The Case for Policy Governance: Hope for Boards

Phil Graybeal, EdD, served as administrator of ACSI accredited schools for 22 years and was a member of the ACSI Executive Board for several years prior to entering consulting in 200l. His firm, Graybeal and Associates, LLC, is committed to helping boards and administrators understand their respective roles in such a way that both enjoy the fruit of a fulfilled vision.

Board members are usually the “super volunteers” in Christian schools. They tend to have the highest level of commitment to the school, and often they represent some of the highest levels of personal excellence within the school constituency. So how is it, then, that the word on the street from Christian school heads is that one of the most—if not the most—unproductive and frustrating elements of leading a Christian school is interacting with the board?

There are some exceptions, but for the most part boards tend to be what is commonly referred to as a collection of very competent individuals who operate in an incompetent fashion. The issue is not one of heart intent. The problem is not that boards don’t work hard; it’s just that generally they don’t understand their governing role as distinct from that of management, and consequently they find themselves mired in “administrivia.” Good governance is not about how much the board controls, but rather whether the board controls the right things in the right way. Having clearly defined its role, a board ought to be just as disciplined about what it does as it expects the administrators to be about what they do.

This article is intended to wave a flag of optimism enthusiastically and say unequivocally that there is hope for boards. Even if you think that your board functions quite well for the most part and needs only to keep growing toward excellence in its governance capacity—read on anyway. The gift package of hope for improved governance comes wrapped in the box of Policy Governance—an integrated system of leadership designed by Dr. John Carver. His primary books are Reinventing Your Board (1997), written with Miriam Carver, and Boards That Make a Difference (1997). But before reading about the key principles of Policy Governance, you may find a few testimonials from “satisfied customers” interesting.

The following comments come from the board perspective:

• “Our school is fully implementing Policy Governance to allow the greatest productivity possible of the board of directors and school president.”—Mike Whatley, Board Chair, Front Range Christian School, Littleton, Colorado
• “We have, as a board, experienced a united vision and united voice. We have also experienced a true sense of teamwork with our administrative team as we each submit to one another in our respective, clearly defined roles." —Sara Oh, Board Secretary, International Community School, Bangkok, Thailand
• “You will substantially increase the effectiveness of your organization and the morale of those who serve in your organization. You will liberate your board and your CEO to do those things which they should be doing.”—Frank Rawls, Board Chair, Norfolk Christian Schools, Norfolk, Virginia

The following comments come from the administrative perspective:

• “Having worked with Policy Governance now for about two years, the most positive factor by far is really a derivative of the model. By not having to spend untold energy on responding to board rabbit trails, my creative juices have been unleashed in ways that never before really came to fruition.”—Dr. David Edgren, Administrator, Nebraska Christian Schools, Central City, Nebraska
• “Policy Governance clarified roles for the board and administration. It also clarified our core values and our mission. The model allowed for better accountability and greater autonomy for the administrative team.”—Karen Hartmann, Administrator, Rosehill Christian School, Tomball, Texas
• “I have more clarity now than ever before about the board’s expectations of me day to day and as I prepare for board meetings—no more frustrating guesswork. I also have been pleased to discover strong points of correlation between the Policy Governance model and key biblical truths about leadership.”—Dr. John Blumenstein, Headmaster, Westminster Catawba Christian School, Rock Hill, South Carolina

Mr. Tommy Blackmon, who serves as the board chair at Southside Christian School in Greenville, South Carolina, captured the essence of the testimonials by saying, “Personally, the Policy Governance model has been the most satisfying part of my board experience. We made a decision to trade being mired in details for an opportunity to do significant work in leading our school to new heights.” The following list explains the four pillars of Policy Governance (Oliver 1999):

1. Accountability
   1. The board must hold the administrator strictly accountable for policies it has stated.
   2. The board cannot hold the administrator accountable for policies it has not stated, nor can it take on itself responsibilities that belong to the administrator.
2. Empowerment
   1. The board must empower the administrator to carry out his or her responsibilities in an environment reasonably free from fear or uncertainty.
   2. The board must draw clear limits on the acceptable activities of the administrator.
3. Servant leadership
   1. The board must provide strong visionary leadership.
   2. The board must be a servant to the owners, for whom it holds the organization in trust.
4. Clarity of group values
   1. A healthy board should have rigorous diversity, and members should have freedom to express divergent opinions.
   2. The board has authority only when it is functioning and speaking as a group; individual members have no independent authority at all. The board must speak clearly with one voice.

These four pillars support and bind together an integrated system of 10 principles identified in the booklet CarverGuide #1: Basic Principles of Policy Governance (Carver and Carver 1996):

1. Board members are trustees for the ownership.
2. The board must speak with one voice or not at all.
3. Board decisions should predominantly be stated in the form of policies.
4. Boards should formulate policy from the outside in.
5. A board should define and delegate, not react and ratify.
6. The highest calling of a board using Policy Governance is to determine the organization’s ends.
7. The board should control how the staff operates only through predefined limits.
8. The board must be responsible for designing its own products and processes.
9. The board must forge a relationship with the administrator that provides necessary controls with maximum empowerment.
10. Performance must be rigorously monitored, but only against established predefined written policies.

One might ask how Policy Governance contrasts with other models. Whereas many boards try to lead through their rearview mirror by reviewing management practices, Policy Governance fosters forward thinking and focuses on identifying and reaching the results that a school wants to bring about in the lives of its students. Additionally, Policy Governance is not a “Mother, may I?” approval approach to leadership. Instead of being a board that tells the administrator to “Stop until we say go,” a Policy Governance board says, “Go unless we’ve said stop.” The empowerment is strong, and the accountability is clear.

Both independent and church-run schools can confidently use this system of governance with assurance that it is consistent with Scripture and it works. As a Carver-trained consultant to Christian schools, the writer has assisted schools in implementing Policy Governance in 16 states and 6 countries. The model is applicable in schools of any size and age. There is hope for boards. Ultimately that hope must forever be placed in the person of Jesus Christ as the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). As Christian educators serving Him together, please consider the tool of Policy Governance as a system of leadership to help “exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3).

Reference List

Carver, John. 1997. Boards that make a difference: A new design for leadership in nonprofit and public organizations. 2d ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Carver, John, and Miriam Mayhew Carver. 1996. Basic principles of Policy Governance. CarverGuide Series, no. 1. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Carver, John, and Miriam Mayhew Carver. 1997. Reinventing your board: A step-by-step guide to implementing Policy Governance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Oliver, Caroline, ed. 1999. The Policy Governance fieldbook: Practical lessons, tips, and tools from the experience of real-world boards. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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