Improving the Performance of Governing Boards

In their highly regarded 1991 book, The Effective Board of Trustees, the authors identified six skill sets or competencies that differentiate strong governing boards from weak ones. Now they have taken their research to the next level by conducting an in-depth study of how the boards of colleges, universities, and other nonprofit organizations can raise their level of competence. In this new book, the authors detail the findings of this study and address the topics of effective trusteeship, board development, board cohesion, trustee education, and the improvement of board processes. They also discuss effective ways of responding to the resistance some trustees and institutional leaders exhibit toward board development efforts. All of the recommendations offered in the book have been field tested. The text is enhanced with charts and exhibits, and revealing quotes from board members who participated in the study appear throughout.

RICHARD P. CHAIT is professor of higher education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
THOMAS P. HOLLAND is professor and director of the center for Social Service Research and Development, University of Georgia, Athens.
BARBARA E. TAYLOR is senior associate at the Academic Search Consultation Service, Washington, D.C.