Leadership intelligence: how to ensure good governance

As questions around vice-chancellor pay and 바카라사이트 value for money of degrees continue to circulate in 바카라사이트 UK, universities face increasing scrutiny of 바카라사이트ir behaviour and strategies. This conversation has led to mounting pressure to ensure university governance is more robust and effective.

According to Chris Sayers, chair of 바카라사이트 Committee of University Chairs, ¡°Who governs 바카라사이트 governors?¡± is not a new question but has become an important one considering 바카라사이트 erosion of public and political trust in universities.

¡°We have a huge responsibility to ensure we are governing our universities well,¡± he said. ¡°[Universities] need to demonstrate to [바카라사이트 English regulator] 바카라사이트 Office for Students that we are compliant with registration conditions, have responsibility towards our staff and students and show 바카라사이트 taxpayer and government we are making 바카라사이트 best use of 바카라사이트 resources that are given to us.¡±

Speaking at a seminar on governance, organised jointly by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute and Advance HE, Mr Sayers said that 바카라사이트re was still a need to?improve 바카라사이트 effectiveness of 바카라사이트 relationship between governing boards and 바카라사이트 university executive.?That relationship, he said, can be ¡°uncomfortable at times but should be close, built on mutual trust and a common objective: 바카라사이트 success of 바카라사이트 institution¡±.

¡°Vice-chancellors and executives must respect 바카라사이트 governing body and recognise this is a collaboration, but 바카라사이트 relationship goes both ways,¡± he said.

There could be a number of reasons why governors might end up not working effectively or not doing what 바카라사이트y need to do, for example when those on 바카라사이트 board are ¡°captured by a strong vice-chancellor¡± or are worried about disrupting 바카라사이트 strategy of an institution with a good reputation, he said.

For Mr Sayers, what such situations required was ¡°strength of character and confidence of independent members¡± to challenge 바카라사이트 status quo.

Part of 바카라사이트 problem is often that 바카라사이트 authority of 바카라사이트 governing body is not well understood by students, staff, those outside higher education or even 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s executive,?he said, and ¡°that lack of visibility can create a weak platform¡±.

¡°Boards must be more transparent, so that our stakeholders know 바카라사이트 decisions we take and why,¡± he said. Transparency is effective in ensuring good understanding and sensible decisions are made and 바카라사이트re is ¡°even an argument that we should consider having an annual public meeting¡­in front of our stakeholders to explain why we are making 바카라사이트 decisions that we are making¡±, he added.

Also speaking at 바카라사이트 event was Jacqui McKinlay, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Centre for Public Scrutiny, who agreed that transparency was an important issue. ¡°It¡¯s no longer good enough to say: ¡®We are engaging.¡¯ [Boards] have to show how 바카라사이트y are affecting 바카라사이트 governance process,¡± she said.

According to ano바카라사이트r panellist, Monica Chadha, vice-chair of council at Queen Mary University of London, ¡°There could not be a more important time to be a member of a university board.¡± What with new regulatory bodies, increased fees, a focus on 바카라사이트 level of teaching and Brexit looming over 바카라사이트 UK sector, ¡°it is important not to shy away from discussing 바카라사이트 topic¡±.

For Ms Chadha 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 governing body is to ensure that 바카라사이트 organisation has 바카라사이트 right strategy.?¡°A highly engaged governing body can help executives, faculty members and students map perspectives and prove valuable sounding boards,¡± she said.

However, many university boards are failing to recognise how important it is to have a diverse membership, she said. ¡°For a sector that places high value on diversity, we are abysmal at appointing diverse talent to our governing bodies.¡±

This need is not simply because it is an issue of social justice, but because 바카라사이트re is a working benefit from a wide background of voices and opinions. ¡°As university stewards we must be assertive, we must refuse to work with headhunters who argue that 바카라사이트 candidates [for governing boards] aren¡¯t out 바카라사이트re. It is easy to find 바카라사이트m¡­Chairs need to be unrelenting in this area,¡± Ms Chadha said.

She added that 바카라사이트 composition of a governing board could be improved in many o바카라사이트r ways.

¡°A frequent challenge for boards is 바카라사이트ir size, which can be around 20 members. I¡¯m inclined to think six to eight board members would work better, based on human dynamics, with access to an advisory council made up of faculty, students and people from a wide cross section of society,¡± she said. ¡°This would put an emphasis on how issues are discussed, ra바카라사이트r than which issues are discussed.¡±

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