Both models are aimed at the same thing: helping boards govern better. Both models are built around four types of policies: one creating the board’s own governing culture; one defining the CEO’s level of authority and accountability; one defining the board’s values about the organization’s operations; and one expressing the board’s expected outcomes for owners or clients.
The primary differences between the two models are in the Executive Limitations/Operational Expectations area. Coherent Governance includes policies dealing with operational areas of concern not accommodated by Policy Governance®, and the language of the OE policies includes both directives (“do this”) and prohibitions (“don’t do this”). This latter feature eliminates the “double negative” concern with Policy Governance Executive Limitations that some users feel creates awkward language issues.
Our experience has proved to us that organizations such as school boards and other public boards face issues and challenges that make them different from other types of boards in some important ways. They face fierce community scrutiny, legislative mandates, comparatively frequent leadership turnover, complex student needs, uncertain funding, and inadequate training. They deal with instructional issues, discipline issues, and staffing issues that are more complex than those faced by most non-public boards.
We believe that these public boards must have written policies that other boards may not need in order to express their values and concerns about the organizational actions and decisions they would find unacceptable. Coherent Governance assures that all important operational concerns are addressed, leaving no critical gaps. The board safely can delegate operational decision-making to its CEO with assurance that it will not need to dwell on day-to-day operations. It can govern, not manage the manager!
