently from the issues of authority,3

esponsibility, capacity, and process. Therefore, board process is becoming a more important issue than boardcomposition or size because, more and more, process is viewed as the leverage point for effecting the desiredbalance among those variables on any given board.There is a two-way relationship between composition and process. For many years common wisdom held thatwho was on the board determined how the board worked. However, increasingly, how a board worksdetermines who is willing to serve on it. Good process enables governance to earn credibility by beingcompetency-based and to maintain legitimacy by being constituency-based.There is also a movement from geographically based constituency representation to constituency representationbased on specialty or interest area. Role or personal demographics are pulling boards to multiple variables incomposition. Increased diversity on such boards is driving the development of new methodologies for boardwork that take fuller advantage of the variety of perspectives available in decision making. Knowledge-basedgovernance strategy promotes dialogue that seeks to illuminate all perspectives, and the use of a variety oftechnologies is enabling smaller boards to engage in decision making while increasing participation in theprocess. Both of these strategies are also allowing larger governance bodies to execute their responsibilitiesmore effectively.By changing the nature of what the board agenda focuses on and the nature of the dialogue and deliberations,many associations are improving the enjoyment of the leadership experience. Boards focused on issues ofstrategic direction and high-level policy and employing a knowledge-based governance strategy to identifyalternatives and assess potential solutions are succeeding in attracting talented individuals to positions ofleadership.The nature of the leadership experience has as much to do with the kind of individual attracted to participate asthe kind of individuals who are on the board has to do with the quality of governance. The traditional belief wasthat who was on the board determined its culture. But it is just as true that the culture of governance determineswho is interested in participating. If an association successfully changes what the board spends its time on, thenit is likely that governance in that association will become attractive to individuals who were not attracted toprevious board cultures.One association we studied illustrates these points. A national trade association, composed of both large andsmall members, combined structural and process change to achieve greater volunteer involvement in both workgroups and leadership. Through a significant change effort, the association eliminated a number of functionalcommittees, reorganized volunteers into action teams that took responsibility for strategic areas as identified inthe strategic plan, and empowered the teams to implement strategy. This altered the board's role somewhat, inthat work of a hands-on nature had traditionally taken a large part of the board's time. Under the new structure,this work went to the action teams. The board at first was confused about what its new role should be, butacross a two-year period, as it began to adopt a governance process that focused its attention more on thestrategic issues facing the industry, it began to attract new leaders focused on strategic thinking, and other boardmembers who were more comfortable as "doers" migrated to the action teams. The action teams, asreplacements for traditional functional committees, gave some board members the opportunity to migrate to anarea that was a better match for their real interests and work styles. The "roll up your sleeves" folks had a morefocused place to go. The board focused more of its time on the issues facing the industry, and as a result, the"bigger picture" strategic thinkers were more attracted to service on the board. Moreover, the association wasable to attract more volunteers to active involvement than ever before.2. Good governance is marked by partnership and shared accountability with staff. For many years,association staff and member leaders have been counseled to clearly define and distinguish their respective rolesand accountabilities. In some associations, as much energy was directed to protecting these distinctions as toproviding value. Now in many associations, governance desires a higher level of partnership and shared4

accountability with staff, and clearly defined roles are less important and less valued. More and more boardswant staff to provide information and insight and to participate in decision making about desired outcomes andpotential strategy with member leaders.In one association we studied, it was deemed a priority that staff become more knowledgeable about theindustry that the organization served. In this association, staff was encouraged to participate in or takeadvantage of industry certification programs as well as those of association management. Another associationset up a formal program for staff to visit members in their professional work environments to gain greaterunderstanding of how a typical member spent his or her day. The result in these associations is that the staffvolunteerpartnership is strengthened. A staff's familiarity and understanding of the dynamics of the professionor industry they are serving earns a perception of caring about and respecting the importance of what membersdo. Therefore, staff becomes a true partner in decision making, and often better decisions are made.In associations employing these methods, the traditional walls between governance and management havebecome a porous membrane, with the collaborative