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9 Principles of Good Governance for Better Decision-Making

Good governance is essential across the private and public sectors to ensure that organisations meet the needs of their stakeholders, create momentum to reach their goals and maintain compliance with the legislation that relates to them.  This is why leaders in charge of guiding private and public institutions must understand the principles of good governance. This article explores what these principles are and how you can implement them to drive your organisation onwards.  Key takeaways Principles of good governance  Transparency The Council for the Defence of British Universities published a 2024 report on “University Governance: Views from the Inside,” in...

How to Produce a Complete Meeting Agenda + Example Template

iBabs’ State of Meeting Management Report found that stakeholders within large corporations spend a large proportion of their time in meetings. In fact, 76% of attendees in these businesses were in meetings for more than two days a week in total. With this commitment, it is essential that these meetings are worth your team’s time and that they are productive. This is especially important when meetings involve your executive team. Your senior leaders are key to the strategic success of your business and you must use their time efficiently, gaining the benefit of their expertise and experience through well-structured and...

Data Transparency in Local Government: What Every Municipality Needs to Know

Around the world, governments are under increasing pressure to provide greater transparency. Citizens want to know not only what decisions are being made but also why and how. Access-to-information laws—such as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the United States, the Aarhus Convention in Europe, and the Wet open overheid (WOO) in the Netherlands—are designed to ensure that public bodies are open, accountable, and serve their communities responsibly. At the heart of these regulations lies the same principle: citizens have the right to access government information. By disclosing policies, decisions, and operations, municipalities can build a culture of trust,...

Transparency Compliance: 5 Common Mistakes When Publishing Council Decisions

Across the world, governments are under pressure to increase transparency and make information more easily accessible to the public. From the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the United States to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in the UK, the Aarhus Convention in Europe, and other open-government initiatives, municipalities and councils face growing obligations to disclose agendas, meeting documents, and decisions. These frameworks, designed to improve transparency across all levels of government, generally mandate councils to make: While this helps the public, press and politicians hold governing bodies to account, it also creates an administrative burden. Without a structured...

How to Define Committee Member Roles and Responsibilities

Committees are an integral part of governance in organisations across sectors, from large businesses to non-profits and government bodies. They allow for more effective decision-making by hearing diverse perspectives, supporting group problem-solving and allowing for in-depth analysis of complex issues that might not be possible in regular board meetings.  The Chartered Governance Institute states that “In large companies, fully functioning individual committees add significant value and under certain legislation they are a mandated requirement or defined best practice. In smaller companies, committees are often combined to cover multifunctions such as an audit and risk committee or remuneration and nomination committee.”...

The Complete Guide to Recruiting Diverse Board Members

Diversity and inclusion have long formed part of companies’ ESG considerations. Businesses understand that many investors and customers are keen to see greater representation across gender, race, ability and other sections of society in organisations. And the business case is strong. Onboarding directors with different backgrounds and perspectives will, of course, introduce fresh ideas and problem-solving skills to the boardroom. In addition, McKinsey found that companies in the top quartile for female representation on boards were 39% more likely to outperform those in the fourth quartile. There was a similar result for those in the top quartile for director ethnic...

How to Promote Good Governance in Higher Education

The Council for the Defence of British Universities released its 2024 research report called “University Governance: Views from the Inside,” highlighting the vital role of governing bodies, the privilege felt by board and committee members, but also the challenges that they face.  The report found that some governance processes were too complicated, there were examples of undemocratic decision-making, hierarchies developed within many committees and there was often a lack of transparency. These are all impediments to good governance in higher education, which can lead to suboptimal outcomes for the university or college and its development.  This article explores what good...

7 Housekeeping Rules For Meetings To Keep Your Records Neat

Only 51% of meeting attendees are satisfied with how meetings run in their organisation, according to research by iBabs. In addition, the State of Meeting Management report found that a third (34%) did not agree that minutes are taken and distributed after their meetings.  With so much of our working lives spent around a meeting table, it is essential that we ensure our meetings are efficient, effective and well-documented. That is what makes them worthwhile for the organisation as a whole and the individuals who attend. To help improve productivity, you can encourage your team to focus on meeting some...

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