The Board Skills for Sport course is the world's first sport-specific director training course.
For more information visit the Sport and Recreation Alliance website: http://www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/programmes-initiatives/boardroom
2. Facilitator:
Amanda Bennett
Director, FairPlay Consultancy Ltd
Governance Adviser to the SRA
Contributor:
John Boyd
CEO, Baseball Softball UK
Board Member, Sport and Recreation Alliance
3. Amanda Bennett
• International rugby player and
coach
• Chair, European Women and
Sport
• Executive Board Member, RFUW
• Head of Governance, UK Sport
• Author, Equality Standard for
Sport and Women and
Leadership Development
Programme
• Director, FairPlay Consultancy
Ltd
• Governance Adviser to the SRA
• Equality Standard Adviser
• Head Coach, England U20
Women’s Rugby
• Member, RFU Game
Development Sub-Committee
4. Aims of the Day
• Understand the sporting context, its influence on your
organisation and the role of the Board
• Consider the purpose of the organisation
• Explore the Board’s structure and composition
• Understand what standards, systems and controls should be
in place
By:
• Facilitating discussion through scenario-based activity
• Utilising the skills in the room
5. Recap
• List three things you learnt yesterday which
will help you in your role as a Director
1.
2.
3.
6. Today
• List three things you want to find out about
during today’s sessions
1.
2.
3.
7. Why Good Governance?
Think…
• Lehman Brothers “cosmetic accounting”
• News International phone hacking
• MPs’ expenses
• Nick Leeson, Barings Bank
8. Why Good Governance in Sport?
Think…
• British Athletics Federation
• Snowsport GB
• Amateur Boxing Association of England
12. In a Sporting Context
• Vision – an aspirational view of ‘our’ world
– Health, growth, medals
• Evidence – KPIs; milestones; R&D; audits; insight
– Individual performance
– Organisational progress (RAG)
• Pragmatism – practical problem solving, realism
– 2 coaches, 1 physio, P/T team manager
13. What’s it all for?
http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=ntNVQpg3c08
14. Governance in the Sport Sector –
A Potted History
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•
•
•
•
•
•
1999 management audits
2001 Modernisation
2003 Investing in Change
2005-09 self-assurance and KGIs
2006 Additional £300m – funding triggers
2011 Voluntary Code of Good Governance
2012 governance requirements and key criteria
2013-17
15. DCMS Objectives
• Maintaining and improving Britain's elite
sports performance
• Creating a lasting legacy from the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games
• Getting more people playing sport
Department
for Culture
Media &
Sport
16. Voluntary Code of Good Governance
• 7 Principles
• Voluntary – not a funding
requirement
• Sport-specific
• Flexible and adaptable
• Backed by Government and
National Sport Agencies
18. What’s Your Landscape
• On flipchart paper, draw what you believe to the
landscape within which your organisation
operates (5-10mins)
• Identify agencies of greatest influence /
importance to you
• Describe and explain this to a partner (5mins)
23. Stakeholder Management
• What financial or strategic interest do they have in the
outcome of your work?
• Is it positive or negative?
• What motivates them most of all?
• What information do they want from you?
• What is their current opinion of your work? Is it based on good
information?
• Who influences their opinions generally, and who influences
their opinion of you?
26. The Role of the Board
• Understanding, defining and overseeing key relationships with
other bodies, e.g. investors, commercial partners etc.
• Upholding required standards set by other sporting bodies
domestically or internationally
• Defining the relationship between the NGB and clubs,
members and participants
• Advocacy, lobbying, promotion
27. International Federations
• Historical background
– one or more bodies
– e.g. Boxing, Golf, Taekwondo
• Responsible for the governance and development
of the sport
• Rules of the sport
• Events
• Olympic and Paralympic status
28. Delivering the Vision, Mission and Purpose
“The Board should set the high level strategy and vision
of the organisation and ensure that it is followed without
becoming involved in the operational delivery”
Principle 3, Voluntary Code of Good Governance
29. Vision
Your vision statement is your inspiration, the framework
for all your strategic planning. You are articulating your
dreams and hopes for your sport. It reminds you of what
you are trying to build.
30. Mission
A mission statement is a brief description of an
organisation's fundamental purpose. It answers the
question, "Why do we exist?“. The mission statement
articulates your organisation's purpose both for those
inside the organisation and for the
members, stakeholders and the public.
