Governance as Leadership redefines nonprofit governance and prepares readers to govern more effectively in light of an expanded concept of governing. Current definitions of nonprofit governance focus on the board’s fiduciary work in protecting an organization’s assets, or on its strategic work in developing plans that will advance its mission. Boards rarely practice a third type of governing–what the authors label Type III, or generative governance–even though it offers board members their most meaningful work and organizations the highest and best use of boards. The book proposes Type III as a complement to the first two types of governing, and develops strategies and tactics for practicing this new type of governance.
Book Details:
- Author: Richard P. Chait
- ISBN: 9780470315453
- Year Published: 2005
- Pages: 224
- BISAC: BUS074000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Nonprofit Organizations & Charities
About the Book and Topic:
Governance as Leadership redefines nonprofit governance and prepares readers to govern more effectively in light of an expanded concept of governing. Current definitions of nonprofit governance focus on the board’s fiduciary work in protecting an organization’s assets, or on its strategic work in developing plans that will advance its mission. Boards rarely practice a third type of governing–what the authors label Type III, or generative governance–even though it offers board members their most meaningful work and organizations the highest and best use of boards. The book proposes Type III as a complement to the first two types of governing, and develops strategies and tactics for practicing this new type of governance.
Nonprofit executives and trustees alike often find board work (outside of fundraising) inconsequential to their organizations performance. Instead of papering over this serious problem with basic instruction on board roles and procedures, Governance as Leasership responds to it by proposing a new, more meaningful, more valuable vision of governing work.
As sponsor of the project that has led to this book, BoardSource will be a major marketing agent of the book, through its mailing list, newsletters, and conferences. The authors each speak at conferences on nonprofit management and governance–an average of six major conferences per year each; and each teaches in executive education programs at Harvard University and elsewhere. The authors are nationally respected researchers of nonprofit governance and management who have published a number of influential books and articles on these topics and are also in high demand as consultants, speakers, and teachers who can respond to the needs of practitioners.
About the Author
Richard P. Chait (Boston MA), a professor of higher education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, studies the management and governance of colleges and universities. He studies the roles, responsibilities, and performance of boards of trustees, and has written on faculty work life. Chait was recently selected by the Fulbright New Zealand Board of Directors as a Fulbright U.S. Distinguished American Scholar. Bill Ryan (Boston MA) is a consultant to foundations and nonprofit organizations and a research fellow at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University. His work focuses on nonprofit organizational capacity, primarily among human-service organizations. Dr. Barbara E. Taylor (Washington DC) is a senior consultant with the Academic Search Consultation Service in Washington, D.C. Before joining Academic Search, she served for 12 years as Director and then Vice President for Programs and Research at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Previously, she held administrative positions at Marymount College (Tarrytown, NY), Mansfield University, Pennsylvania State University, and the Central Administration of the State University of New York.