Houston, we've had a problem here: Tackling board governance

Abstract

This is the first of four articles that will explore a range of problem areas in foundation trusts (FTs) that have caused the trust to have been identified by the FT regulator Monitor for special attention. These problem areas focus on the board's insight to its business, the information it has for decision making, the effectiveness of the non-executive challenge function, and how executives are held to account. This first article in the series tackles the board's insight to its business; these issues are equally applicable to governing bodies of commissioners. Three key issues are explored: the effectiveness of board strategy; the board's approach to system working; and the balance of central direction and control versus local autonomous action. The article explores the benefits of developing leadership down into the organisation for the board to operate at a strategic level. The article concludes with a set of actions that the board can implement so that its awareness of its business increases.