development of strategy serving as the common groundwhere the roles meet. Successful relationships are characterized by sharing what is working and what is not.Expertise and honesty is becoming even more important. Association governance is becoming increasingly lesstolerant of inexpert or manipulative behavior. (The term manipulative here refers to an understanding of a shiftin the paradigm of how knowledge is used as power. In this context, manipulative can be defined as the act ofselectively providing managed information for the purpose of achieving a preconceived notion.) Increasedtransparencies supported by technology also have an effect on this dynamic. With increased access toknowledge and insight, everyone in the information stream has become less tolerant of the manipulation ofinformation by both volunteer leaders and staff.Today, leaders of volunteer organizations have greater access to a richer and wider array of information aboutassociations and their operations than ever before. Instant access to a plethora of conversations on a largenumber of Web sites and an ever-increasing number of publications specifically directed to volunteer leadershave exponentially grown the knowledge base of member leaders. The result is better informed volunteers withhigher expectations and demands of staff. Many associations we studied have eliminated the concepts of "staffdriven"and "volunteer-driven" and have moved toward a true partnership that has defined "leader" and"support" roles for both staff and volunteers. This requires constant education and re-education as volunteersrotate and staff changes.3. The chief staff executive's role is evolving. The needs and preferences of members related to time andexpertise are causing the fiduciary responsibility of boards and the chief staff executive's role to evolve.Historically, boards sensitive to role differentiation have believed that their responsibility was to see that theorganization was well run, not to run the organization. While these roles are definably different, both tend tofocus on operations rather than direction, on management rather than leadership, on efficiencies rather thanvalue. Increasingly, good leaders have less discretionary time to give and are more aware of the limitations oftheir own experience and knowledge of contemporary association operations.More and more boards are now holding the chief staff executive accountable for seeing that the association isrun well. The board's role is moving farther from an operational focus and more toward defining what willconstitute value to members and ensuring that value is delivered. Effective boards are migrating from issues ofmanagement and operations and toward issues of governance and leadership.This change has fundamental implications for the role of the chief staff officer and the association managementprofession. It will bring the staff executive to a new level of accountability and contribution. In someassociations we studied, as the boards focused more on issues of what would constitute value to members andthe evolving strategy necessary to make sure value was being provided, they began to hold the chief staffexecutives accountable not just for running the organization but for seeing that the organization was well run.5

Revised Governance Gets ItEditor's note: This is the second in a two-part look at the evolution of association governance. Part 1, publishedin ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT (August 2002, page 46,) focused on the philosophy of change andassociations' need to address knowledge, trust, and nimbleness in organizational structure. This article discussesin greater detail the experiences of two associations in evolving governance processes and structures to improvetheir organizations' decision-making abilities.These articles and the book The Will to Govern Well: Knowledge, Trust, and Nimbleness are based on a studyfunded by an "Endowing the Future" grant from the ASAE Foundation.Welcome to the board meeting. Everyone is scurrying around the table passing out reports. A letter of thealphabet appears on each piece, and board members are shuffling through their stacks putting everything inorder. After the meeting begins, the person responsible for each report essentially reads the report aloud, whileboard members follow along. Discussion ensues, motions are made, and actions are decided. Then it's on to thenext letter of the alphabet. And so it goes for a day and a half.Sound unproductive? To Mary S. Reitter, who had become executive director of the American HealthcareRadiology Administrators in 1998, it seemed not only unproductive but also far from visionary. It would takesome time, but now Reitter can point with pride to the changes in governance process that have made AHRA'sboard more focused on the future, more strategic in its thinking, and more rational in its decision making. Plus,she says, board members report that their service is more satisfying.The will to govern well involves focusing on three critical points: 1) building greater knowledge--ensuring thatinformation about member needs, wants, and preferences; the capacity and strategic position of theorganization; and relevant external factors are routinely considered in work and decision-making systems; 2)developing and sustaining a culture of trust; and 3) creating systems, structures, processes, and culture thatsupport nimbleness.AHRA--Same vision, better focusIn September 2000, AHRA, a 30-year-old association based in Sudbury, Massachusetts, began work on a newstrategic planning initiative. The premier association for radiology administrators, the 4,000-member AHRA isa volunteer-driven organization. Its members are managers, so the shift