Carver's model appears to be very powerful. I commend the School Board
for taking this step.
See the following:
Carver, J, *Boards that Make a Difference*, (Jossey-Bass, 1997)
Carver, J. and Carver, M.M., *Reinventing Your Board*, (Jossey-Bass, 1997)
The idea is for the board to set the strategic mission, the vision, the
"ends" (as Carver calls them) to be achieved. The board then delegates to
staff (through the CEO) the job of accomplishing those ends. The means
are left to the discretion of the CEO and his/her staff. As a measure of
control, the board establishes "executive limitations", parameters within
which the staff must operate, such as "All means must be legal, ethical
and reasonably prudent." By clearly defining these organizational roles,
the Board and Staff are freed to do what they do best.
In Carver's words, "all board policies fall into these groups:
"1. Ends: The organizational 'swap' with the world. What human needs are
to be met, for whom (outside the operating organization), and at what
cost or relative worth.
"2. Executive Limitations: Those principles of prudence and ethics which
limit the choice of staff means (practices, activities, circumstances,
methods).
"3. Board-Executive Relationship: The manner in which power is passed to
the executive machinery and in which the use of that power is assessed.
"4. Board Process: The manner in which the board represents the
'ownership' and provides strategic leadership to the organization."
*Boards That Make a Difference*, p. 34.
Note, however, that Carver's model leans heavily on a well-defined Chief
Executive, something which the City does not (at least formally) have. I
don't think that would be a real problem for implementing such a model
here, but some modification would be needed to achieve the same
objectives.
For an interesting and somewhat related article, see the Vice President's
brief interview in the October 2000 issue of FastCompany magazine where
he describes his model of strategic leadership (Governor Bush is also
interviewed):
http://fastcompany.com/online/39/vote.html
I was studying one of Carver's books at work one day when one Council
Member (who shall remain nameless) came in and asked about it. I briefly
described the model and suggested that it seemed to make a lot of sense.
The person's response was, "That stuff will never work around here."
And there you have it.
Barret W.S. Lane
Fulton Neighborhood
City of Minneapolis
Council Member, Ward 13
Minority Leader
