Presenter: Gwen DuBois-Wing. Relationships to commercial interests: Grants/Research Support: None Speakers Bureau/Honoraria: None Consulting Fees:

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2 Presenter: Gwen DuBois-Wing Relationships to commercial interests: Grants/Research Support: None Speakers Bureau/Honoraria: None Consulting Fees: None Other: None 2

3 Highlight findings from my 2016 research which explored what Board Chairs & CEOs/EDs perceive create and sustain a generative mode in the boardroom. Identify how to optimize generative thinking in the boardroom. Explore practical approaches to implement the generative mode in your board and senior leadership dialogue, deliberations and decision making.

4 Research question: What do Board Chairs and CEOs perceive as factors that create and sustain a generative mode of governance in a boardroom? Qualitative, descriptive research. Built on work of Governance as Leadership (Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005) and Trower (2013). (c) G. DuBois-Wing 4

5 The Board Chairs and CEO/EDs for this study were individuals who: Led a healthcare board located within Ontario; Demonstrated constructive stakeholder relationships and/or are working to actively engage with their internal and external community; Maintained a constructive Board/CEO relationship as assessed by key governance leaders, experts or consultants; Provided leadership to a board that demonstrates leading governance practices; Provided leadership to a board identified as being stable to higher performing, as assessed by key governance leaders, experts or consultants.

6 15 Board Chairs and 15 CEOs/EDs 30 interviews 9 hospital Board Chairs and CEOs 4 CHC Board Chairs and CEOs/EDs 2 CCAC Board Chairs and CEOs

7 (Chait, Ryan & Taylor, 2005) 7

8 Micro-managing. Meddling. Questioning every issue or recommendation. Procrastinating. Indecision. Shifting inquiry to an extreme, unproductive level. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 8

9 Creating & Sustaining a Generative Mode in the Boardroom 9

10 Harm reduction; safe injection sites Mergers with/taking on other organizations Integration Back office integration Capital planning; redevelopment; facilities planning Electronic health record Sustainability funding, etc. Assisted suicide System leadership on some projects: Health Links Assisting with system challenges Thinking of issues with a new lens What s possible? (c) G. DuBois-Wing 10

11 Leadership Board/CEO Relationship Time Generative Mode Culture of Inquiry Expertise/ Skills Board Engagement 11

12 Commitment to excellence. Best board I have been on. Healthcare governance: View through Complex Adaptive System lens. Challenge of understanding healthcare system. Focus on broader healthcare system. Being part of solution. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 12

13 Complex adaptive systems perspective: What is our piece in the puzzle of person/client/patient centredness? How can we make a difference? How can we contribute to making the system better? How can we be the best community hospital in North America and beyond? How do we be the best academic health sciences centre in North America and beyond? How do we ensure we push the envelope well beyond average? Average isn t acceptable. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 13

14 As a CEO, I want to be challenged...you need to push me...my Board Chair and I are very aligned about this. We know we can be part of the solution. (Board Chair) We are often approached, by the Ministry and others, to be part of the solution. We see this as our responsibility. How do we keep up with this? We challenge ourselves are we up for this? And yes, this may be a stretch and we are up to this! (ED) We have a lot of bright minds around our table. They have lived experiences. They ve dealt with complex issues. They want to have their skills used. (Board Chair) Our board members and senior team they want to make a difference. It matters for many future generations. (Board Chair) (c) G. DuBois-Wing 14

15 CHAIR/CEO RELATIONSHIP Trust Respect Support Critical to board success Healthy relationship/healthy boundaries Constructive challenge BOARD/CEO RELATIONSHIP Trust Respect Rapport Support CEOs/EDs want to be challenged Balanced relationship Implications of poor relationship (c) G. DuBois-Wing 15

16 and they re a group, they re a collective, they don t see themselves as individuals. They really see where we re going to be we re a collective making the best decisions we can as a group without getting into group think or micromanagement. ~ CHC ED (c) G. DuBois-Wing 16

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18 Good strategic thinking and decision making often require a shift in perspective particularly in environments characterized by significant uncertainty and change. What worked in the past simply may not apply in the future. Asking what if questions about the future may create discomfort, since answers are often not obvious. But asking such questions also forces you to step back and challenge current assumptions that prevent you from seeing breakthrough solutions. ~ Shoemaker & Krupp, 2015 The Power of Asking Pivotal Questions 18

19 Leaders are often limited by selective perception and seek information that confirms what they wish to believe. Most don t ask tough questions because they filter out weak signals that don t fit their mental models. ~ Shoemaker & Krupp, 2015 The Power of Asking Pivotal Questions 19

