John and Miriam Carver, Policy Governance Model
Referenced in: Policy Governance Model on Church Leadership
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
John and Miriam Carver are the originators of the Policy Governance Model, which is one of the most widely used board governance models in the world. Though not addressed specifically to churches, it is adopted by many congregations and faith-based non-profits. Those interested may investigate their model by going to their Carver website, and by browsing the books and resources listed below. Each is followed by the publisher’s description. Several volumes apply the Carver Model directly to churches, such as Dan Hotchkiss, Governance and Ministry, and Aubrey Malphurs, Leading Leaders.
In this revised and updated third edition, Carver continues to debunk the entrenched beliefs and habits that hobble boards and to replace them with his innovative approach to effective governance. This proven model offers an empowering and fundamental redesign of the board role and emphasizes values, vision, empowerment of both the board and staff, and strategic ability to lead leaders. Policy Governance gives board members and staff a new approach to board job design, board-staff relationships, the role of the chief executive, performance monitoring, and virtually every aspect of the board-management relationship. This latest edition has been updated and expanded to include explanatory diagrams that have been used by thousands of Carver’s seminar participants. It also contains illustrative examples of Policy Governance model policies that have been created by real-world organizations. In addition, this third edition of Boards That Make a Difference includes a new chapter on model criticisms and the challenges of governance research.
In the second edition of this best-selling Policy Governance operating manual, John Carver and Miriam Carver make this exciting approach to effective governance even more accessible and user-friendly, gleaning lessons learned in years of practice to help readers understand and use this invaluable model.
Carver’s groundbreaking Policy Governance model is the best-known, respected, and talked about governance model in the world and has fundamentally influenced the way organizations are governed. Reinventing Your Board, second edition, is a hands-on, step-by-step guide that puts the model to work in the meeting-to-meeting lives of board members. It includes new policy samples and a new chapter on monitoring performance, as well as other practical “put-the-model-in-motion” advice. This popular and highly successful companion to Boards That Make a Difference contains the nuts-and-bolts materials needed for implementing Policy Governance. The authors illustrate effective board decision making, show how to craft useful policies, and offer practical advice on such matters as setting the agenda, monitoring CEO performance, defining the board role, and more. Step-by-step instructions and sample policies make this a must-have resource for boards in the public and nonprofit sectors aiming to govern their organizations with excellence.
The Board Member’s Playbook – written for board members who are either familiar with or new to John Carver’s revolutionary Policy Governance model—offers real-world scenarios that address the challenges that confront boards of all types of organizations. Step by step, the authors walk readers through a proven problem-solving sequence that allows them to find solutions consistent with the values and policies of their organizations. Designed to be flexible, the book’s problem-solving methods are applicable to any challenge boards may face.
In this newest book on the Policy Governance approach to board leadership created by John Carver, Caroline Oliver gives readers practical, hands-on tools for getting the most from the system in the day-to-day operation of their boards. In the Policy Governance Fieldbook, Oliver explored the experience of 11 organizations that succeeded and failed in using Policy Governance. Now, she has drawn upon the most important lessons from that experience as well as her experience in helping many more organizations along the Policy Governance road to governing excellence. The result is a wealth of tools and resources for helping readers to:
- Decide if Policy Governance is right for them
- Identify and link with owners
- Develop means policies
- Create Ends policies
- Monitor Policies
- Run meetings
- Evaluate
- Plan for the future
Boards all around the world have adopted the revolutionary Policy Governance principles to improve their leadership and performance. This fieldbook is the latest addition to growing literature on the landmark model. Endorsed with a foreword by John Carver, this practical, unflinching resource closely examines eleven diverse organizations that have implemented Policy Governance in the United States and Canada. The authors analyze what works—and what doesn’t—in real world practice. The Policy Governance Fieldbook is for organizations considering, beginning to use, or already using Carver’s principles. Readers will discover practical advice based on the real-life experiences of organizations that have tried and tested Policy Governance for themselves.
Each chapter is built around a user-friendly, hands-on framework—first introducing a specific Policy Governance activity or challenge, exploring the experiences of boards that met this challenge, and then drawing key lessons from those experiences. Filled with tips and tools for implementation of key principles, the book is far from a theoretical treatise. It is a practical exploration of real organizations facing real challenges. The Policy Governance Fieldbook is an ideal guide for boards that are ready to lead their organizations to success.
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