Power relations between boards and senior managers in the governance of public and non-profit organisations

This paper presents the findings of an in depth study of power relations between boards and senior managers in four organisations: a school and a FE college from the public sector and a national overseas development agency and a community-based organisation from the voluntary sector. Unlike many previous studies of boards this study draws on observations of what happened inside the boardroom as well as interviews and the analysis of board documents. Pettigrew and McNulty's (1995) tripartite model of power and influence is used to analyse and compare power relations in the four organisations. The paper argues that neither agency theory nor managerial hegemony theory adequately explains board power relations. In particular it highlights how differences in expertise and skill, and board processes and procedure helped shape different patterns of power

Making sense of co-operative governance: competing models and tensions

This paper focuses on how cooperatives and mutual associations are governed. At the heart of these arrangements is an organisation's governing body or board. Paralleling developments in the private sector, the quality of governance of co-operatives has been questioned. Serious concerns have been raised both about the democratic legitimacy of boards and their effectiveness, for example the ability of lay board members to effectively supervise senior managers, ensure probity and protect the interests of members and other relevant stakeholders

Challenges and future directions for third sector governance research

This paper examines some of the main limitations of research on the governance of third sector organisations. It argues that there are limitations in both the way governance has been conceptualised and the ways in which it has been researched. It suggests that research has focussed too narrowly on the boards of unitary organisations, and ignored both the wider governance system and the more complex multi-level and multi-faceted governance structures that many organisations have evolved. It also argues that the dominant research designs employed have been cross-sectional and positivist in orientation. As a result too little attention has been paid to board processes and change and how they are influenced by contextual and historical factors. Based on this analysis some new directions for third sector governance research are briefly mapped out

The role of corporate governance and boards in organisational performance

For more than two decades, successive UK governments have been concerned with modernising the delivery of public services and seeking performance improvements. As part of this drive, corporate governance arrangements across the sector have been reformed and much greater attention has been paid to the training, development and support of those serving on governing bodies and boards. An underlying assumption of these shifts in policy is that improvements in corporate governance arrangements, and in particular the working of boards, will lead to improvements in effectiveness. This chapter examines what evidence there is to support that assumption