5. The business of governing organisations
Caption: Port Hedland Governance workshop participants drew up “the governance truck” representing all the things governance needed to achieve to ensure the truck (the organisation) could go on the road. Registration, spare tyre, roof rack, water, shovel and swags, radio, tool box… and dog!
Governing is largely about making decisions. The decisions made by governing bodies could be:
- long-term policy and business planning decisions
- everyday decisions about operational guidelines
- how to spend funds
- short-term projects and goals.
A governing body must take on planning, leading, organising and controlling for these sorts of decisions.
In this chapter we will explore the crucial elements that go into governing an organisation, including:
- 5.1 Making decisions about money and how to manage it
- 5.2 Accountability: What kind, for whom, and how
- 5.3 Running effective meetings
- 5.4 Managing communications and information
- 5.5 Effective planning
Also:
- Resource 5.1 Tips—Good practices for managing money
- Resource 5.2 What can we do?—Good practices for governing bodies
- Resource 5.3 Snapshot—Developing a visual language for the money story
- Resource 5.4 Check-up—Are your processes accountable?
- Resource 5.5 Template—Meeting agenda
- Resource 5.6 Sample model resolutions
- Resource 5.7 Template—Procedure for decision making
- Resource 5.8 Template—Progress report on actions
- Resource 5.9 Template—Sample minutes
- Resource 5.10 Template—SWOT analysis
- Resource 5.11 Template—Governance development and action plan
- Resource 5.12 Check-up—How do we manage change?
- Resource 5.13 What can we do?—Future planning
- Resource 5.14 Quiz
Read next: 5.1 Making decisions about money and how to manage it
Read previous: 4.3 Capacity building for governance