from an operational to a strategic mindsetis challenging. The desired outcomes included the development of a new strategic plan as well as a refinedgovernance process that allowed the 15-member board to operate more strategically. Success in the effort wouldbe defined not just as having built a new plan but also in assessing progress over time to determine whether theprocess itself produced sustained change in board culture.In just a year, the difference has been substantial, Reitter says. "The board meetings are not shorter, but withoutquestion, we've discovered a much better way to use our time together."Previously, each board member had a "job," an assignment for advocacy of a certain area. After the governanceshift, the board members are no longer "doers," says Reitter, but "strategists for the inclusive mission of theentire organization."The association's efforts were bolstered by member leaders who, for the past several years had been laying thegroundwork for important changes in how the association did business. Success was waiting for a volunteerleader to step forward and truly champion the change initiative: someone who was willing to work to removethe historical barriers to progress, who had the courage to experiment with new methods of governance, andwho had a passion for what the association could do for its members and their profession. That leader wasSheila M. Sferrella, the 2001-2002 board president. When Sferrella became president-elect, Reitter invited her7

to ASAE's CEO Symposium in January 2000. Together, they began to envision a more effective governancestructure and role for AHRA's board.To increase knowledge of member needs, wants, and preferences, AHRA invested $75,000 in extensivequantitative and qualitative research and committed to continue updating its market research every two years.The breadth of the research included in-person and telephone focus groups; phone interviews with members,past members, and leaders of competing organizations; and interviews with the board and staff.AHRA instituted a process to discuss and use this knowledge in decision making. Dialogue sessions allowedvolunteer leaders to discuss and fully understand the information, the choices available to them in response tomember feedback, and the pros and cons associated with their choices.A culture of trust was strengthened among AHRA volunteers, staff, and members. The strategic plan providedclarity and consensus about what would constitute success for AHRA. The vision now drives the organization.Open access to information has built trust among board, staff, committees, and the membership. Confidence inthe competence of the partnership between volunteer groups and staff has increased, as each has gained successin executing work in new ways.Reitter admits that becoming more nimble has been challenging. AHRA is beginning to integrate ongoingscanning and strategic thinking into the board's agenda. The strategic approach has included planning horizonsof 1-2 years, 5-10 years, and up to 30 years. Sferrella says she thought it was ironic that when she becamepresident, the immediate past president led the strategic planning for the organization. By documenting andrevising the annual operational planning cycle (including major program milestones), staff has helped the boardgain a better understanding of the year's workflow. AHRA has conducted a complete assessment of its programportfolio and is implementing a new product development process that allows for innovation and manages risk.Lessons learnedTo develop greater trust and nimbleness, volunteer and staff work groups must set ground rules inadvance and agree on the processes to be used for work and decision making. They also must meet faceto-faceearly on in their work together. Between face-to-face meetings a significant amount of work canbe done electronically. Electronic communication then facilitates nimbleness.To make informed decisions, association leaders must collect information from and about members andcommunicate to members how leadership is using the information.Member and market data must be kept current. The board should not make decisions that rely onpotentially outdated information. Annual research must be conducted to keep knowledge and insightabout member needs and the professional environment fresh.New leaders function more nimbly and come up to speed more quickly if they can observe a flow chartdescribing how work is accomplished in the organization, rather than an organizational chart outliningthe decision-making hierarchy. AHRA leaders found that flow charts encourage greater involvement andreveal how decisions are made.Nimbleness increases as trust among the board, staff, and committees increases. Open access toinformation creates additional confidence in the competence of all decision-making groups. At AHRA,all groups provide input and agree on what will constitute success. Success becomes the result of acollaborative process of the board, staff, and committees.Nimbleness allows an organization to change direction quickly as market conditions shift. Becausemarket conditions are changing faster and more frequently, leadership must respond quickly,understanding the necessity of creating products and services that allow members to take advantage ofnew opportunities.Consistent and honest communication is crucial for creating and maintaining trust and nimbleness.8

