Director
An effective board is key to effective decision making. For pension scheme trustees, board effectiveness has an impact on the outcomes of members.
What makes an effective board?
We believe there are two main facets for determining a board’s effectiveness.
Operational:
- board and committee structure
- composition and interactions
- roles, responsibilities and delegations
- use of policies and internal processes
- reporting
- quality of pensions support
Behavioural:
- ways of working
- bringing to bear skills, knowledge and experience through the right behaviours
- leadership
- board dynamics and culture
- independent thinking
- stakeholder relationships
- decision-making
What do you get out of a board effectiveness review?
Our reviews put your board at the heart of the conversation and provide an opportunity to hold up a mirror to yourselves.
A Muse effectiveness review can help you:
- Develop stronger strategic thinking and decision-making
- Bring clarity and efficiency to ways of working
- Consider skills gaps and succession planning
- Better understand behaviours and board dynamics to get the best out of everyone
- Transition effectively in a period of change.
A Muse board effectiveness review is a positive and rewarding experience!
- We use interview techniques to facilitate candid sharing of views and the deeper probing of specific areas.
- The tools we use enable boards to look at themselves from a different perspective to understand culture and dynamics.
- We can provide behaviourial analysis.
- The pragmatic, tailored recommendations we provide are specific to your circumstances to strengthen your performance.
You get real value out of this work when you can look back a year later and see the progress you have made.
Why review your board and why now?
Typical reasons for a review include:
- A new trustee chair wants to understand the current level of effectiveness to assess the most appropriate leadership style
- Behavioural or operational issues distract from your oversight responsibilities.
- The collective capability of the board is not adding up to more than the sum of the parts.
- You have individuals on the board who impede effective working.
- There is a lack of effective leadership.
- Trustees are getting too much into the detail, to the detriment of more strategic, non-executive behaviour.
- You want to harness the benefits of diversity and inclusion.
- You are planning for the future, to build in sustainability, so that you are equipped to address change.
- A re-set is required and a review is a catalyst for change.
- You want an independent, external expert view.
How Muse Advisory work
We understand board dynamics
Our experience in the boardroom means we know what good looks like and we can bring ideas that are practical and bespoke to you and your board’s needs.
We are thoughtful and pragmatic
Our recommendations need to be workable for you. Understanding your circumstances, strategic direction of travel and what is important to you helps us provide the right insights. We present our findings clearly, with realistic actions that will make a difference.
We collaborate and engage
Our approach is collaborative, focusing on the needs of each board – we want you to succeed.
From the outset we work with you to build a relationship and give trustees and other participants confidence to be open. We share findings on a themed, non-attributable basis, engaging everyone in what next steps might be, building consensus on the action to take.
We are independent
Trustees should not feel constrained or conflicted in sharing their honest views. We are impartial in our approach, enabling the board to see for itself its positive traits and what might be undermining or hampering its effectiveness. We provide candid feedback.
What can a board effectiveness review involve?
The tools we use depend on the depth and type of review required.
Online questionnaire
Our online confidential self-assessment questionnaire tool produces a succinct visual summary for individuals and the board. We can identify training/ skills gaps as required.
Confidential interviews
Our expert interviewers provide an opportunity for an open, yet confidential, conversation with an informed listener. We identify what works well, what does not and how the board could do things differently to improve its performance. The conversations are two-way. It’s important for us that the board comes away feeling more engaged and cohesive.
Meeting observations
When we observe board or committee meetings we assess how, in practice, the trustees work together and use the information, support and advice available to them to understand the matters at hand and make decisions.
Personality profiling
The personality profiling we provide is dynamic and can be used as a standalone intervention or as part of a wider review. It helps boards understand how individuals think and communicate for the benefit of the board as a whole. It helps the trustee chair understand how to get the best of people and lead the board.
Facilitated workshops
We use workshops, where helpful, to address specific areas, e.g. competencies and behaviours, which require a more facilitated approach.
Each review is structured based on the needs of the board.
Meet our team
To learn more about our approach, please contact any member of our team.
