Board Self-Assessment Tools

Sometimes the Board is synonymous with the executive team, but in this role, it needs to think and behave very differently from in day to day to operations.

 

Self-assessment is about understanding exactly where you are, raising your awareness, keeping your eye ‘on the ball’. It is complementary, rather than an alternative, to Board health checks and stocktakes, since both approaches have advantages and disadvantages in the context of reviewing the Board’s activity.

 

Whilst our range of Board health checks and stocktakes allow for us as an “external eye”/critical friend to look objectively at the Board’s activities and ways of working, the use of self-assessment, using a rigorous structured approach allows for the Board itself, or a subset of its members, to engage more fully in the review process. This engagement provides a meaningful opportunity for Board member development and for heightened focus in relation to issues that Board members are familiar with. Accordingly, we recommend that self-assessment should always be used as part of the review activity.

 

The danger with self-assessment is that it is not rigorous or critical enough, so having access to a rigorous structured approach is important. For this reason, it is our policy to make available at low-cost Board Self-Assessment Tools that are based on the same principles underlying our range of Board health checks and stocktakes. Even if you do not engage with us more fully in the process, these, properly used, will provide a low cost and effective review of Board activity and conduct.

 

If required, some customisation and coaching can be provided alongside these tools, at an additional cost. Alternatively, an integrated team approach can be employed whereby the self-assessment is directly supported, or possibly led, by us.