The primary focus must shift to outcomes rather than the process itself. The evolution of governance in AHRAis not about following the same nine steps or the policy manual. "It's about keeping the outcome in sight andfocusing on the best path to get us there," says Sferrella. "Our agendas are now focused on reaching the vision,rather than reading reports and achieving personal priorities." At its meeting in July, AHRA made bylawschanges that include the option to downsize the board by two members. Reducing governance expenses isanother way, Sferrella says, to funnel more dollars into member programs and services.It has taken many hours on the phone and constant feedback, but in July, the difference was obvious: "They gotit!" Sferrella says. The AHRA Foundation board is preparing for similar governance changes. "We will not restuntil we're all one and all more efficient," she adds.Reitter notes, "In the two years we have been involved in this effort, board members have made significantprogress toward developing the will and the skill to govern well. The changes they have made to theirprocesses, culture, and behavior over the past year suggest that they have now begun to focus on the rightthings, in the right way. And, best of all, board members believe they are making a significant difference forAHRA members."NLN--From locked doors to leadershipWhen Ruth D. Corcoran became CEO of the National League for Nursing (NLN) in 1998, the locked doors onall the staff's offices clearly illustrated the lack of trust among the board, committees, staff, and membership thatwas at the core of the association's challenges. Fortunately in the transitional year before her hire, as theyredrafted the CEO's job description, NLN board members had begun to examine governance issues and the typeof leadership they wanted.Previously, the entire board turned over every two years, leaving little continuity in the volunteer leadership,vesting hired staff with control, and making it easy not to disclose information. If knowledge is power, thenpower rested with staff and information was not always shared appropriately, says Corcoran. In the past fiveyears, NLN has transformed itself from a place where the organizational culture was littered with mistrust at alllevels to an association with the will and the ability to govern well.NLN has a 109-year history of service and support to the nursing profession. Based in New York City, it is theoldest association in the industry and serves more than 11,000 individual members and 1,300 agenciesrepresenting faculty in nursing schools. NLN once had a reputation as the leader that other professionalassociations in the industry followed. But growth within the organization was becoming stifled as a result ofmistrust. Additionally, the executive staff and volunteers were making poor decisions because meaningfulinformation and appropriate disclosure of the issues were lacking.Corcoran says, "Before our massive undertaking to rebuild a culture of trust, our organization was fraught withfiscal irregularities, dysfunctional governance structures, staff incompetence, and archaic processes andsystems. The board was more focused on trying to solve internal conflicts than meeting the needs of themembers. The volunteer leadership and staff were not in agreement about what would constitute organizationalsuccess."At NLN, membership was divided into practice category councils (e.g., licensed practical nurses, executivenurses, those with bachelor of science degrees) and the board was composed of the councils' chairs. Over time,a hierarchy based on industry prestige developed. Those at the top of the hierarchy usually got their way andthose at the bottom had less influence. Previous efforts at strategic planning produced a document but did notinclude a process that integrated the strategic plan into the decisions of the organization. Operational planning,budgeting, program development, and CEO accountability were not linked to the goals and objectives outlinedin the strategic plan. "Even though the plan was filled with rich insights and good ideas, it sat on a shelf and9

collected dust," says Corcoran.NLN membership declined while membership was growing in other industry organizations. The association waslosing market share. "We also faced increased competition from for-profits in our $3 million testing andevaluation unit," says Corcoran. Staff turnover was high, creating frustrated volunteer leaders, poor customerservice, and lack of continuity.Dedicated volunteer leaders and the seven senior management staff began working to transform theorganization.Change strategiesTo create knowledge, trust, and nimbleness, volunteer leaders and senior staff realized that they had to employstrategies that would facilitate change.Create a strategic plan. As equal partners, volunteer leaders and senior staff resolved to create andimplement a strategic plan. Now, all reports and board agenda items as well as the CEO's annual reportsto the members and the board are structured around the goals and objectives of the plan.Use knowledge in decision making. NLN committed to making informed decisions. They outsourcedmarket research to collect data about members and developed insights and intuitions through groupdialogue. Corcoran says NLN also writes survey clauses into outsourcing contracts such as theirpublications fulfillment, so they glean information from those sources as well as their annual onlinenursing school survey. Instead of a collection of biased council reports, now at least three weeks inadvance of meetings, board members receive extensive background papers on significant decisions thatneed to be made."We try to accommodate the preferences of all board members in our background papers. For those whowant a quick briefing, we provide an executive summary. We also provide the raw data for those whoprefer to analyze data," says Corcoran. She cites the board's decision to create a foundation as one thatwas well informed by research before the final commitment was made.Redesign staff workspaces