Speaking “Owner-ese”:
Practical Approaches to Linking with Owners
Policy Governance
Chinese
English
French
Tagalog
Urdu
OWNER-ESE
Spanish
Afrikaans
German
Hungarian
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Clearly Identify Owners

The people on whose behalf the board
governs and determines what benefits
the organization should produce, who
those benefits are for, and how much
they are worth

Equivalent of “shareholders” in a forprofit organization

NOT the same as “stakeholders”
Know the Purpose of
Ownership Linkage
 Intentional and constructive dialogue and
deliberation between owners and board
members primarily around the
organization’s Ends
 Not the same as “Public Relations”
 Critical part of the information used to
make Ends decisions
Select a Representative
Sample of Owners
 “Segment” owners into bite-size pieces that
will help you identify the diversity of opinion
among owners
 E.g., geography, age, education, socioeconomic status
Determine The Language of
Engagement

Do the owners know they are owners?

What “language” do they speak?

Is it necessary to provide some basic
education before asking for input?
What’s The Owners’ Language?
Chinese
English
Policy Governance
Hungarian
French
Tagalog
Urdu
OWNER-ESE
Spanish
German
Quechua
Afrikaans
“Translation” Approaches

Do owners understand the language of Policy
Governance? [Usually not!]

Is it necessary to teach them that language?

They need to understand why you are asking
the questions

If Policy Governance is new to your
organization, you may need to explain why
you are using it
Key Areas to Translate

Basic idea of Policy Governance – that board acts on
behalf of owners, sets direction, holds management
accountable, doesn’t handle day to day operations

Concept of ownership linkage and why board is doing
it (difference from customer issues)

Board wants owners’ input to help create the future

Board is not asking about individual “customer” issues
Ask Questions That Generate
Owner Responses

Get them into “owner” mindset





“as a member of your community . . .”
“in your industry . . .”
“thinking about other people your age . . .”
Not, “what do YOU think/want
“Individual” mindset will likely yield
“customer” information instead of
“owner” information
Ask Questions About the
Right Things

Do not ask for input about operational
issues already delegated to the CEO

Input primarily about Ends issues

Ask “what” and “why” questions, rather
than “how” questions
Examples of “What” Questions

What are the priority needs in your
community/industry that are not being met?

If there could be only one need, that if met,
could immediately assist your
industry/community, what would that be?

What difference should this organization make
within your community/profession/industry?
Some Specific “What” Examples

What will be the things graduates need to know to be
prepared for the “real world” of employment? [education]

What are the major financial challenges members will
face in the next 5 years [credit union]

Think about your needs and the needs of other senior
citizens that you know, those who are well and unwell.
What concerns do seniors have about their ability to stay
independent and in their homes? [health/social services]
Examples of “Why” Questions

Do people [your age/in your community]
think the role of this organization should
change? Why or why not?

Look at the following list of outcomes that xx
organization might offer: [list high level Ends]
 Which one seems most important? Why?
 Which one seems least important? Why?
 Which seems unlikely that a [type of organization]
would offer? What is missing?
Help Them Think “Future”

Looking ahead 3 years from now, what results
would have happened for the people we serve
for you to say, “I’m really happy with the
progress that the organization has made?”

Pretend it is 3 years from now and you are
looking back. What results would have
happened for the people we serve for you to
say, “I’m satisfied with the contribution that the
organization has made?”
Choose the Most Appropriate
Methods
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Invited presentations at Board meetings
• Meetings with natural groupings
• Key informant interviews
• Scripted round tables at meetings
• Avoid public forums
Choose the Most Appropriate Methods
• Surveys
– Phone surveys
– Web surveys
– Direct-email surveys
– Intercept
•
•
•
•
•
•
Question on social media
Dialogue groups
Cafés
Deliberative Polling
Advisory Committees
Other Methods
Set a Timeline

Identify when linkage information will be
needed for Ends work

Work backwards from this date to
schedule linkage activities

Schedule debriefing time at board meeting
immediately following each linkage activity
Implement the Plan
 Decide who will be accountable to
make the plan a reality
 A Linkage Committee may be used
 If using a committee, make sure the
board still “owns” the plan and as
much as possible involve all board
members
Track the Information
 Debrief with entire board as soon as
possible after each linkage activity
 Identify key information that has potential
implications for Ends and keep in one
location
 Major insights?
 Cautions about generalizing?
 New questions raised?
Track the Information
 “Match” linkage information to existing
Ends or note the potential need for a new
Ends policy
 Identify any needs for further research or
education as a result of what you have
learned
Apply Owner Input to Ends
 Collect owner input during the board’s
annual cycle, then schedule a longer
meeting or retreat
 Go back to the key information extracted
after each linkage activity and look at all
information as part of the whole picture
 Add other information to add to the
board’s overall understanding
Information for Ends Decisions
Other
Input
Environmental
Scan
Stakeholders
Owner
(“Shareholder”) Input
Direct
“subjective”
input from
Owners
Direct
“objective”
info about
owner needs
Surveys of
owner
Statistical
data
Focus
groups
Surveys by
other orgs
“Enriched”
Information
Indirect info
Futurists
Perspectives
of other orgs
In-depth
education re:
specific issues
Ends
(Developed by Board
based on above
information)
Strategic Plan
(Created by CEO to achieve Ends)
Monitoring
Information
How much
has been
achieved so
far?
Environmental
Scanning
 Social, cultural and
demographic trends and
projections
 Technological prospects
and occurrences
 Economic situation
 Environmental
considerations
 Political, regulatory and
legal climate
Talk With Other Boards
 Meet with other
boards who have
the same
“ownership” as
your board
 Ask for their
perspective on the
needs of the
ownership
 Develop synergies
Enrich Your Knowledge Base
Board needs to have
deeper understanding
of trends and future
than most owners
Seek out diverse
sources of information
Focus on leading indicators, developing
trends, technological forecasts
Focus on the future
Communicate Back to the Owners
 Let the owners know
what happened to
their ideas
 Did you use them? If
not, why not?
 Shows respect for
owners
 Demonstrates
accountability back to
owners
Regularly Evaluate and
Update the Plan
 Learn from your experience
 After each linkage activity, debrief and
refine the process as needed
 Annually, re-evaluate “year 2” of the plan
and flesh it out, then add a new year to the
end of the plan, to maintain a rolling 3-year
plan
Perpetual Owner Linkage Plan™
Know who your
owners are
2. Know the purpose of
ownership linkage
3. Select representative owner input
4. Ask the right questions
5. Choose the most appropriate methods
6. Implement the plan
10. Regularly evaluate
and update the plan
BOARD
OWNERS
7. Keep track of information
gathered
8. Apply the input to Ends
decision-making
9. Communicate
back to the
owners
Further Resources
 REALBoard Tool Kit™ Volume 3:
Connect! A Guide to Ownership Linkage

REALBoard Tool Kit ™ Volume 4:
Future-Focused Agendas
www.governancecoach.com