Stanford offers podcast on improving board governance

The Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford University graduate School of Business has launched a series of podcasts under the title Social Innovation Conversations. The broadcasts can be downloaded to an MP3 player or listened to on a computer. Click here to access one of these conversations, that with William Ryan, a research fellow at Harvard University, on the topic of improving board governance.

According to the Center, “the nonprofit board governance literature has suggested that boards are unclear about their roles and responsibilities. In response to this issue, boards have been presented with more and more detailed and restrictive job descriptions.

“For William Ryan … the lack of clarity isn't the only culprit for the rampant lack of enthusiasm for governance among board members. Ryan suggests that boards find their work neither personally meaningful to them nor consequential for the organization and analyzes board disengagement as a problem of purpose.

“To remedy this situation Ryan offers a new conceptual framework for helping nonprofit organizations maximize the effectiveness of their boards called Governance as Leadership. Working in collaboration with noted consultants and researchers attuned to the needs of practitioners, Ryan redefines nonprofit governance and advocates for the enrichment of boards' work: more macro-governance in exchange for less micromanagement.”

If this or other podcasts in the series is of interest, listeners can click here to register to receive bi-weekly updates about new releases. Registration is free.