and functions. Corcoran reduced staff, moved to smaller quarters, andinstituted an open-door policy. An open office design assists in breaking down department silos andencourages cross-functional communication. Products and services as well as staff are organized inbusiness units rather than functional areas. Staff functions that do not align with core competencies areoutsourced. Among the core competencies are nursing education research, faculty development, industrydata collection, and evaluation services (standardized testing). Although NLN has kept in-house itseditorial function to develop its official communication, design services are outsourced, as aremarketing, public relations, book fulfillment, and other customer services. Serving members is the toppriority. Monthly reports assess customer service levels. Corcoran has data on waiting times, abandonedcalls, and other factors, and she adjusts staffing levels to ensure a minimum 95 percent satisfaction rate.Create clear lines between staff and volunteer roles. Staff has complete autonomy from the board forthe association's operations. The board does not micromanage. In return, staff operations are completelytransparent to the board. At alternating all-staff meetings, Corcoran reports about board actions so staffknows where they fit in the organization's work. NLN's volunteer treasurer receives monthly financialupdates and the board receives quarterly updates. The association adopted an open-book policy aboutfinancial information and developed rigorous financial policies and procedures.Reorganize governance structure. The NLN bylaws were revised, and staggered three-year terms werecreated to establish leadership continuity. Board members are elected at large rather than from specialinterest groups of the association. It took three years to accomplish that change, overcoming objectionsfrom council leaders, but having data and analysis helped make the difference, Corcoran says. When10

special interest group councils were eliminated, work was shifted to task forces and advisory groups thatfocus on areas of the strategic plan and meet electronically, creating greater efficiencies and nimbleness.Specific attention is paid to the balance of influence between the executive committee and the board. "Inthe past, board members thought that the executive committee influenced all the decisions. Now theexecutive committee is cognizant of maintaining balance in decision making and communicating openlywith the full board," says Corcoran. The senior staff management team sits with board members at thetable during meetings. They provide valuable insights during board dialogue.Involve all members in the association. Members of NLN now have the opportunity to becomeengaged in the association's strategic goals by serving on task forces that create products and services.Their expertise and intellectual capital affect the entire industry, rather than special interests, andperfunctory busywork has been replaced by "deliverables with deadlines," Corcoran says. Additionally,the annual meeting, which consisted of numerous council meetings, has now become an annualeducational summit, focusing on industry issues and continuing education for all members.Institute new product delivery processes. Staff conduct and analyze member surveys, including anannual survey of schools of nursing, which provides an environmental scan of faculty numbers,enrollments, and other trends to identify new product or service opportunities. NLN has developed aformal process to annually review existing products and services. As a result, some tests have beeneliminated and others initiated.Increase staff knowledge of the profession. Corcoran recognizes the importance of increasing thestaff's knowledge about the profession. She circulates important industry articles to staff, speaks aboutindustry trends at staff meetings, and encourages staff to attend industry meetings. In addition, sheencourages senior staff to stay current on association management trends by supporting theirmembership in the New York Society of Association Executives, sending them to ASAE meetings, andmaking their professional development a part of the performance review process.Increase communication. Twice monthly, Corcoran sends a personalized e-mail message about theassociation's happenings to all NLN members. This regular contact allows members to provide valuablefeedback to the board for decision making and creates open communication between members andassociation leaders. In addition, face-to-face meetings in focus groups and an open forum/facilitateddialogue session at the association's annual educational summit provide member feedback.Redesign membership categories. Special membership categories were eliminated to create equalityamong the members and break down silos and competition for resources. "By eliminating the categories,we created a membership structure that equally supports all types of nursing education. The volunteerleadership now understands the importance of working together to raise the level of quality across theentire profession," says Corcoran. Increase empowerment in decision making. Obviously, trust is not established overnight, but by 2000,change was beginning to show in the operations of NLN. The association recognized that to increase itsability to respond quickly to industry changes, staff and volunteers needed authority to make decisions.The traditional association hierarchical approach to decision making was assessed."I provide a tremendous amount of decision-making autonomy to business units to enable us to benimble," says Corcoran. "Changes are happening so fast that we can no longer afford to wait fordecisions to run up and down the leadership flagpole." NLN's guiding mantra is to give the individual orgroup closest to the project the authority to make decisions. The board developed specific policiesrelating to decision-making guidelines in the staff's job descriptions. For example, the director ofprofessional education has the authority to set the program for the annual educational summit and theCEO develops the board meeting agenda.Establish transparent operations. Corcoran recognized that transparency on a variety of levels wasimportant in creating a culture of trust, making wise decisions, and acting quickly. Research about11

