Governance
Fundamentals
Fulfilling Organizational Purpose, Responsibly

Clarifying the Role of the Board
A board must pursue organizational purpose responsibly. Practically, directors delegate much to management. The program covers essential board functions, effective delegation, and methods for individual directors to enhance their effectiveness. We offer two participation formats to meet learning needs:
Individual Director Development
Organizational Board Training
With Purpose & Clarity, Boards go from . . .

Current State
Uncertain directors about the expectations of their role
Overly-focused on operational details
Unclear mandates and authorities
Redoing committee work at the board
Dysfunctional board dynamics
Frustration among staff due to inefficient use of time and unclear outcomes


To Alignment

Confident and focused board members

Centered on strategy, oversight, and fiduciary care

Enhanced ability to identify board-level decisions

Effective committees working on behalf of the board

Constructive board-management relationship

Empowered staff with clear authority
Most people don’t learn about governance in school. This means board members often have different ideas about what boards should do.
What if your entire organization could run more smoothly by ensuring everyone understands and aligns on the board’s role and responsibilities?
The 3 Programs of Governance Fundamentals
Governance Fundamentals enhances individual development and enables the board’s collective learning. The sessions are for individuals, entire boards, and/or senior teams to help develop a shared understanding of how a board can work together with management in complementary roles. This orientation helps everyone be more effective.

1. Board Fundamentals
Establishing a sound foundation. Every board and director is on a learning journey. These sessions help clarify roles and build confidence and teamwork. We cover:
- Good governance principles and the board’s role
- Key responsibilities and current trends
- Optimizing board-management partnership
- What skills and qualities make for great and valued directors

2. The Strategic Role of the Board
The board’s contribution. We explore what is strategic foresight and how boards can use it to create the conditions necessary for resilience through change. In this way, boards can:
- Make sense of their organization’s context and current state
- Identify and monitor critical factors
- Practice collaborative learning for navigating complexity

3. Asking Questions as a
Director * popular *
Building confidence and capability to ask questions. This session explores how board members can ask effective questions that contribute to robust dialogue in the boardroom. We focus on:
- Understanding the board’s oversight and leadership role
- Techniques for framing effective and respectful questions
- Elevating the quality of dialogue
Empowering Individuals & Organizations
Governance Fundamentals supports directors learning alone or together on a board.
Individuals learn how to add value on the board. Become a more knowledge-able contributor and confident contri-butor. We use visual metaphors and examples for better learning and recall.
Organizations receive customized sessions based on your governance structure, history, culture, and policies. We align concepts with your organization, highlight trends in board responsibilities, and foster meaningful discussions. Many use our program for annual board orientation.
Praise for Governance Fundamentals
Ready to Level-Up
TAG’s Next-Level Boards approach explores how boards can exercise leadership in times of change by adopting a systems view and a regenerative perspective–making things better for everyone. Topics include:
- Systemic foresight
- The web of stakeholder relationships
- The potential of AI
- Multi-capitals decision-making
Most importantly we’ll cover how to integrate all these considerations into regular board work for wiser decision-making.
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