Six Steps to help you navigate the Governance Maze
Looking differently at governance
Good governance is not just about structures, roles, and compliance. It's about the community you've created within your organisation.
At Aeikon, we are helping organisations like yours transform from simply being good to becoming vibrant and healthy.
We have not been limited by traditional approaches to governance, but broadened it with a six-step approach which cuts straight to the heart of what organisations like yours are trying to achieve. We delve beyond compliance to focus on the development of your community, helping you to bring about positive change that will propel your organisation towards its goals.
Our six-step guide is simple, but grounded in evidence-based research and tested practical application in a number of different settings.
Traditional approaches to governance are framed in a way that serve the purposes of compliance or accreditation. While this is certainly important, focussing on structures, roles, responsibilities and accountabilities doesn't bring about positive change. However, by looking at governance through the lens of community our efforts are focussed on the process of change, where the strengths of individuals come together to build the strength of the community in a way that makes for a greater community experience for everyone.
This new approach to governance is based on the ‘The Community Capitals Framework’ which has emerged from sustainable community development practice.
Six Steps to better governing
The Community Capitals Framework is built around six types of individual and community strengths (known as capitals). These are Story, Wisdom, Action, Blessing, Name and Unity.
The more of these capitals that are in place and working, the stronger the community and, therefore, the greater and more sustainable the organisation can be.
This framework is transformational, helping us to collectively draw on our sense of hope and wonder, our dreams, our visions, and our confidence that better things are to come.
How does it work?
In order to assess the governance health of organisations, we provide board training and conduct governance reviews that are based on our framework.
We show you how to achieve good governance by drawing on these six guiding principles:
1. STORY - Being a learning community
what are the different experiences that are informing the way people in your organisation behave?
2. WISDOM - Being a communicating community
which are the most effective ways of thinking and communicating?
3. ACTION - Being a faithful community
how do individuals in your organisation put their thinking into action?
4. BLESSING - Being a growing community
what results does your organisation achieve for the effort expended?
5. NAME - Being a trusting community
what is your organisation's reputation among the wider public?
6. UNITY - Being an engaging community
how do individuals bring their individual strengths to contribute to your organisation?
These principles are likely to look different for each organisation but they are flexible enough to allow for the diversity of each organisational or community setting. We have applied this framework across industries and organisations with great success that could not have been achieved with traditional approaches to governance.
Using a combination of methods and tools that suit what you want to achieve, we openly celebrate organisational achievements and identify where improvements can be made. We also provide you with a comprehensive report of our findings that can be used by your governing body to continue to develop its governance plan and strategy.
Want to see real, sustainable, positive change in your organisation? We can help.
The Reviewer
Dr Ray Bartell is a business, education and community development specialist with over twenty years of experience working in the not-for-profit sector in Senior Executive and board roles both in Australia and overseas. He specializes in local systems of governance and has an interest in the foundations for effecting positive change. His approach is grounded in evidence-based research and his clients find his presentations and review methods both inspiring and rewarding.
Testimonial
"As a Co-Founder of a growing organisation, continuous improvement is a huge value for us to embrace for ongoing sustainability....Having a independent set of eyes is imperative to help you understand and asses the gaps but also highlight the things that are working....Having Ray Bartell come along side our organisation has been not just been an insightful exercise but has given me fresh perspective for future growth with a greater sense of value and alignment to our core mission and objectives....his leadership approach to understanding ‘Community Governance’ has been inspiring and has set a benchmark for us to commit to delivering an ongoing and progressive vision in changing young people's lives one at a time..... "
Paul Trinder
Co-Founder/Visionary Leader
Alta-1 College (WA)