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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...

How to Chair a Committee Meeting with Confidence and Authority

Meetings are an integral part of every work sector, from the corporate world to charities, local government to education. In fact, iBabs’ recent survey on meeting practices found that a fifth of respondents (22%) spent more than half their working week in meetings. Of course, the longer you sit in meetings, the less time you have to implement the decisions you make and to carry out your other tasks.  In the academic world, faculty members balance their student-facing roles with research and, often, commitments to the various committees that drive governance within the university or college. These various obligations make...

A Guide to Changing Your Board Portal Provider

Board portals have gained wide adoption due to the flexibility and efficiency of organising board meetings online. However, despite many companies using using such solutions, iBabs’ State of Meeting Management survey found that only 60% of respondents felt they had enough time to prepare properly for meetings, highlighting a persistent challenge in achieving effective collaboration. Additionally, less than 50% of participants said their organisations adequately tracked action points. While many board portals offer modern designs, they can fall short in key areas of functionality. They often come with their hidden limitations. For instance, some platforms are overly complex, leading to...

How to Assess Your Board Portal Provider 

A board portal is an essential tool for businesses today, streamlining the process of preparing and running meetings, as well as following up afterwards. However, not all board portals are built the same and your business might find that the platform you use might not be serving you as well as it should.   When you find the right meeting management tool for your business, it can improve collaboration, create transparency in your processes, add accountability to stakeholders, save time and effort for administrators, aid meeting preparation, facilitate better decisions and ensure they are brought to fruition. If your current portal...

Step-by-step Migration Plan for a Seamless Board Portal Transition

There are many reasons why you might be disillusioned with your current board portal. It could be too costly, the support you receive might not be adequate, it might not be user friendly or you might be concerned about its security. Sometimes it is a combination of some or all of these factors. There are plenty of alternatives on the market, but it is easy to stick with an inferior product because the prospect of migrating your existing data to a new platform seems overwhelming. You may also have to seek out a solution that addresses the exact concerns you...

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