The Practice of Corporate Governance

 

A straightforward guide to the work of governing bodies and the people who serve on them

Bob Tricker

 

The basic premise of the book is that all corporate entities, whatever their purpose, structure, or size, need a governing body. Corporate governance is not management. Some features of corporate governance are basic, common to all corporate entities. This book offers a guide to these fundamentals.

 

Many people, when they are appointed to the governing body of an organisation, have little idea of what to expect and what is expected of them. Even those with board-level experience find the culture and leadership style of other governing bodies differ. The aim is to help them understand and improve their contribution to the governing body on which they serve.

Every member of a governing body, whether called a director, counsellor, committee member, or any other name, will find the book useful. The book will be most useful when related to the reader’s experience, given the specific responsibilities on the board on which they serve.  Each chapter concludes with a worksheet for the reader to relate the material to their own situation. By the end of the book, the reader will have a workbook describing the basis of governance in their own organisation and how their board works. This workbook is available on the Internet, so that it can be completed online.

Effective governance improves performance and ensures long-term success. This book offers a straight-forward guide to the fundamental work of governing bodies and the people who serve on them. In the author’s experience, having served on the boards of profit-orientated companies, not-for-profit organisations, including a hospital trust, an Oxford college, and a charity, as well as government committees, there is a need for this book. Consulting projects and strategy seminars run for boards of directors around the world, have reinforced that conviction.

It is sincerely hoped that this book will enable readers to improve their contribution to the governance of the organisations they serve and demonstrate that corporate governance is a fascinating subject.