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SECTION 1
INTRODUCTION--EFFECTIVENESS OF BOARDS OF DIRECTORS
Determining the effectiveness of a board of directors (board) and fewer still are universally assessed. This is largely
responsible for policymaking and oversight for a nonprofit because of a focus on inputs and organization rather than on
public enterprise such as a transit system depends on a number outputs (in the form of decisions and policymaking leader-
of perspectives with regard to what is to be evaluated, who will ship for the organization).
do the evaluation, and the level in the overall social, economic, Although there are few questions in the assessment tool
and political environment at which the policymaking board pertaining to board attributes, the education or skills of the
operates. The system diagram shown in Exhibit 1 illustrates the board members, or their qualifications to represent particular
variables that ultimately affect the performance characteristics constituencies (such as the mobility impaired or economi-
that are to be evaluated by transit boards. cally disadvantaged), these characteristics are generally not
The diagram portrays the numerous factors that can affect a directly affected by a sitting board, and they are therefore not
board's effectiveness. However, the most immediate improve- considered in board effectiveness measurements. However,
ments the board can undertake are limited to its own actions. some may argue that many boards and many individual
The broader category of effort that boards exert to achieve board members are consulted regarding upcoming board
intended results is called "Board Actions Behavior" in the appointments. Those boards that do advise their appointing
diagram to include patterns of actions and effort to alter atti- agencies about the skills and characteristics that are needed
tudes that may improve the board's effectiveness. Another in future appointees to the board may decide to add such
important measure of board effectiveness is board results. characteristics to the self-assessment. However, an expert
Typical measures of board results include the proportion of panel that selected the evaluation criteria concurred that
meeting time spent on substantive discussions, the effective- boards generally do not affect appointments and decided that
ness of committee structures, and agenda prioritization. board attributes should not be a board effectiveness assess-
However, few of these measures attract unanimous support, ment factor.
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Enabling Board
Statute Attributes
Board Effectiveness
Assessment System
Board Actions
Behavior Board Results
Public, Media, Policy-
Maker Support Staff and
Operations
Effectiveness
Agency Performance
Funding Constraints
External Influences
Transportation
Environment
Built
Environment
Exhibit 1. Board effectiveness assessment system.