32. Examples
To organise the world‘s
information and make
it universally accessible
and useful
Google
Bowls England will
deliver an exceptional
sport and community
experience that is
appealing, entertaining
and accessible to all
Our aim at Havant Rugby
Club is to create an
environment where
rugby can be played and
enjoyed by all ages from
6 to sixty regardless of
gender or ability.
36. Balanced, Inclusive and Skilled Board
“The Board should be made up of individuals with the
right balance of skills and experience to meet the needs of
the organisation. Included in this is a need for
independent expertise and for representation of the
diversity of the sport and the communities they serve.”
Principle 4, Voluntary Code of Good Governance
39. Discussion
Competent high calibre individuals offering a mix
of skills, experience and backgrounds
Why is it important for sport?
What steps did your organisation take?
What challenges did you face?
40. Cross-Sectoral Good Practice
• Board members are chosen on the basis of their competence,
ability, quality, leadership, integrity and experience
• Having at least 2 (ideally one third) independent Directors – no
one group can dominate decision making
• Setting terms of office for Board members to ensure the Board
is refreshed regularly
• Ensuring the voice of the participant is heard or represented
• Board composition adequately reflects society and is mindful of
diversity
45. The 12 Step Plan
Agree Board composition
Communicate with
stakeholders
Check Articles
Conduct skills audit
Communicate with
stakeholders
Agree recruitment process
(including Directors stepping down)
Secure stakeholder
agreement, e.g. AGM
Put in place recruitment
plan and resources
Open recruitment
Comprehensive
induction
Board evaluation
Communicate with
stakeholders
49. What Process?
• Open recruitment – advert, panel, interview
framework
• Election – voted by designated group, e.g. Members
• Appointment – can follow open recruitment or
election
• Secondment
• Co-opting *
• Shadowing*
*enables succession planning
50. Standards, Systems and Controls
“The Board needs to be conscious of the standards it
should operate to, and its role in exercising appropriate
and effective control over the organisation”
Principle 5, Voluntary Code of Good Governance
51. Risk is the uncertainty surrounding events and
their outcomes that may have a
significant effect, either enhancing or
inhibiting:
• operational performance
• achievement of aims and objectives
• meeting expectations of stakeholders
52. Risk Management is the discipline of:
• Identifying and assessing all the risks you are
exposed to
• Setting risk appetite for those risks aligned to
strategic objectives
• Deploying the resources needed to control and
monitor the risks; and
• Reporting and re-assessing those risks in a
documented and evidenced framework
58. Risk Management
• Each individual risk needs to be prioritised according
to:
– the impact on the business should the risk occur, and
– the likelihood that the risk will occur.
• Process – risk matrix, profile and heat map. Must be
integrated into strategy, operations, reporting
• Behaviour – led by the Board
60. The ‘Art’ of Delegation
“Ensuring authority is delegated appropriately and that
checks and balances are in place to manage inappropriate
use of decision making responsibilities”
63. The ‘Art’ of Delegation
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•
•
•
•
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•
•
•
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Nurture the line management relationship
Ensure clarity of outcomes, outputs and KPIs
Set individual objectives
Create responsibility
Clarify accountability
Agree limits of authority*
Stay in touch
Challenge progress – ask ‘good questions’
Monitor and measure performance
Reward success and be honest about failure
*responsibility without authority creates discontent
64. Thank You and Well Done!
Amanda Bennett
FairPlay Consultancy Ltd
Mob: 07507 355241
Email: abennett@sportandrecreation.org.uk
Editor's Notes
Formerly at UKS 10 years, HoGEngland U20sWelcome John Boyd – BSUK and SRA
Formerly at UKS 10 years, HoGEngland U20sWelcome John Boyd – BSUK and SRA
Aim to translate information from Day 1 to a sporting contextWill use experience and technical skills in the room
Pairs – what you learned, shareGroup share
Pairs, todayGroup share and flipchart (ML)
New MPs encouraged to adopt same approach Nick Leeson signed off own accounts
Athletics - anti-doping processSnowsport GB – financial controlABAE – IF suspension, concern from SE. Played out in the media
No process for managing individual activityWho signs off spend? Who authorises new projects?No process needed, everyone knows how things are done around here…
Nick Leeson – no oversightMPs expenses – pressure on new MPs. Known and accepted way of operating
Vision – aspirational, something to follow, e.g. world without poverty, hunger. Martin Luther King had a dreamScience – evidence, research, understanding, the detail, e.g. cancer research, SRA club survey Craft – living in reality and making practical decisions. Disconnected management – no process, pragmatism, practical application of information Dispirited management – no vision, inspiration Disorganised management – no information, evidence on which to base decisions
e.g. BBC and C4 O&P coverage. ITV in Rio 2014
Not all initiatives, policies and schemes listed here but these have had significant influence Marc Scott – Sport NI Modern Sport
Anyone know DCMS objectives?Recent history including shift to and from physical activity. Policy affects strategy affects resources affects investment
There is more than one truth (David Bowie)4s – on flipchart set out partners and highlight / indicate those of greatest import. On wall groups feed back
So many institutions, decision makers, influencers, partners
It’s about managing stakeholders…Consider where you might place those listed on flipcharts
e.g.What about the international landscape?
