This book shares the practical and tested experiences of board members and college presidents. Various dimensions of board performance are covered, from the ability to discern the culture and norms of the organization to the importance of being well informed about the roles, responsibilities, and performance of board members. The authors describe how a board can develop and maintain healthy relationships with key constituencies and how it shapes institutional direction.

In their highly regarded 1991 book, The Effective Board of Trustees, Chait, Holland, and Taylor 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 Improving the Performance of Governing Boards, the authors detail the findings of this multiyear 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 in real-life environments. The text is enhanced with charts and exhibits, and many revealing quotes from board members who participated in the study appear throughout. Readers will find that this book addresses the questions most frequently raised by institutional leaders and trustees about how to improve the performance of governing boards.