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Diversifying governance through shadowing programmes

Introduction

This resource summarises the learning of five organisations running Board shadowing programmes: Smallwood Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Charity Bank, University of Durham, Board Racial Diversity. While each shadowing programme is different, they are all connected by a shared goal – to diversify governance spaces. Details of the 5 organisations and their approaches are summarised in this document.

This work is set in the wider context where we know diverse boards make better decisions and generate more impact, income and innovation for their organisations (Why diversity matters even more | McKinsey); and yet, as a recent report commissioned by the Charity Commission for England and Wales found, trustee diversity has not improved much over the last 18 years (Regulator reveals insights from large-scale trustee research project | PBE).

Why develop a shadowing programme?

A shadowing programme can help:

  • Demystify governance: Most people don’t know what governance is, what the opportunities are or the skills that can be gained.  A shadowing programme can open-up governance processes to those unfamiliar to them, improving transparency.
  • Raise the profile of the host organisation: Engagement in the programme can increase interest and engagement from sector stakeholders and create greater transparency about what the host organisation does e.g. how a grant making organisation operates.
  • Help improve existing board dynamics: Hearing new perspectives around board room enables the existing board to reflect on the value these new voices bring.  The board can gain a better self-awareness of its current dynamics, and how it could be more inclusive in its make-up and practices.
  • Benefit shadowees: The programme can help shadowees to build their skills and confidence, amplify their voice, create new networks. in addition to helping change the perception of trusteeship.

Core features

  • Shadowing the Board: Participants attend all board meetings and have the opportunity to attend any associated subcommittee meetings of the Board e.g. attending grant making panels or participating in optional governance training.
  • Being heard: Shadowees do not carry any legal responsibilities but are invited to fully take part in Board discussions.
  • Cohort model: Recruiting diverse participants, typically 2-4 people so they can support each other along the way.

Support for shadowees

It was clear to maximise the opportunity shadowees needed more than to be invited to join board meetings. A level of built in training and support made a huge difference to the impact of the shadowing programme.  This could include:

  • An induction to get key information across about the organisation, it’s people, mission, values and the roles and responsibilities of both the shadowee and host organisation – ideally a written induction pack for people to read, supported by a live information session to talk through.
  • Pre-meetings for each board meeting to go through the upcoming agenda and address any questions.
  • De-brief meetings to talk through how the board meeting was for people, drawing out observations, thoughts and reflections.
  • Taking a relational approach by intentionally building in moments for people to connect and be supported.  This could include:
    • Monthly one-on-ones - to set personal objectives and track if these are being met over time
    • Mentoring - buddying up a board member with a shadowee so they have a key point of contact to support them
    • Coaching - to support their personal and professional development
    • Peer to peer connection - shadowees are enabled to connect with one another e.g. via a WhatsApp group or creating safe spaces for shadowees to meet each other outside of formal meetings.

What support is offered may need to look and feel slightly different, recognising that shadowees will be at different stages of their lives and have different needs.

  • Paying people:  As well as routinely inviting people to claim their out of pocket expenses, some organisations paid shadowees a fee for attending board meetings and giving up their time and expertise.   More common was offering a development grant (e.g. £500) to support any development needs that were identified through the programme.
  • Training sessions on things like governance, leadership skills, group dynamics and communication styles.

Key learning to date

Senior Leadership is key: Direct involvement of senior leaders ensures this work is prioritised and taken forward. Where it is delegated to more junior staff, the programme can lack profile (internally) and not be a priority for action.

A small step to culture change:  This work has the greatest impact if it is aligned to and helps progress the existing strategy and values of your organisation, for example, embedding it into your governance strategy and showing how it supports your existing approach to EDI.  If it is not embedded, then there is a danger it looks and feels like a performative, standalone tick box exercise.

Recruit openly:  Recruitment works best when you:

  • are clear who you are looking for (e.g. people with lived experience of poverty/people with no prior trustee experience etc.).
  • combine approaching your own client base but also advertise the opportunity openly.
  • develop an inclusive recruitment pack and ideally offer the opportunity to speak to someone before making an application (or to save time run a pre-application information session)

Value lived, learned and practice expertise:  Boards have traditionally valued skills drawn from education/qualifications achieved and technical knowledge and skills drawn from your profession.

The aim of the shadowee programme is to open up governance spaces to a wider more diverse group of people. Being explicit that you value lived experience expertise (or prioritising this, if this is a gap on your current Board) is important for this opportunity to feel different and genuinely open.

Take a trust-based approach to drawing in lived experience expertise: The host organisation should communicate the first hand experiences it would like people to have, and only require people to state they have it (one organisation simply got people to tick a box at application stage).

No one needs to recount the details of their lived experience. This should be made clear to all.

Understand the impact on board dynamics:  As noted above this impact can be positive, in helping you reflect on your current board make-up or ways of working; however it can also mean:

  • board discussions can take more time: not only are there more voices to bring into the discussion but slower progress might be made because more detailed explanations may be needed to ensure everyone understands.
  • less robust challenge: Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) may not challenge decisions as robustly as they might if shadowees are not in the room.

Set clear boundaries: It is useful to have some sort of ‘roles and responsibilities document’ that sets out the expectations for both the shadowee (addressing issues like attendance, engagement, confidentiality) and the host organisation – an agreement that is signed by both parties at the beginning.

State the limitations of the offer:  Timing of meetings can either support or go against access and inclusion, depending on your personal circumstances.

For example, for some weekday meetings are near impossible given work commitments, for others evening meetings may be hard due to caring responsibilities. Making clear the limitations of the offer is important.

Ending well: Shadowing programmes generally run for 6-12 months.  Ensuring the programme ends well is important. This can include:

  • a moment of celebration with a certificate;
  • an alumni programme that enables shadowees to stay connected and continue to be ‘part of the our family’;
  • to be open to providing on going support, e.g. if they need a reference
  • wrap-up training on ‘how to become a trustee’

Questions for the future

Everyone who had developed and implemented a shadowing programme recognised that this approach evolved each time it was iterated.  A number of questions still need thinking through:

Who is the ideal candidate for this type of opportunity?

Some organisations have on-boarded people who have shown curiosity and ambition to get to know what governance (and the charitable sector) is about but have been less focussed on the desire to become a trustee in the future.  Here the motivation is to support greater transparency and access to governance spaces.

Others have focused on recruiting people who are aspiring trustees (some with the aim of developing a future pipeline of potential applicants) – so by default have a level of understanding of this layer of leadership in an organisation.  Here it is worth thinking through if you are:

Filling an identified skills gap(s) on your Board: If you are more concerned about harnessing particular skills (e.g. finance, legal, HR), then recruiting aspiring trustees with those skills may make more sense. 

Filling an identified diversity gap on your Board: If you are concerned about a lack of diversity and representation from the communities you serve (considering race, class, age, lived expereince, etc.), then opening it up to those who are curious about trusteeship and hold the experience you need to be a more effective organisation will be a better alternative. 

Being clear on your organisation's motivations for doing this work will help determine what is right for you. 

How can this opportunity be a more equitable experience?

Some shadowees were recruited because of the lived experience expertise they had to offer.

Good practice means that people only share what they feel comfortable sharing - and it should be made clear regularly that there is no expectation that anything needs to be shared.

However, there was a recognition that when shadowees do share their lived experience, this may not be reciprocated by the existing Board and executives. The question remains: should it be?

Are there some discussions shadowees should not be present in?

Could such schemes have a better name?

Contributing organisations and details of their board shadowing programmes

Details about the five contributing organisations’ different approaches, and links to further information – packs, resources, learning.