Boards as Strategy Makers: The Antecedents and Consequences of Board Involvement in Strategic Decision Making

This study describes the antecedents and consequences of the direct involvement of boards in forming the strategies of the organizations they serve. If boards are involved directly and early in the strategic decision making process rather than being held at the periphery, board members may become important assets to their organizations as strategy makers beyond their limited contributions as monitors or advisors. By providing a look inside the “black box” of decision making in board rooms, this research addresses a gap in the strategy and board literatures and has important practical implications for executives and board members who are interested in utilizing their boards to the greatest advantage for their organizations. Board members and chief executive officers who are currently making strategic decisions in a hospital context detailed their involvement in the decision making process in their responses to surveys designed for this study. Utilizing structural equation modeling for analyzing these responses, this study indicates that board members who bring human capital, social capital, and Board Capital (human and social capital in concert) to the board room are more likely to participate early in the strategic decision making process by raising or clarifying issues, generating or evaluating alternatives, or choosing strategies rather than only coming into the process at the end to review and accept or reject the recommendations of the top management team. And when board members are directly involved in forming strategy, the strategic decisions are more likely to be implemented and the implemented strategies are more likely to result in positive financial outcomes. Thus, boards as strategy makers impact the strategic decision making process and the organization in important ways. This study has shown that there are identifiable antecedents and positive consequences of boards acting as strategy makers

Leadership Instruments Library (LIL) for Graduate Research

Created by Sam Nickels at the request of the School of Strategic Leadership Studies (SSLS) program at James Madison University, 2016-2017. Anyone should feel free to suggest updates, expand the information on instruments or add new instruments. Send the information to SSLS and we’ll screen the info before adding it to the library. Suggested changes/additions need to be well documented with citations. To provide corrected or new information, please contact the School of Strategic Leadership Studies at James Madison University: [email protected]. We hope you find it useful! Dr. Sam Nickels, former graduate assistant at SSLS and Dr. Karen Ford, Head, SSLS

Educational change and ICT: an exploration of priorities 2 and 3 of the DfES e-strategy in schools and colleges: the current landscape and implementation issues

Landscape review of integrated online support for learners and collaborative approaches to personalised learning activities

Small Nonprofit Collaboration

A growing and current body of literature discuss collaborative best practices, pitfalls, funder pressures, and present case studies. Missing from this literature is the representative voices of small nonprofits and their views regarding collaborative activities designed to reduce fixed costs, reach more clients, maximize fundraising, and manage external environments. Small nonprofits have been encouraged to consider collaboration to leverage their resources and viability. Many rural nonprofit organizations can be classified as small nonprofits. These organizations respond to local needs with people deeply invested in their communities. In this study, representatives of small nonprofit organizations were surveyed to learn whether collaboration differs in small nonprofit organizations from findings in the literature about nonprofit organizations of all sizes. The information gained from this research can be used by leaders of rural nonprofit programs to guide their understanding of successful collaboration and barriers for small nonprofits

Diversity and Inclusion Toolbox: Action Items for the Nonprofit Sector

There is a critical lack of diversity in leadership, particularly African-American women, across all sectors. Given that the nonprofit sector is an integral part of the social system, it makes sense to have leaders that reflect the social fabric of the United States. Diversifying the nonprofit work is an important goal, not only given underrepresentation but also because of looming population shifts. This paper builds on previous mixed methods research by the authors by adding concrete implications and action points to increase diversity and inclusion