12

Sa-Dhan Patrika

Volume 7,

Issue 2, December 2006

intelligence (applies knowledge

Collective leadership for

●

and experience to expand the

efficiency

and

frontiers for the sector and poor).

effectiveness (i.e. Improved

strategic

operational

Any tools designed to enhance the

guidance and discipline)

capacity of the board or governance

Leadership for probity

●

may either deal with one of the above

(gaining  respect  and

objectives or a combination of different

credibility that can be

objectives.

trusted, in spite of all the

hardship and challenges)

8.

Principles underlying the objectives.

Leadership for responsibility

●

(responsive to the needs of

The principles that underlie the above

stakeholders and the end-

objectives are the rights of the various

user and the community)

stakeholders  and  key  ownership

Leadership

that

is

functions, the equitable treatment of

●

transparent

and

shareholders and end users, disclosure

accountable and lastly

and transparency and the responsibilities

Leadership with focused

of the board.

●

intelligence  (applying

9.

Governance and Management.

knowledge and institutional

memories to further the

Governance has a broad reach, going

interest

of

the

well beyond management. Managing

organization's end-user

involves administrative, supervisory and

and the community and

facilitating tasks associated with on-going

the

surrounding

operations; executives and managers

community).

administer and lead organizations by

One of the first obstacles that has to be

developing business strategies and

overcome is in creating a collective

implementing and monitoring them on a

reality among the board /executive

day-to-day

basis.

Boards

and

committee regarding the organizations,

governance structures deal with overall

resulting in collective ownership. It also

organizational policy, direction and

realized that just because they share the

culture. In essence, those who govern

same table in the board meeting does

authorize what organizations do and

not mean that they necessarily share the

executives manage organizations by

same reality. To begin the process, this

virtue of the authority delegated to them

needs a reflective but non-intrusive tool

by those who govern. Governance

although effective enough in facilitating

frameworks evolve over time, size of the

the formation of collective reality. This

organization and experience, as one size

tool is called the Board Self Assessment

does not fit all.

tool.

Boards and

This is basically a building block of

10.

AIAMED's experience with tools for

governance

governance. It is divided into six broad

capacity building of boards and

headings

structures deal

executive committee.

with overall

a)

Introduction

AIAMED had its beginning in the South

organizational

b)

Pre-assessment activities, which can

Asia Network (SAN) in 1994.Soon it

policy, direction

act as ice­breakers

realized given the geo-political reality,

and culture

c)

Board self-assessment instruments

having a functional South Asian board

d)

Individual

self-assessment

was impossible. In 1997, it was registered

instruments

as a trust, which took over some the

e)

Post assessment activities and

functions of SAN but mostly work related

f)

Appendices

to India. Right from the beginning, it

emphasized that if financial services to

The self-assessment instruments consist of

the poor were to end up as a

three categories for discussion based

consumption credit with high interest

assessments, which in turn have two

rate, they should focus on enterprise

instruments assessing strength and

solution to poverty. This may involve

weakness and value assessment. The next

providing inclusive financial services to

set of instruments is on fulfillment of roles

the poor going beyond micro-finance.

and responsibilities, which has three

This, they realized, would require well-

instruments identifying their roles and

defined governance structures and roles.

asses against their own understanding,

methods for fulfilling performance in 13

Based on this, it started using the tool

key roles and ranking their own

provided by one of the donors and

performance. The third set of instruments

stream lined it over a period of practice

is on board systems and structures which

and feed back. The tools as stated earlier

has a quick base and a work sheet for

are based on the following five

suggesting improvements. The fourth one

objectives.