20 Exceptional boards embrace the qualities of a continuous learning organization, evaluating their own performance and assessing the value that they add to the organization (BoardSource, 2005, p. x). Various formats: retreats, provincial conferences, self-directed learning, governance sessions, etc. Storytelling (i.e. Client stories). Internal & external tours. External experts (c) G. DuBois-Wing 20

21 Exploited various opportunities for learning (learning organization). Dedicated resources for board development. Board information: Reframing Clear, concise, informative. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 21

22 Board Participation Active participation Preparation Attendance Use of Board Capital Intellectual Social Political Reputational Board Engagement Internal External View of broader health system (c) G. DuBois-Wing 22

23 Purposeful, rigorous recruitment process Use of skills matrix Diversity. Effective orientation & onboarding. Context matters Current needs of organization Environmental realities. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 23

24 EDUCATION DESIGN PRIORITIES AD HOC MEETINGS Time Constraints PREPARATION VIDEO External engagement Leadership Role BLOG ORIENTATION TRAINING KNOWLEDGE TIME Folllow-up RESOURCES TRAINING Social Media FOLLOW Data Balance YES RISK INTENSE Task Groups Self-directed learning LEAD INTERNAL EVENTS s TEXT INTERNET ONBOARDING Committee work INFORMATION OVERLOAD Learning Curve BOARD DEVELOPMENT READING ENGAGE COMMUTER NETWORK BUSY STUDY IMPROVE PHONE coordinate engaged VIDEO HOURS PER WEEK CLOCK Technology-enabled Videoconference SPEED PRIORITIZE INTERNET TIME INFORMATION Time sensitive BOARD MEETINGS Consent Agenda urgent Media clippings Just-in-Time (c) G. DuBois-Wing 24

25 Focus on consequential issues. Comfort with ambiguity. Generative mode: Sensemaking Framing Discerning Learning. Generative conversations: Engaged, robust dialogue Deliberation Constructive dissent Encourage different viewpoints Respectful challenge. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 25

26 Making it Happen in Your Boardroom 26

27 Different thinking: new ways of framing, making sense, learning. Can t draw lines in the sand. More engaged boards. Greater board effectiveness. (c) G. DuBois-Wing 27

28 We must resist the urge to assume that task and structure are the sum total of governance. We can more easily do this if we shift our thinking from What is governing? to Toward what ends are we governing? (Trower, 2013) 28

29 Set goals. Requires preparation and thinking prior to the meeting. Ensure the right amount and type of board information and data: Highlights Executive summaries White papers Dashboards Requires careful consideration and preparation by senior leadership. Engage in dialogue and debate: Frame specific questions for discussion and/or that require consideration. Stage a debate: 1/3 make case for; 1/3 make case against; 1/3 listen and reflect what they learned. (Trower, 2014; DuBois-Wing, 2016)

30 Allocate time for deliberations, separate from decisions. Develop annual work plan for generative discussions. Seize opportunities for just in time generative discussions. Highlight generative opportunities during routine fiduciary and strategic discussions. Use small groups to take deep dives on consequential issues (i.e. work groups, ad hoc committees, etc.). Distribute leadership. Invite various board members to lead discussions, etc. Rotate board members who summarize each month s meeting highlights. Position various board members to be devil s advocate. (Trower, 2014; DuBois-Wing, 2016)

31 Additional Strategies & Thoughts (c) G. DuBois-Wing 31

32 What one step can you take to promote a culture of inquiry in your boardroom? Individually? Collectively? (c) G. DuBois-Wing 32

33 Based on your experience: What has exemplified or come closest to a culture of inquiry within your boardroom? What did that look like? Who were the key players involved? What helped? What could be done differently? (c) G. DuBois-Wing

34 Berger, W. (2014). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing USA. BoardSource (2005). The source: Twelve principles of governance that power exceptional boards. Washington DC: BoardSource. Chait, R.P., Ryan, W.P. & Taylor, B.E. (2005). Governance as leadership: Reframing the work of nonprofit boards. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. De Bono, E. (1989). Six thinking hats. London, UK: Penguin. DuBois-Wing, G. (2016). Creating and sustaining a generative mode in the boardroom. Santa Barbara, CA: Fielding Graduate University. Unpublished dissertation (In progress). Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Schoemaker, P.J.H. & Krupp, S. (2015). The power of asking pivotal questions. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(2), 39. Trower, C. (2015). Flipping the boardroom for trustee engagement: Why and how. Trusteeship, 23(2). Retrieved from Trower, C. (2012). Mental maps to a new governance model. Boards: Official publication of the Governance Centre of Excellence 1. Toronto, ON: Ontario Hospital Association. Trower, C.A. (2013). The practitioner s guide to governance as leadership: Building high-performing nonprofit boards. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. 34

35 Gwen DuBois-Wing DuBois-Wing + Associates gdubois-wing@tbaytel.net