members is collected by staff and distributed to all business units and appropriate committees. Corcoranalso recognizes the importance of being transparent with her chief elected officer. "Emphasizing theimportance of transparency allows me to be human with my president. Transparency encourages greatertrust, quicker decisions, and sustained nimbleness. It all works together to create the successfulassociation in today's changing environment," she says.Through successful change initiatives, the association was able to transform its culture to include the followingcharacteristics:a clear definition of what constitutes success for the association;continuous monitoring of member needs, wants, and preferences;power dispersed rather than held by a few;volunteer leaders and staff, with distinct and well-defined roles, participating as equal partners indecision making;association information shared rather then hoarded; andassociation activities and finances transparent to members.No one path to successAssociations like NLN and AHRA and others examined for the book The Will to Govern Well have notfollowed steps in exactly the same order or executed change in the same ways. But they have relied on commonelements necessary for evolving governance to a level that is well matched to their unique needs and dynamics.These organizationsdefined the governance philosophy right for the organization--what it will pay attention to and how itwill pay attention to those things;designed work processes that enable intelligent decision making (part of the design of the work processinvolves making decisions about how the executive committee, committee infrastructure, professionalstaff, and outsourced contracting can support the board's philosophy or approach to governance);decided on the outcomes the association seeks to achieve; anddetermined what work is needed to accomplish those outcomes and then decided how to best organize toaccomplish the outcomes.Building the will to govern wellAssociations that view themselves and are viewed by others as having the will to govern well have investedsignificant time and effort in infusing increased knowledge in work and decision making and have strengthenedthe culture to support higher levels of trust. They have achieved greater nimbleness through the emphasis onknowledge and trust as well as through defining success and setting boundaries that enable staff and volunteerwork groups to proceed without having to ask permission.Developing and sustaining the will to govern well is not about reinventing governance. It is about evolving it.The major obstacle in failed or flawed attempts at evolving governance is not a lack of knowledge. It isinsufficient will on the part of leadership to make change happen.So how do you build the will to govern well? The critical factor between successful and failed governancechange initiatives is how the change is designed. Successful change efforts are designed and implemented sothat the execution of the change initiative itself builds the will to govern well. Important factors include12

The presence of a leadership champion or champions constantly demonstrating commitment to anew way of doing the association's business. These leaders consistently communicated thesignificance and meaning of new systems and processes and exhibited a believable sense of energy andexcitement about doing things differently.An experiential approach toward a new way of governing. Leadership was not merely exposed tolecture or theory. Users of the new systems and processes were given active opportunities to experiencethem and participate in the customization for their association.Real issues of importance used in the prototypes of new kinds of governance dialogue. In manycases, this practice allowed the organizations' leaders to experience the contrast of employing new waysof dealing with issues that they had been attempting to resolve under old systems. It also gave them asatisfying sense of not just being trained but of executing real work in the process.Outside expertise and energy brought in at critical points in the process. In many associations, thefirst experience people had with new governance was successful because it was guided by consultantsand facilitators familiar with the process. This gave leaders an effective model for how the organization'sleadership could address issues of significance in new and productive ways.Many associations have begun to evolve their governance process, culture, and leadership behavior. Doing sowill strengthen the key competitive advantages of associations in the 21st century: the aggregate intellectualcapital of their membership, their energy as a community with common purpose, and their credibility asvoluntary institutions.Glenn Tecker is president and chief executive officer of Tecker Consultants, LLC, Trenton, New Jersey. JeanFrankel and Paul D. Meyer, CAE, are principal partners of the firm. They are coauthors of The Will ToGovern Well: Knowledge, Trust, and Nimbleness, sponsored by the ASAE Foundation and published by ASAE.E-mail: gtecker@tecker.com, jfrankel@tecker.com, pmeyer@tecker.com.13