In groups using post it notes, places stakeholders on flipchart Consider questions 10 minutes Feed back to another group (or whole group if time)
Why would British Cycling prepare a whole web-page for partnership?
Has anyone gone through an exercise c.f. pre-break at a Board meeting?Relationship with clubs and members – clearly defined, communicated and nurturedBeing ‘on message’. Decisions made in the Board room must be communicated in a unified fashion. Naysaying is damaging.
Fighting sports…Connection between your organisation and international bodies. Street Games?Understand their goals, their mission and consider the mutual benefit of developing a relationship as well as the risks of NOT developing a relationship JOHN BOYD
What does ‘getting involved in operational delivery” mean?Board member contacts officers unilaterally to help with projectsIf want situation might this justifiably happen?When there are few or no executives and Board members take a lead on a given area. Clearly delegated and authorised
Pointing to the sun
Raison d’etreElevator conversationOwned by the organisation and everyone involved with it
Increase the number of people playing TchoukballWhat for – to improve the health of the nation What for – as it will reduce health bills, extend life, bring greater quality of life, reduce teen pregnancy, increase academic performance Annoying 5 year olds aid policy development
LaudableAchievable if underpinned by sound strategy, resources and total commitment from everyone in the organisation
JOHN BOYD
Appears unwieldy and difficult matrix. Potential for multi-functional individuals. Encourages prioritisation.
JOHN BOYD
Pairs – answer questions. 15 minutes. Feed back
Can they do what is required legally, technically, behaviourally and in time No one group dominatingAnyone set terms of office? Why? How received?Historical and traditional democratic structures of sport - member vote and representation It’s the 21st century. “best people for the job”. What does 10 able bodied white males tell you…?
GB Hockey – performance only but must include HCSCs as players drawn from these IF recognised NGBsDSUK – charity with multiple functions beyond WCPPGBTKD – no home nations, WCPP only. PD on Board
British Canoeing formerly 60 council membersFootball Association of Wales still has 30How is decision making possible?
Individuals feel included, Boards take steps to enable inclusion. It is an outcome mostly achieved by experience. Representation – those membersDiversity – you’re on the Board, what more do you want…Behaviour – talking sticks, who shouts the loudest, sardonic humour, conversations held elsewhere
Working towards a balanced, inclusive and skilled Board – Firmly held beliefs and apathy in equal measure
NOT the 12 step programme but a drink will be needed by the endHighlight only one aspect of this – communication. Changing articles, changing voting processes, introducing independent membersEveryone sees the value of change, no one wants to be changedPractical steps include a skills audit – what are you looking for, what currently exists?
Groups of ¾ on flipchart list skills, backgrounds, qualities, experience required
e.g. of a skills audit however skills must underpin mission and strategy
Mentions diversity, articles and focus on competence
Plan for rebuttals – different in which the skills matrix can be met short and long term
Control is also behavioural not just a process
Performance – financial, project failure, individual under performance / lack of skills and personnel Aims and objectives – more medals, more participants. Sport in decline Expectations – reputational damage
It has got to be top down – Board demands to know what risks, mitigating action, progress etc. Philosophy seeps into operational activity
What risks would you place here and where? Mitigating action from the floor
Templates, frameworks, heat maps and lists all mechanisms but it is fundamentally about leadership and behaviour.
Who can the Board delegate to?CEO or similarCommitteesContractors and consultantsIndividual Board membersChair / CEO relationship JOHN BOYD